The New York Rangers made some notable moves this past offseason, which were trading Chris Kreider to the Anaheim Ducks and K'Andre Miller to the Carolina Hurricanes, while signing Vladislav Gavrikov to a seven-year, $49 million contract to be their top-pairing defenseman alongside Adam Fox. The hope was that these moves would help propel the Rangers back into playoff contenders.
Well, the Rangers are in the playoff picture, technically, but they are far from a convincing team. The Rangers are 11-11-2 through 24 games this season, which is good enough for last place in the Metropolitan Division. The Rangers notably struggled scoring goals early this season, and have just two home wins as of this writing.
Given how crowded the playoff crowd is this early in the season, the Rangers are a team that definitely needs to improve. While the current roster can always turn things around, the sample size thus far this season says otherwise. It's hard to imagine general manager Chris Drury punting on the season. He will try to make a trade that will help the Rangers improve and secure a playoff spot at year's end.
Here are four players they should target to improve their chances this season.
Kiefer Sherwood, RW, Canucks
One team has already let it be known that they are open for business, and that's the Vancouver Canucks. After a rough start to the season, Sportsnet NHL insider Elliotte Friedman reported that the team is willing to trade away veteran players in an effort to build a younger team. Every veteran player not named Quinn Hughes is available.
The Rangers have a desperate need for scorers on the team. It makes sense that the Rangers could target one of Vancouver's more productive forwards, and that's Kiefer Sherwood.
Sherwood is in the midst of his second season with the Canucks after signing a two-year, $3 million contract. Sherwood is having a productive walk-year, as he currently leads his team in goals with 12. He can score goals, but he can also dish out hits, which is something the Rangers need to do a bit more, especially if they want to secure a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Considering Sherwood is set to be a free agent next summer, it might not cost much in terms of draft capital or players for the Rangers to acquire him. Let's not forget that the Rangers have done business with the Canucks (i.e. the J.T. Miller trade).
Ryan O'Reilly, C, Predators
Let's pivot to a team that feels destined to start a fire sale. That is, of course, the Nashville Predators. While the majority of the NHL is in playoff position, the Predators are not. Things have gone so poorly, that general manager Barry Trotz effectively threw the players under the bus while defending head coach Andrew Brunette. That strategy didn't pan out, as the Predators lost 8-3 to the Florida Panthers in their next game.
Trotz said before the aforementioned game, that he will use the team's next seven-to-eight games to determine whether they will trade some players. While Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault stand out as players of interest, they have full no-trade clauses, so they seem unlikely to be dealt unless they want out of Nashville. One player who doesn't have a no-trade clause is Ryan O'Reilly.
O'Reilly is a player who knows how to win a Stanley Cup. He did so in the St. Louis Blues' improbable run. He was even a solid contributor in his lone year with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2023. As a playoff performer, O'Reilly has 26 goal and 21 assists to his credit through eight seasons.
This season, O'Reilly's numbers aren't too spectacular, as he has six goals and seven assists through 22 games. O'Reilly was openly critical of his play this season.
Sure, the numbers aren't great, but O'Reilly knows how to step up his game when it matters most. O'Reilly would be a solid get for the Rangers, but they'd first need Trotz to decrease his current, insane asking price of a first-round pick and a high-end prospect.
Alex Tuch, RW, Sabres
Rangers fans were dreaming of the free agency class next summer. The likes of Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, Kirill Kaprizov, Kyle Connor, and Adrian Kempe were all set to headline the class, and the Rangers would certainly end up with one of them. Instead, they watched every player sign contract extensions with their current teams. So the lauded free agency class had dried out significantly
But there is still one player that is still set to hit free agency, and that's Buffalo Sabres winger Alex Tuch.
Tuch may not be the caliber of player of McDavid, Kempe, Kaprizov, or Eichel, but he is still a player worth targeting, especially if you need scoring. In two of the previous three seasons, Tuch scored 36 goals twice. And that's on the Sabres. Imagine what he could do in a different environment?
This season, Tuch scored eight goals and recorded 13 assists in 22 games.
If the Rangers want to improve their scoring, it wouldn't hurt to trade for Tuch, especially if Buffalo falls firmly out of the playoff picture. Who knows, maybe the Rangers could sign Tuch to a contract extension before free agency?
Quinn Hughes, D, Canucks
Yes, the Canucks have reportedly let it be known that Hughes is off the trade board. But there is a caveat — it's "for now." There is always a chance that the Canucks change their minds or Hughes pushes for a trade out of Vancouver.
Rangers fans have heard a ton from Devils fans about the team bringing in Quinn to fulfill the dream of a Hughes family reunion. Jack has let it be known that he'd love to play on the same team as Quinn. Even Canucks president Jim Rutherford said that it was a possibility.
Not to mention, the Philadelphia Flyers have recently been linked to Hughes on the trade block by NHL insider Frank Seravalli.
Yes, the Rangers defense is good for the most part. But if they really want to stick it to their rivals, the Devils and the Flyers, they would explore a trade for Hughes. Besides, Hughes is a player that you try to acquire whether you need the defensive help or not.