There\u2019s a world where the New York Rangers are essentially done for the summer.<\/p>\n
After the team re-signed restricted free agent Braden Schneider<\/a> on Monday, we can envision where all the pieces fit in the 2026-27 opening-night lineup.<\/a><\/p>\n There are a few other loose ends to tie up, such as agreeing to modest terms with fellow RFAs and depth defensemen Vincent Iorio and Scott Morrow. But after a busy few weeks in which the Rangers added 11 new players and drafted another nine prospects, the assumption is that team president Chris Drury and his front-office companions are shifting their attention to the beach, golf course or wherever they choose to spend their time off.<\/p>\n I\u2019m just not sure they see it that way.<\/p>\n NHL free agency: Early winners and losers<\/p>\n Shayna Goldman and Madison Eades<\/p>\n It sounds like several teams are still exploring moves, including the Rangers. They feel good about the work they\u2019ve done to raise the floor<\/a> of a roster that finished last in the Eastern Conference in 2025-26, but they also recognize that the ceiling they\u2019re striving for will remain out of reach if they stand pat. Multiple league sources, speaking anonymously to describe behind-the-scenes personnel talks, have indicated New York is aiming to do more, specifically by acquiring additional help up front.<\/p>\n The Rangers are at least another top-six forward away from becoming a viable contender, but even a top-nine upgrade would aid the cause. Newly signed Oliver Bjorkstrand and veteran Taylor Raddysh are currently penciled in as the second- and third-line right wings, respectively, so slotting someone in ahead of them would make the whole lineup feel deeper.<\/p>\n That pursuit may have to wait until after the season begins or until next summer, but I\u2019m hearing that Drury remains on the prowl for a forward to bring in before training camp begins in mid-September. We\u2019ll get into what the available options look like, but first we must properly assess the state of New York\u2019s salary cap and asset pool.<\/p>\n Schneider\u2019s one-year, $5.5 million deal leaves the Rangers with roughly $1.5 million in cap space, but there\u2019s some wiggle room there. That projection accounts for a full 23-man roster, but if another forward is added, that means someone else has to come off. If it\u2019s a sub-$1 million forward such as Jaroslav Chmela\u0159 or Matt Rempe, then they could afford someone with a cap hit around $2.4 million. If they waive Raddysh, who makes $1.5 million (of which $1.225 million can be buried in the AHL), then the available space gets pushed closer to $2.8 million.<\/p>\n There are ways to stretch that even further. Carrying 22 players instead of the maximum 23 would allow New York to absorb a salary of up to $3.75 million. And if veteran goalie Joonas Korpisalo ($3 million cap hit) is waived in favor of rookie Dylan Garand ($875,000) in the backup competition, then we\u2019re talking upwards of $4 million. Same goes if defenseman Urho Vaakanainen ($1.55 million) is waived and replaced by Iorio, Morrow or No. 5 pick Alberts \u0160mits.<\/p>\n Drury likely won\u2019t want to cut it that close, but acquiring a forward who makes between $3 million and $4 million isn\u2019t out of the question \u2014 and that\u2019s with no outgoing players from the current NHL roster.<\/p>\n I still can\u2019t rule out Schneider being traded if it helps the Rangers reel in a skilled forward. Those odds seem lower today than before Will Borgen was dealt to the Boston Bruins<\/a> earlier this month, but the 24-year-old signing a one-year contract signals that there are still some unknowns regarding his future in New York. Adam Fox, Vladislav Gavrikov and newly acquired Marcus Pettersson are each under contract for at least three more seasons, and with \u0160mits expected to sign soon<\/a>, Drury might be reluctant to make any more long-term commitments on defense. Push may not come to shove until next summer (or next trade deadline), but I doubt he\u2019s hanging up the phone if an intriguing offer comes along.<\/p>\n I also wonder about the logjam of waiver-eligible skaters who won\u2019t all be able to fit on the roster. There will only be spots for one or two extra forwards from a group that includes Raddysh, Rempe and Juuso P\u00e4rssinen, and there\u2019s even more clutter on defense. Schneider is a lock to make the team if he\u2019s here, but that leaves only two openings for Iorio, Morrow, Vaakanainen and Matthew Robertson. Only one can stick around if \u0160mits forces his way in, which has my antenna up for possible depth-clearing trades before the Rangers have to run the waiver risk.<\/p>\n None of those players would net a top-nine forward, but an upside swing on an unproven center or RW would make sense.<\/p>\n Now that we\u2019ve covered all of that, let\u2019s dive into some of the most feasible remaining options:<\/p>\n Available free agents<\/p>\n As of Tuesday afternoon, only seven unrestricted free agents had signed since July 6, according to PuckPedia. The market has gone quiet, but there were still plenty of players looking for jobs<\/a> \u2014 64, to be exact. That includes eight forwards who registered between 31 and 64 points last season, but those mid-tier UFAs are largely being devalued around the league.