WHAT TO DRU?

BY MIKE RIFKIN

It was a rough season for the New York Rangers. Going from winning the President’s Trophy to missing the playoffs as a whole. Changes have already occurred as Head Coach Peter Laviolette and assistant coach Phil Housley are both out, while Dan Muse and Michael Peca will have an opportunity to remain with the club. On Wednesday, the team announced a multi year extension with GM Chris Drury. Now, while it’s fair to ask why Drury gets to hire a third coach, I think it is fair to say he has to get this one right. Now here are some things for Drury to consider in a massive offseason for both himself and the organization. 

DRUS

1. Believe in the young talent – The Rangers saw a bit of a youth movement on the ice during this season. Getting first hand looks at players such as Brett Berard, Brennan Othmann, and Gabe Perrault. But two guys who had down seasons were Alexis Lafreniere and K’Andre Miller. The Rangers took Lafreniere first overall in 2020 and he has taken strides and was the Rangers’ best player in the playoffs in 2023-24. But he did have a down season this season, but he’s 23 years old and after seeing what happened after they traded Kappo Kakko, should give the Rangers some pause. As for Miller, he is an RFA and had a tough season. Part of that could have been the rotation of partners he had or was he thinking about his contract? Either way I have a hard time giving up on a 25 year old solid skating defenseman. They’re also going to have to re-sign Will Cuylle after his career season.

2. Trade Chris Kreider – This one is hard, Kreider has been a Ranger throughout his career, even sticking around after the letter and eventually his number 20 can hang in the rafters at MSG. But the Rangers are entering the offseason with a little more than nine million dollars in cap space. Kredier has two seasons left on his deal at 6.5 million per year. Trading Kreider can be difficult as he has a modified no trade clause and had an injury plagued season, but did score 22 goals in 68 games played. 

3. Figure out the Artemi Panarin situation (on ice) – Artemi Panarin has been one of the best free agent signings in Ranger history (on ice). As he enters the final season of his contract, Drury needs to either lock him into an extension or seek a trade. He really can’t let this linger, especially after what took place this season. But, Drury also knows he can’t lose his most dynamic player for nothing. Panarin had 37 goals and 89 points this past season, so he is still playing at a high level. It’ll be more about the term for a player who will be 34 next season. 

DRU NOTS

1. HIRE JOHN TORTORELLA – Torts was let go by the Flyers at the end of the season, and could be one of the more sought after coaches on the market. Torts was already the coach of the Rangers (08-13) and made four playoff appearances. Even though Torts has adapted to the current NHL, he can wear thin, and this is a Ranger team that needs to figure out a long term coach. 

2. Be afraid to take a shot – With their cap situation being what it is, the Rangers are not likely to be in on major free agents, which is fine. One of the things the Rangers can do is throw out an offer sheet to restricted free agents to teams who are cap strapped and see what occurs. The Blues offer sheeted Dylan Holloway from the Oilers and he had a fantastic season. If the Rangers wanted to take a shot on Bowen Byram, Matthew Knies or someone it could absolutely benefit Chris Drury.