There will be dramatic financial changes that take place in the NHL over the next few years.
It has been confirmed that the cap will go up to $95.5 million during the 2025-26 season, $104 million in 2026-27 and $113.5 million in 2027-28.
This will directly impact the New York Rangers as general manager Chris Drury could look to go after a major superstar.
The Rangers will have some cap flexibility with a number of player’s contracts set to expire in the summer including Ryan Lindgren, Reilly Smith, Jimmy Vesey and Jonathan Quick.
NHL insider Frank Seravalli also reported a few weeks ago that the Rangers will likely be sellers at the trade deadline but long-term buyers.
“Right now, they’re trending to be sellers,” Seravalli said. “But, I still don’t believe that Chris Drury is going to sit back and do nothing.
Obviously this reported strategy could change depending on if the Rangers find themselves in the playoff hunt leading up to the NHL Trade Deadline.
Last month, Emily Kaplan of ESPN emphasized Drury’s desire to attract a big fish to New York through free agency.
“I think the uploading is going to happen before the reloading,” Kaplan said on the New Ice City podcast. “I think this is a front office that have always targeted two free agents from now when they would like to make a big splash, but maybe it’s this summer instead.
“We just know it’s in the nature of the New York Rangers and a James Dolan owned team to always go after the big splashes. Any of these top names that you're going to see available this summer or next, whether it is Mitch Marner, Mikko Rantanen, Jack Eichel.”
It seems Drury has been eager to shake up the roster for some time now and this offseason may be the perfect time to pull the trigger on a big move.
The cap will skyrocket over the next few years and a big market team like the Blueshirts need to capitalize and certainly have the ability to.
