With the 2025 NHL Draft in the rear view mirror, the New York Rangers re-shift their focus to free agency. Rumors around the league have stated that they'll be one of the most active teams this summer. With them far underachieving expectations, this roster needs a shakeup if they want to get back to the Conference Finals. However, before free agency starts, Chris Drury has decided on what to do with their current restricted free agents (RFA). They extended the qualifying offers to six of nine eligible players.
#NYR have extended qualifying offers to RFAs Talyn Boyko, Brendan Brisson, Will Cuylle, Dylan Garand. and K’Andre Miller.
— Vince Z. Mercogliano (@vzmercogliano) June 30, 2025
Lucas Edmonds, Zac Jones, Arthur Kaliyev and Jake Leschyshyn were not qualified.
How these moves affect the rest of the Rangers offseason
Most of these decisions should come as no surprise; extending offers to Talyn Boyko, Brendan Brisson, and Dylan Garand were to be expected. All three are under the age of 24 and are developmental players you can stash in Hartford. Garand could also be called up to be the backup goaltender if an injury occurs to Igor Shesterkin or Jonathan Quick. Jake Leschyshyn has not done anything notable and would've been a surprise had the team kept him.
Will Cuylle and K'Andre Miller were also expected to get qualifying offers. Both players were key pieces of the Rangers during the 2024-25 season; however, their careers are on two different paths. Reports are that the Rangers and Cuylle have already started talks on an extension. He seems to be the type of forward Mike Sullivan would love to have in his bottom six. Miller, on the other hand, is still on the trade block and looks more and more likely he'll be somewhere else. Giving him a qualifying offer still keeps the possibility open and gets a decent return for him. The Detroit Red Wings are reportedly interested in Miller.
The biggest surprise was not giving a qualifying offer to Zac Jones and Arthur Kaliyev. Both of these players are 24-year-olds, and although they haven't lived up to their hype yet, they're still young enough to realize it. Who's to say that with more stable playing time in the NHL, they can't become solid NHL players? At the very least, they can be guys that you can stash in Hartford for depth, and call up to the NHL when guys inevitably get hurt.
These are also two players who could be a potential trade piece. As mentioned before, the Rangers are expected to be busy this offseason. They are utilizing both free agency and the trade market to improve. While not enough to land a good player on their own. Jones and Kaliyev could've been part of a package that brought in legitimate NHL talent.
Regardless of how you feel, the Rangers are officially on to free agency. The next roster decision to be made will be brining someone in who was not on the roster next season.