<\/p>\n That creates an opportunity for a team like the Rangers to go bargain hunting. They poked around on available wingers Anthony Mantha and Eeli Tolvanen, according to the league sources, but the Bjorkstrand signing may have cooled their interest. The Blueshirts\u2019 preference to go short term and stick to that $3 million-to-$4 million range we\u2019ve discussed could also be a hindrance if they re-engage at any point. It\u2019s especially unlikely that Mantha would accept that kind of deal after a career year that left him as the highest-scoring player still on the board.<\/p>\n Patrik Laine is another intriguing option who\u2019s lingering on the market. The 28-year-old appeared in only five games last season due to core muscle surgery but has seven seasons of at least 20 goals on his checkered resume. He\u2019ll likely have to settle for a one-year, prove-it contract, which is right in New York\u2019s wheelhouse, but Drury\u2019s interest is unclear.<\/p>\n Others such as Michael Bunting and Jonathan Drouin could enter the conversation if the money and term add up, but all of these forwards have similar profiles to Bjorkstrand. They\u2019d provide a temporary jolt (and possibly be flipped at the deadline), but none are likely to raise the ceiling high enough or serve as more than interim placeholders.<\/p>\n Potential trade targets<\/p>\n The underwhelming UFA class has steered Drury (and many of his peers) toward the trade route, with the Rangers already landing Korpisalo, Pettersson, Pavel Dorofeyev, Sean Durzi and Cole Beaudoin. He used some of his best assets to acquire those players, most notably Vincent Trocheck and three first-round picks, which reduces what he has left to offer. But that won\u2019t prevent him from trying to do more.<\/p>\n There\u2019s been a clear focus on getting younger, with Columbus\u2019 Kent Johnson, Seattle\u2019s Shane Wright and Calgary\u2019s Connor Zary among the 24-and-under forwards who may be looking for a change of scenery. New York also had Toronto\u2019s Matthew Knies on its radar<\/a> earlier this offseason, but that would require a price tag Drury almost surely couldn\u2019t afford. League chatter seems to have quieted on that front, anyway.<\/p>\n The possibility of adding a veteran can\u2019t be dismissed, either, particularly those with ties to the Rangers. Captain J.T. Miller has history with Vancouver wingers Brock Boeser and Jake DeBrusk, while coach Mike Sullivan regards Pittsburgh\u2019s Bryan Rust as one of his favorite players. But each of those players is 29 or older \u2014 Rust is the oldest at 34 \u2014 and would require salary to be moved to fit them. The wiser play is to remain patient and wait for a player who merits using New York\u2019s limited remaining trade chips.<\/p>\n Winners and losers from the 2026 NHL Draft<\/p>\n Scott Wheeler<\/p>\n Familiar faces<\/p>\n I\u2019ve lost count of how many Rangers fans have asked about a reunion with Patrick Kane, whose New York tenure was short-lived and marred by a hip injury that required surgery. I don\u2019t want to burst anyone\u2019s bubble, but I\u2019d consider that a long shot. The same goes for fellow 2023 trade-deadline addition Vladimir Tarasenko, who, like Kane, is in the later stages of his career and remains unsigned.<\/p>\n A slightly more realistic scenario involves the Anaheim Ducks. No, I\u2019m not talking about reacquiring Chris Kreider. But I do wonder about Frank Vatrano, who would come cheaper \u2014 both in terms of acquisition cost and cap hit \u2014 and also has Rangers connections. (Albeit to a much lesser degree.)<\/p>\n Vatrano provided an instant boost after being acquired at the 2022 deadline and playing alongside current No. 1 center Mika Zibanejad, then posted a 37-goal season for Anaheim in 2023-24. But injury and healthy scratches limited the 32-year-old winger to only 50 games last season. The Ducks must clear salary after matching a massive $18 million-average-annual-value offer sheet<\/a> for star center Leo Carlsson, with Vatrano a prime candidate to go. He\u2019s under contract for two more seasons at a $4.5 million AAV, so it would require a little cap maneuvering on Drury\u2019s part. But it\u2019s not the craziest idea I\u2019ve heard.<\/p>\n That\u2019s not to say it\u2019s likely, or that the Rangers should be making a strong push. But there\u2019s a decent chance Anaheim will have to attach an asset to get another team to take Vatrano off its books, and if that\u2019s the case, it may be worth trying to take advantage. (They should also inquire about Troy Terry, who comes with a higher cap hit of $7 million but could fit if New York sent Schneider back to the defense-needy Ducks.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There\u2019s a world where the New York Rangers are essentially done for the summer. 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