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New York Rangers: Top ten free agency targets of 2021

By Daniel Blanda

BUFFALO, NY - JUNE 25: Jeff Gorton of the New York Rangers attends the 2016 NHL Draft on June 25, 2016 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
BUFFALO, NY - JUNE 25: Jeff Gorton of the New York Rangers attends the 2016 NHL Draft on June 25, 2016 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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With the start of the 2019 free agency nearly here, the New York Rangers still have a number of questions ahead of them.

Should the New York Rangers be going after Artemi Panarin? Should Jimmy Vesey be shopped? Should Chris Kreider be handled like Mats Zuccarello? Is Kevin Shattenkirk a goner? Does anyone at all want Marc Staal? Will the Rangers be contenders as soon as next season or will it be another year or two?

On paper the rebuild is ahead of schedule. Adding Kaapo Kakko, Jacob Trouba, Adam Fox and the slew of other young players has the future looking brighter by the day. However, that doesn’t mean that young core will be ready any time soon.

Historically, we have seen other franchises rush their top-tier prospects to the show and watch as they fall short. Talented players like Gilbert Brule, Nail Yakupov, Alex Burmistrov and maybe even Nolan Patrick all failed to meet expectations due to poor development.

If the Rangers don’t believe that Kakko, Vitali Kravtsov, Fox and K’Andre Miller are prepared to make the leap, then investing money this offseason could be a mistake. The most likely elite player on the table is Artemi Panarin, but his offense can’t fix the team’s issues on the backend. Until the Rangers get rid of three of the four ‘S’s’ on the blue line and find Henrik Lundqvist‘s official replacement, any and all free agents will be nothing but a band-aid.

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA – JUNE 21: Kaapp Kakko poses for a portrait after being selected second overall by the New York Rangers during the first round of the 2019 NHL Draft at Rogers Arena on June 21, 2019 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Kevin Light/Getty Images)
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA – JUNE 21: Kaapp Kakko poses for a portrait after being selected second overall by the New York Rangers during the first round of the 2019 NHL Draft at Rogers Arena on June 21, 2019 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Kevin Light/Getty Images) /

The future is the answer in more ways than one. Looking ahead, in two years time, all of the cumbersome cap burdens will be no more. Kevin Shattenkirk, Marc Staal, Brendan Smith and Lundqvist’s $8.5 million severance package will all be off the books.$25.2 million will be freed up.

The RFA’s that will be coming off of their entry-level deals will have time to earn an extension (or not). Mika Zibanejad will still be signed for another season. It’s assumed that Jacob Trouba will be here for the long haul and will only be 27 years old. Most importantly, the young talent will be ready. The New York Rangers will then be able to hit free agency knowing what the team is missing, instead of looking for players to build around. There’s a big difference between the two.

Back to the future, here are ten players the New York Rangers should pursue in 2021.

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