The New York Rangers are enduring a crisis of confidence in their bottom six, and head coach Mike Sullivan has spent the first month of the season scrambling for any combination that can support his top scorers.
Joe Veleno was knocked out of the picture with a long-term injury early, Jaroslav Chmelař was returned to the Hartford Wolf Pack after an unproductive seven-game start, rookie Cole Beaudoin earned a brief cup of coffee, and Taylor Raddysh was summoned back to Broadway after clearing waivers in training camp. Meanwhile, Matt Rempe has been glued to the Madison Square Garden press box for 12 of the team's first 14 contests.
As President and General Manager Chris Drury surveys his depleted forward depth, one name the front office undoubtedly wishes was still in the building was quietly dealt away on draft day.
Looking at what he is doing in Nashville, that trade is rapidly turning into one of Drury's most short-sighted moves.
It’s unfair being 6-foot-7 and scoring goals like this. pic.twitter.com/9iMnNNRnv1
— Alex Daugherty (@AlexDaugherty1) October 31, 2026
Trading away an elite skater for a fifth round lottery ticket
The Rangers selected Adam Edström in the sixth round (161st overall) of the 2019 NHL Draft. At 6'7" and 232 pounds, he fit the towering physical mold the organization prioritized in later rounds.
What made Edström special, however, was his grace on his edges. Despite his hulking "big boi" frame, Edström topped out at 23.80 MPH last season, a mark that placed him in the 98th percentile of all NHL skaters per EDGE data. While injuries limited him to 35 games in 2025-26, he posted five points and was on pace to eclipse his previous career marks.
Yet on June 27, Drury shipped Edström to the Nashville Predators in exchange for a 2026 fifth-round pick and restricted free agent forward Massimo Rizzo. The Rangers did not even tender a qualifying offer to Rizzo, allowing him to walk to unrestricted free agency days later.
In totality, the Rangers moved on from a promising depth option with unknown upside for a fifth-round pick.
Crushing top nine minutes in Nashville with five early goals
In Nashville, head coach Andrew Brunette wasted no time plugging Edström into a meaningful role.
Skating just under 15 minutes per night, nearly double his usage in New York, Edström has already racked up five goals and an assist through his first 14 games. Barring injury, he will smash his single-season career highs before Thanksgiving.
What makes Edström’s start even more impressive is that his box-score production isn't a shooting-percentage mirage. Per Evolving-Hockey, Edström carries an underlying 55.36 xGF% and a 48.25 CF%. His 33.73% actual goal share indicates that bad on-ice shooting luck and goaltending behind him have actually masked his 5v5 dominance. He is tilting the ice and driving possession against top-nine NHL competition every single night.
Mike Sullivan public criticism did not age well
It is easy to celebrate Edström’s success in hindsight, but his departure was heavily signaled by Sullivan's overt skepticism.
Last season, Sullivan frequently singled out Edström for public criticism, a puzzling approach given that the winger was recovering from lower-body injuries while the team around him struggled.
When speaking with the media last season, Sullivan pulled no punches. Via The Hockey News:
"I think with Eddie, we would just like to see a little bit more consistency with his game," Sullivan said. "What we like about Eddie's game is his size, his strength, his skating ability, his reach. He's a disruptive player, but it has to be consistent. He's got to skate, he's got to finish checks, he has to make good decisions with the puck. When he plays that way consistently, he’s an effective player. I think consistency has been the challenge."
Edström handled the criticism like a true pro by saying, "We’ve had some conversations. He's kind of told me how he looks at my season, and I got to talk to him and kind of tell him how I felt. At the end of the day, it’s his team, and he decides who plays, so all I can do is respect that."
Those qualities are exactly what the Rangers could use now.
The Rangers chose the wrong towering fan favorite
Sullivan wanted consistency, but Nashville has provided what Edström actually needed and that is trust, runway, and ice time.
If given the opportunity for a mulligan, Drury and Sullivan would surely rather have Edström’s size, speed, and scoring ability anchoring their bottom six over a 37-year-old Luke Glendening or an overmatched rookie. Furthermore, the decision to retain the 6'9" Rempe while discarding the 6'7" Edström makes zero sense when considering Sullivan refuses to skate Rempe for more than four minutes a night.
Edström is proving that with the right coaching staff, modern giants who can fly on their skates are game-changers in today's NHL. The Rangers simply gave up on him far too soon, and they are seeing the consequences of that right now.
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