What the New York Rangers need to figure out before NHL free agency frenzy begins

The Stanley Cup was awarded to the Florida Panthers, Matthew Schaefer proudly walked across the stage at the 2025 NHL Draft, and soon Mitch Marner will hit the open market as the top player available in NHL free agency. The fun and games officially begin on Tuesday, because obviously tampering isn't a thing in the NHL and all deals signed are negotiated once it is legal to do so, and the New York Rangers are a team expected to be active. But before that gets underway, there a few things the team needs to figure out.

1.) What's happening with Will Cuylle's next contract?

According to Larry Brooks, the Rangers may face the threat of an offer sheet for Will Cuylle, a player who just finished with 20 goals and 45 points in his sophomore season. He expects the team to try and offer Cuylle $3.5 million per year as a first offer, but writes that may be enough and that the Rangers RFA could be monitoring what happens with a player like Matthew Knies.

If an offer sheet comes Cuylle's way, and he signs it, Brooks doesn't envision the team letting him go away. If the offer sheet is lucrative enough, that could prevent the team from making a splash in free agency. How the Rangers deal with Cuylle will inform the type of summer they have, and he is very much the key to everything.

If they try and conduct other business first, they'd further bind themselves financially and be practically telling teams to come get Cuylle with an offer sheet. The clock is ticking, and it will be interesting to see if they can land on a deal what rewards Cuylle and also allows the Rangers to spend elsewhere to improve the roster.

2.) Will the Rangers have no choice but bring K'Andre Miller back?

K'Andre Miller is still a member of the Rangers as the team was unsuccessful at trading him before or during the 2025 NHL Draft. Not many players were dealt during the weekend, but one of them was Jordan Spence. Spence is a 24-year-old defenseman who profiles better than Miller analytically, and the return on the trade was low.

A 2025 second round pick and a 2026 sixth round pick isn't a high price to pay for a defender of Spence's caliber, and Miller not being moved could indicate that the offers out there weren't that good. The Rangers don't want to give Miller away, but if they are dead set on making other moves, they may have no choice but lower their standards. The alternative is bringing Miller back for the upcoming season and trying to build up his value, but that would require them to move someone else.

3.) Can Chris Drury find a taker for Carson Soucy

The Rangers acquired Carson Soucy at the trade deadline and he appeared in 16 games and averaged 16:14 a game. He wasn't a great fit for the team, and currently counts $3.2 million against the salary cap. Soucy will turn 31 in July, and his full no trade clause becomes a 12-team no trade clause. That means that they will have more potential places to send Soucy, if they choose to do so, but teams interested in a defenseman may just choice to sign one in free agency. There is always a chance they run it back and hope he rebounds under Mike Sullivan, but unless they move K'Andre Miller first it could impact the team's ability to sign a top free agent.

4.) Will the Rangers still be able to land Vladislav Gavrikov?

The Rangers have been linked to Gavrikov for a few weeks at this point, and it appears he is hitting the open market on Tuesday.

The Blueshirts currently have $12,197,142 in cap space, and Gavrikov could take up at least $7 million, if not more. If the Rangers are unable to move a defenseman and/or come to an agreement with Cuylle, that could result in the team sitting out free agency until they have a better understanding of their finances.

Gavrikov is a talented shutdown defenseman who be a great addition to the team, and he would either be a perfect partner for Adam Fox, or a stabilizing force on the second pairing to lengthen the team's defensive depth. There are risks with signing a player who will be 30 next season, but the Rangers are trying to win now and don't have many alternatives. If they are forced to sit out of free agency and bring back pretty much the same squad that ended the season, sans Chris Kreider, you could see a lot of unhappy fans