The New York Rangers season went from bad to worse last weekend as they let the Boston Bruins put up a 10-spot on them, and now, all the attention has turned to GM Chris Drury, and exactly how he’s going to handle his roster.

The Rangers are last in the Eastern Conference and there’s no doubt some big moves are coming for the blue shirts. They’ve had some injury troubles this season, including goaltender Igor Shesterkin, but it’s certainly a disappointing season to this point on Broadway, as many expected them to be in the thick of the playoff race in the East.

As far as trades go, here’s the top three Rangers trade candidates heading into the Olympic roster freeze:

Artemi Panarin

The biggest fish on the market, Panarin is a pending unrestricted free agent and is surely going to be moved. He’s signed for $11.6 million AAV, he has a full no-movement clause, and he’s leading the Rangers in scoring with 50 points in 46 games. New York will have to retain some salary, but that’s going to drive up the asking price significantly. Word is…the Colorado Avalanche are the favorites to this point, and don’t count out the Minnesota Wild.

Mika Zibanejad

A much different story for Zibanejad, he’s signed long term through the 2030 season, but there’s been some chatter that Drury is going to approach him about a change of scenery. The Rangers could certainly turn their roster on it’s head and go in a completely different direction this offseason, but if they can move out Zibanejad’s $8.5 million cap hit, it could give Drury some flexibility to turn things around quickly. 

Alexis Lafreniere

While Vincent Trocheck isn’t going anywhere, the same can’t be said for Lafreniere, who has gone through some serious ups and downs so far into his Rangers’ career. This season in 47 games, the former number-one overall pick has scored just nine times and has 24 points. He’s signed through the 2032 season at $7.4 million AAV, but it’s worth noting the organization wouldn’t give him trade protection on his contract, and that seems to be paying off for negotiations this season, and the likelihood of him getting moved before the Olympic roster freeze. 

photo credit:  Sam Navarro-Imagn Images