The fallout from Rangers GM Chris Drury’s Sunday memo heard ’round the NHL continues, even though Drury hasn’t made any drastic moves.
The Rangers are in Philadelphia for a Black Friday matinee looking to get right amid a losing streak that, in part, prompted Drury’s note last weekend to the 31 other GMs. The memo specifically named captain Jacob Trouba and Chris Kreider, the longest-serving Ranger, as trade candidates.
Drury met with those two players and several others prior to the team flying to Raleigh on Tuesday. The Rangers lost 4-3 to the Hurricanes on Wednesday — their fourth loss in a row. It was also the fourth consecutive game in which the Rangers gave up at least 10 high-danger scoring chances. Igor Shesterkin has been in goal for three of those games.
Shesterkin has shown he’s the most important Ranger. His play, along with goalie partner Jonathan Quick, in the first month of the season allowed the team to get off to a 12-4-1 start and paper over some defensive deficiencies.
Shesterkin’s early play also means Drury and Rangers owner James Dolan are most certainly not going to get any team-friendly discounts on the goalie’s next contract. The pending UFA has already rejected an $11-million per year offer from the Rangers and that negotiation, which is pretty much on hold as per Shesterkin’s request until the end of the season, looms large over what Drury is trying to do, both now and next offseason.
This week’s turmoil and Shesterkin’s strong start to the season could be factors in his decision. There’s been nothing out of the goalie’s camp, good or bad, since the season started, but executives around the league are wondering if the Rangers could even entice Shesterkin to sign ahead of July 1 with a $12.5-million per year offer given Drury’s desire to alter the team’s core and the Rangers’ inability to keep Shesterkin from facing too many shots and chances.
If Shesterkin were to get to free agency, he would become the main focus of at least half the league — maybe more.
“There’d be 25 teams that would be trying to figure out how to sign him, even if you’re talking $13-14 million (per year),” said one Western Conference assistant GM.
And if the Rangers are going to be retooling on the fly or undergoing big roster changes, it would make sense that Shesterkin would want to see what all those other teams are offering.
There’s also the money factor. The NHL Players’ Association has sent out its salary-cap projections for next season and beyond; though the league has projected the 2025-26 cap will rise to around $92.5-million from the current $88-million, a source who has seen the NHLPA projections said the PA’s forecast shows next season’s cap could be as high as $95-million, a huge jump from this season. “Revenues are really strong,” the source said.
If Shesterkin has all along been seeking 14 percent of the cap on his next deal, a higher cap means a bigger salary — 14 percent of $95-million is $13.3-million. Shesterkin could get that much on a seven-year deal from a handful of teams and you’d think some younger clubs — the Hawks, Flyers and Canadiens, among others — would be eager to lock in one of the top goalies in the league as they move through rebuilds.
The Rangers can offer an eighth year to bump up the total value of a deal. But if they can’t offer stability or the best chance to win a Stanley Cup right now, it doesn’t make much sense for Shesterkin to commit too quickly.
The trade block
Drury may have been sending a message to Trouba and Kreider, who has missed the last two games with back spasms, but those aren’t exactly the two Rangers most coveted by other teams. Nor are they the only ones Drury wouldn’t mind moving.
TSN reported that teams have inquired on Kaapo Kakko, who was available in a trade all summer but had little to no interest coming off a 19-point season in 2023-24. Now, though, the pending RFA who’s making just $2.4-million this season has been one of the brighter spots in the Rangers lineup, with 12 points through 21 games while getting barely any power-play time. Trading Kakko made some sense in the offseason, but moving him now for futures makes little sense given the Rangers don’t have a good replacement in the system.
Brett Berard has played well in his first two NHL games in Kreider’s spot, but he may not be able to give the Rangers what Kakko does defensively and size-wise.
A league source said the Rangers recently inquired with the Canucks about J.T. Miller, who is currently on an indefinite leave of absence. Miller was a 2011 first-round pick by the Rangers and has been coveted by Drury before — the Rangers were after Miller before the 2021-22 trade deadline, but wouldn’t include Braden Schneider in a deal. Miller then signed a seven-year extension worth $8-million a year, pulling him off the market.
It’d be a long shot to try to trade for a player midseason who is on leave and is signed through 2030 at a big number. The only way the Rangers could make that trade work is by moving their own No. 1 center, already signed long-term and for similar money — and Mika Zibanejad has a full no-move clause to boot. So this inquiry likely didn’t get very far, but it may be emblematic of Drury’s strong desire to go big in changing his core group.
It also illustrates the folly of trying to do so in the middle of a season. Trouba and Kreider have 15-team no-trade clauses. Zibanejad, Vincent Trocheck and Artemi Panarin have full no-move clauses. Adam Fox’s no-move clause kicks in this coming offseason. Once you take the step Drury has, actually making a big change is extremely challenging.
A widely read memo
Drury’s memo has been noticed by players around the league, as you’d expect. The Rangers are still the Rangers — playing in New York City has a lot of appeal for NHLers, as do the world-class facilities the Rangers use. But the outsized reaction to what at the time was a two-game losing streak has some players talking.
One longtime veteran said the way New York is acting, you’d think it hadn’t won a game all year. Then you look at the standings and the team is still a few games over .500 and in a playoff spot.
The player likened the situation to Nashville general manager Barry Trotz going on a local radio station, 102.5 The Game, earlier this month and threatening that, “if we don’t get it going, then I’m going to start our rebuild plan.” The Predators proceeded to lose five of their next six games after the comments. If this approach is used as a motivational tactic, there’s no guarantee it will work.
Is the coach safe?
Since there’s an appetite for change with the Rangers, it’s fair to ask if Peter Laviolette is on the hot seat. You wouldn’t think so coming off a President’s Trophy and a run to the Eastern Conference final, but there are three factors to consider.
One is the fate of Laviolette’s predecessor. Gerard Gallant is a different presence than Laviolette and gave the Rangers a lot more latitude, so his success in Year One curdled quickly into cries for more coaching after an unsuccessful second season. Drury used the quick hook to dump Gallant and hire Laviolette, who demands more of his players. Yet here we are after a successful debut season, watching a bit of regression in Year Two.
Another factor is Laviolette’s coaching history. He has an amazing track record in his first season behind a new team’s bench, with a 279-136-51 record (.653 points percentage) in his first seasons. But his teams have a 219-155-57 record in his second season, a .574 point percentage. There’s a chance the message and method are wearing thin.
And third is the fate of Penguins coach Mike Sullivan, who was Drury’s first choice for coach in the 2021 offseason when he hired Gallant. If Sullivan is out of work when the 2024-25 season ends, don’t be surprised if the Rangers do everything they can to bring him to New York.
(Top photo of Igor Shesterkin: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
