The NHL offseason is now in full swing. There isn’t much downtime as the buyout window opens 48 hours after the Stanley Cup Final ends, and the NHL Draft begins in four days. Then on July 1, free agency opens. There will be a lot of trade talk heading into this week, and one team that should be at the center of things is the New York Rangers.
The Rangers began their offseason by placing Barclay Goodrow on waivers before he was claimed by the San Jose Sharks. That clears out enough salary to add players via trades or free agency, but they could decide to clear more cap space. This upcoming week could be a busy one. Here are three Rangers who could be traded.
Kaapo Kakko
The most likely player to be traded is Kaapo Kakko. Even after signing a one-year extension, he is still considered a trade chip for the Rangers, as they try to improve the roster before next season. According to Larry Brooks of the New York Post, he could be part of a package deal leading up to the NHL Draft: “This is sort of a sell-low scenario but sources report that Drury is also attempting to use Kakko in conjunction with the club’s own 30th-overall selection to move up in the first round” (from “How Rangers are approaching critical Jacob Trouba decision after playoff struggles”, New York Post, June 24, 2024).
For now, it looks like Kakko’s time in New York could be coming to an end, and it could happen any day.
If Kakko is moved, it will be a sad ending to what was once a promising future with the club for the 2019 second-overall pick. He was once considered a franchise-changing player but was never able to reach his potential with the Rangers. Whether it was coaching decisions, injuries or poor play, he never broke out like many hoped he would.
The 23-year-old still has potential, and he could thrive on another team that gives him more of an opportunity than he got in New York. If he succeeds elsewhere, it will look bad for the Rangers, and many will argue that they never gave him a chance to show what he could do and will be seen as another first-round pick wasted by the team.
Jacob Trouba
Captain Jacob Trouba is the least likely player to be moved. After his poor playoff performance – he was dropped to the third defensive pairing for much of the postseason, many are wondering if he might be traded. Braden Schneider has taken on a bigger role and will likely be in the team’s top-four next season, the Rangers can’t afford to have Trouba and his $8 million on the third pairing. He has a no-movement clause in his contract until July 1, then he can submit a 15-team no-trade list, which leaves 16 potential teams he could be traded to as of Monday.
Related: Rangers Shouldn’t Buy Out Jacob Trouba Until 2025
It is very unlikely that a team will be willing to take on Trouba’s full salary, but the Rangers could retain part of it with only two years remaining. Clearing out even some of that $8 million would allow management to use that money to address other areas of the lineup. They might also want to keep him around, at least for next season, since he is a great leader, and his physical presence is still needed. While this will be a tricky situation for the Rangers to manage, they should be open to any team interested in acquiring Trouba’s services.
Ryan Lindgren
It became obvious in their conference final series against the Florida Panthers that the Rangers’ defensive core was not good enough, especially at moving the puck out of the zone quickly. Erik Gustafsson is the only unrestricted free agent on the blue line, and the team will not want to move Schneider, Adam Fox or K’Andre Miller. That leaves Trouba and Ryan Lindgren as possible trade bait.
Given Trouba’s salary and partial trade protection, Lindgren could become the odd man out if management wants to shake up their defensive core. He is a restricted free agent, so they would be trading his rights to another team, and it might be a necessary move to send a message that the defense needs to be better.
Lindgren has been very good for the Rangers over the past six seasons. He is a warrior and is beloved by his teammates. However, he has a history of injuries, given his style of play, and it will wear him down quickly. The Rangers should not be giving him a long-term deal and could move him to make room for another defenseman. Teams will be interested in the 26-year-old, and while losing him might hurt morale, a shakeup is needed, and he might be the easiest to move from the blue line.
This iteration of the Rangers has hit its peak, making it to the Eastern Conference Final. They haven’t taken the next step, and general manager Chris Drury is looking to shake up his team. It started with Goodrow, and now, these three players could be next. We will see what the Rangers roster looks like in a week from now.
