TARRYTOWN, N.Y. — As the New York Rangers continue to sink in the standings and face criticism from fans, Chris Drury has issued his first public statement since the start of the 2025-26 season.

The organization is entering a “retool,” but it is not a full “rebuild,” the team president and general manager stated in a message shared on social media and sent directly to season-ticket holders.

“With our position in the standings and injuries to key players this season, we must be honest and realistic about our situation,” it read. “We are not going to stand pat — a shift will give us the ability to be smart and opportunistic as we retool the team. This will not be a rebuild. This will be a retool built around our core players and prospects. We will target players that bring tenacity, skill, speed, and a winning pedigree with a focus on obtaining young players, draft picks, and cap space to allow us flexibility moving forward. That may mean saying goodbye to players that have brought us and our fans great moments over the years.”

A Message from Chris Drury to Our Fans pic.twitter.com/JVimBJ59B7

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) January 16, 2026

Drury met individually with New York’s leadership group, which includes Adam Fox, Artemi Panarin, Vincent Trocheck, Mika Zibanejad and captain J.T. Miller, and held a full team meeting Friday to brace them for the news, according to a league source who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

A source briefed on the matter described the meeting with Panarin as “honest,” with Drury informing the pending free agent that the Rangers will not be offering him a contract extension and want to work together to find a trade destination that gives him a chance to win. The team’s leading scorer each of the last seven seasons holds a no-movement clause that gives him full control over his situation.

The same source who characterized the Panarin meeting indicated that a group of veterans with no-movement clauses — Fox, Miller, Zibanejad, Vladislav Gavrikov and Igor Shesterkin — were asked if they’re willing to stick around for the retool or would consider waiving their NMCs to go elsewhere. Early indications are that all five expressed their desire to stay in New York.

Panarin is the Rangers’ most obvious trade chip, but who else New York is willing to part with remains fluid. Calls from opposing general managers are sure to come flooding in and dictate what the market looks like for each player, but what’s clear is that Drury will be the one to execute the plan. He was given a multi-year extension last April, then publicly backed by owner James Dolan in a Jan. 5 interview with WFAN Radio. That Drury was the one to pen Friday’s letter leaves little room for doubt.

The statement reinforces much of what The Athletic has reported in recent weeks about Drury’s security and the direction of the team. The hierarchy is aiming for a quicker turnaround, rather than a long, drawn-out process. However, with the Rangers missing arguably their two best players (Fox and goalie Igor Shesterkin) due to lower-body injuries and losing five straight to drop into last place in the Eastern Conference, they can no longer ignore the obvious deterioration of both the NHL roster and prospect pipeline. Restocking the organizational talent pool will require at least a partial selloff to gather future assets and infuse a sagging lineup with youth.

This is a developing story. More to come.