The New York Rangers are an organization in transition. With several holes in their lineup they will likely need to turn to outside replacements.
For all of the hubbub that the first day of NHL free agency gets, the trade vultures are far more interesting. There is so much of the “inside baseball” reporting going on during the month of June that it is hard to discern what is actually happening. The “insiders” are out in force on Twitter, passing off ideas as rumors. However, this summer, there are several players who fit the bill.
Typically, teams that are rebuilding do not sign franchise players to long term extensions. The player and team are better suited by parting ways. The team gets assets that fit better with its window of contention and the player gets to go to a better team. Take the Evander Kane trade deadline deal for example. Buffalo had no intention of signing the forward to an extension and was able to recoup value for an expiring contract.
For a team like the Rangers that hold considerable draft capital and interesting roster pieces, there is ample opportunity to improve. Being that last season was such a disaster, the team may feel inclined to make a splash. In Jeff Gorton’s time as general manager he has done both. Last summer he landed Kevin Shattenkirk on the first day of free agency. The year before he went the budget route with Michael Grabner.
The point being, there are players available for the right price.