The New York Rangers are one NHL team expected to be very active this summer when it comes to potential trades, offer sheets and free agent signings. This is because the Broadway Blueshirts missed the playoffs this year, and that comes just a year after having the best regular season in franchise history. Such a sudden twist of fate has resulted in a head coaching change, the departure of popular players, and more changes could be on the horizon.
That said, the Rangers could potentially derail their attempt of returning to elite form if they are foolish with how they spend their money. With that in mind, here are 3 free agents that the Rangers would ruin their offseason by signing.
1. Ivan Provorov
Provorov is a 28-year defender the Blueshirts are very familiar with given his history within the Metropolitan Division with Philadelphia Flyers and Columbus Blue Jackets. Their knowledge of Provorov and his game should be enough to prevent President and General Manager Chris Drury from signing him, but to date the Blueshirts have targeted defenders like Provorov.
Simply stated, Provorov is a really bad hockey player who would add nothing of value to the team's defensive structure. Provorov logged 1,535 minutes in 5v5 situations this past season, and his results include a 52.52 GF%, a 48.06 CF%, and a 46.31 xGF% courtesy of Evolving-Hockey. These numbers are well below the benchmarks of what the Rangers need to add to their ranks, so they should let him wallow in free agency and become another team's ultra-expensive mistake.
2. Brock Boeser
Boeser is a player that would have been a good fit for the Rangers in prior years, but at this point of his career he'd be a curious addition. The addition of J.T. Miller only adds to the possibility that he's pursued, but a reunion may not be worth it for the Rangers.
The 28-year-old from Minnesota has spent the entirety of his career to this point north of the border in Vancouver with the Canucks, and on paper he's got a lot of attractive attributes. He stands 6'1", weighs 208 pounds and in 554 games has scored 204 goals and added 230 assists for 434 points which equates to 0.77 points per game. The issue is that he just had a down year in which he finished with 25 goals and assists for 50 points in 75 games. The year before that he scored 40 goals and added 33 assists for 73 points in 81 games skating primarily with Miller as his center.
If we look at the last three years of data, it appears that one-year spike with Miller was an exception and not the rule when it comes to what can be expected of Boeser. In 75 games this season Boeser had a 47.09 GF%, a 48.37 CF%, and a 46.82 xGF% per Evolving-Hockey.
During his 40-goal year in 2023-24, that line included a 62.98 GF%, a 51.67 CF%, and a 50.1 xGF%. The year before that, Boeser finished with a 44.17 GF%, a 47.63 CF%, and a 42.86 xGF%. When you look at those three seasons back-to-back-to-back, it becomes clear that while Boeser certainly can score goals, there are other elements of his game that leave you wanting more. If the Rangers are going to add a high-profile winger this summer, they need someone who plays a more well rounded game.