Does anybody out there know what the NY Rangers are going to look like once they return from the 4 Nations Face-Off break? I surely don’t, but if there’s something I’m sure of, it’s that you’ll see a few players exit Manhattan for other opportunities when general manager Chris Drury makes a few more deals by the NHL trade deadline.
Would we miss any of the players listed below? I see one who the Blueshirts might regret moving if and when the inevitable happens. But if it makes them a better team in the process, I’m sure fans won’t make much of a fuss over it.
So, which players aren’t coming back to the Blueshirts after the deadline reaches its conclusion? I’m confident the following trio will be playing (or have already played) their final games as a Ranger.
Chris Kreider
Yeah, yeah, I’ve been critical of Chris Kreider time and again this season, but this time it’s for keeps. I mean, Kreider’s been a shell of himself in 2024-25, and if the Rangers still want to snag some solid compensation for him, that trade needs to happen this year.
Right now, we’re looking at 20 points in 47 games for Kreider, 16 goals, and four assists, and yeah, you can argue his goal-scoring is as good as ever. But his shooting percentage is down by about two at the moment, and he’s doing next to nothing for helping linemates finish sequences and we’re already two-thirds of the way through the season.
Listen, if Kreider was going to at least look somewhat decent as a playmaker, he’d have shown at least a few flashes. But that hasn’t been the case, and there’s no reason you need to show any faith in a forward who’s underperformed all year.
Still, other organizations out there know what Kreider’s capable of, so why not take advantage when they sneak in a little more compensation than what he might be worth? These teams are trying to win championships, so they’ll take a chance on Kreider. A player the Rangers, at this point anyway, might end up telling another team, “He’s your problem now.”
K’Andre Miller
K’Andre Miller’s got several traits that contenders will look for. And if the Rangers bring themselves back into a position of contention, there’s a lot of rumors going around the league that Miller might be in his last days with the franchise.
Miller’s production hasn’t done himself justice this season, as he’s logged just four goals and 13 points in 49 contests. This once again puts him on the decline following a 30-point season from a year ago, which was 13 fewer than the 43 he snagged in 2022-23.
But Miller is an imposing, physical defenseman who teams looking to add more edge to a bottom pairing would find valuable. That value only intensifies as the ‘down the stretch’ time of the year approaches and the number of body checks starts to skyrocket.
While Miller could play that same role for the Rangers, he’s looking more and more like the odd man out in Manhattan. So, here’s how it’s probably going to work: Miller goes to a team that’s contending but would probably find itself in the market for a young defenseman if they don’t grab one this season.
In return, the Rangers should get another blueliner, and one who could prove to be a better fit and bring more consistency than Miller has. Yeah, it’s a letdown, considering Miller’s potential, but if he’s stagnating, is there any reason to keep him around after March 7th?
Kaapo Kakko
Oh, are you surprised to see Kaapo Kakko listed? Like, didn’t he go to the Seattle Kraken earlier this season, or did Todd miss something? Ha! This one’s a trickery. Look at the headline again, and you’ll notice that I put ‘won’t return following the 2025 trade deadline.’
And I did that for a reason, as there’s always a chance players could get traded at some point well before the deadline, only to return at a later time. But why Kaapo Kakko and not Jacob Trouba or Filip Chytil, you ask?
Hey, I won’t accuse Kakko of transforming into a breakout player anymore than you, but I can’t help but admit he impressed me some during his final 30 games in New York. He finished his tenure this year with 14 points and four goals. Yeah, he had an 8.9 shooting percentage, but he was logging shots on goal and winning 50 percent of his faceoffs when called upon.
Kakko also has 17 points and five goals in 24 games for a bad Seattle Kraken team, so he’s proven he can play. Still, it would be a longshot to see the Rangers call up the Kraken and forge a deal to bring him back to the organization. Not this season, anyway.