The New York Rangers are providing fans with some promising hockey late in this season, after sinking to the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. While their young players are performing well and they are beating playoff hopefuls, fans want to know what the next step of their plan is. After all, they did indicate they were retooling the roster.
It was obvious since last offseason that the Rangers were going to try and make a run at one of the free agent superstars in the summer of 2026. Yet, the likes of Connor McDavid, Kirill Kaprizov, and Jack Eichel all re-signed with their current teams. But there is the slim chance that a superstar ends up on the trade block. Two names that have been brought up as of lated include Brady Tkachuk of the Ottawa Senators and Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs. But could the Rangers have a feasible chance of acquiring either of them.
The Athletic's Vince Mercogliano, who covers the Rangers, discussed the team's chances if either Matthews or Tkachuk were to demand trades elsewhere. Mercogliano says that the Rangers don't necessarily have the assets to acquire either, and they'd have to hope either star demands a trade specifically to New York.
Rangers' slim chances of acquiring Auston Matthews or Brady Tkachuk
"It’s no secret that New York covets Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk, with lots of smoke around his situation lately, while the outlook has also gotten murkier for Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs," writes Mercogliano.
"Of course, wanting those stars — or even recruiting them — doesn’t mean the Rangers have the ammunition to pull off a trade of that magnitude. They probably don’t, unless one of those players wields contractual power to force his way to New York."
Mercogliano brings up that earlier this season, the Rangers were among the teams looking to acquire Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks. But we all know that Hughes went to the Minnesota Wild after they offered a blockbuster deal. So, Mercogliano says that it would not be surprising if the Rangers tried to get a star if one were to end up on the trade block.
The Rangers' link to Tkachuk is not a shock. Back in 2024, a report indicated that Tkachuk was the Rangers' "primary target." That report resulted in Ottawa Senators owner Michael Landlauer to accuse the Rangers of "soft tampering." While the Senators are in the playoff picture, Tkachuk has been the subject of trade rumors, which only increased after the comments from his father, Keith, regarding his decreased playing time with Ottawa and for players not playing through injuries and goalies not playing back-to-back games. Brady downplayed the comments, indicating that the injury comments from Keith were directed to the Florida Panthers.
As for Matthews, his season ended after suffering a knee injury on a controversial hit from Anaheim Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas. When the injury happened, there was buzz surrounding the Leafs, considering no one really stepped up to defend their captain and get revenge on Gudas. As Matthews was on the sidelines, the Maple Leafs fired general manager Brad Treliving, with Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment CEO Keith Pelley saying that the team will undergo a retool instead of a rebuild. Of course, it will be up to Matthews to decide if he wants to remain with the Leafs through this retool, or demand a trade. The Athletic's Chris Johnston hinted at Matthews potentially making a decision in the offseason based on the Leafs' plans.
While the Rangers have seen some of their young players succeed in this latter portion of the season, such as Alexis Lafreniere, Gabe Perreault, Adam Sykora, and Dylan Garand, their farm system is not exactly rich with prospects. They were nowhere near close to convincing the Canucks to give them Hughes, due to the Wild making their gigantic offer. In reality, the Rangers don't exactly have enough to outright trade for a superstar. Their only real chance, as Mercogliano mentions, is if a Tkachuk or Matthews demands a trade to the Rangers. Due to that, the asking price would decrease in the Rangers' favor.
But as of this writing, it's unknown if the two stars would want to leave their current teams. If they do, the Rangers will, unsurprisingly, leap at the opportunity.