5 Rangers who could be moved ahead of 2025 NHL trade deadline

Things haven’t quite gone as planned for the Rangers this season. 

After falling just a few games shy of a Stanley Cup Finals appearance last year, GM Chris Drury opted to give this core one more shot to put it all together -- and unfortunately it hasn’t quite worked as planned. 

New York’s stars have underperformed mightily, and as a result, they’ve found themselves on the outside looking in at a very crowded Eastern Conference Wild Card race for the majority of the year. 

They’ve been playing better hockey of late and have been able to make up some ground thanks to the arrival of J.T. Miller in a blockbuster deal with the Canucks, but they still have a ways to go. 

Drury could look to add some pieces to this club ahead of next month’s deadline, but he should only do so with an eye towards the future and the majority of the impending free agents should be shipped out of town to retain assets.  

If ends up being the case, here are five players to keep an eye on…

D Ryan Lindgren

Lindgren is a fan favorite for his all-out style of play, but a separation has felt inevitable ever since he and the organization failed to reach an agreement on a long-term contract extension over the offseason.  

New York instead opted to settle on a one-year pact, which would allow him to hit unrestricted free agency this summer.

Lindgren has made it clear that this is where he wants to be moving forward, but the fact that the front office was willing to dish out a five-year extension to Will Borgen after just a couple of games may be evidence they are ready to move on. 

The 26-year-old has been able to stay healthy after missing the first five games of the year with an upper-body injury, but his production has remained inconsistent on both ends of the ice despite remaining alongside star defenseman Adam Fox. 

A trade may even make New York stronger on the backend. 

LW Chris Kreider

Kreider is currently the longest-tenured Ranger, but could he be on the way out next?

Him and former captain Jacob Trouba were among the players made available for trade in the memo Drury sent out to teams just a few months ago -- Trouba, of course, was shipped out of town in a deal with the Ducks. 

Kreider hasn’t done much to help his cause since then, as he came out publicly shortly after and disclosed that he’s been dealing with back issues and he’s producing some of the worst numbers of his career. 

The 33-year-old has 16 goals (five power-play) and 20 assists through 47 games. 

He does have a 15-team no-trade list which will limit his suitors a bit, and his $6.5 million cap hit would likely be tough for any team to squeeze in midseason, but you never know what could happen this time of year. 

New York Rangers left wing Chris Kreider (20) skates against the New York Islanders during the third period at Madison Square Garden. / Danny Wild-Imagn Images

RW Reilly Smith

When Smith was acquired this offseason, the expectation was that he’d come in and serve as a stop-gate option alongside Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider on the top line, but that trio was ultimately short-lived.

While things didn’t work out on that top pairing, Smith has been a steady option elsewhere for the Blueshirts. 

The 33-year-old winger isn’t a star by any means, but as he’s done throughout his 14-year career, he’s simply gone out and done his job at both even strength and on the penalty kill night in and night out. 

He’s contributed 10 goals and 26 assists through 54 games. 

Shipping Smith out of town would likely make the Rangers worse this season, but it’s more of a move aimed towards the future, as they likely won’t have the cap flexibility to bring him back next season. 

His playoff experience would make him a valuable addition for any contender. 

D Zac Jones 

The expectation coming into this season was that Jones would be given every opportunity to scratch out an everyday role on the Blueshirts’ blueline. 

He played well enough during training camp and preseason action to begin the year in the lineup, however, that proved to be very short-lived as he quickly found his way back into the press box night after night. 

The 24-year-old didn’t appear in a game for over a month. 

He voiced his frustration to the NY Post about his lack of a role, and the team responded by giving him permission to speak with other clubs about a potential trade, but ultimately nothing transpired on that front.

Jones returned to the lineup for a few games when Urho Vaakanainen was sidelined with an illness — but he’s still on the outside looking in, and the Rangers should move him elsewhere if they aren’t going to give him a legit opportunity.

But if they do move Lindgren and don’t acquire a defenseman, it may be his time to shine. 

LW Jimmy Vesey

Vesey has been a valuable asset during his second stint with the Rangers.

He was used up-and-down the lineup two seasons ago by then head coach Gerard Gallant, mainly filling a spot in the bottom-six but slotting in wherever needed, and was one of their most reliable penalty killers. 

But for some reason over the past two seasons, Vesey has fallen out of favor with new headman Peter Laviolette, and he’s seen his role decrease significantly. 

The 31-year-old was passed over numerous times for other fourth liners as he watched from the press box for eight consecutive games last month before finally returning to the lineup after Adam Edstrom’s injury.

Vesey -- an impending free agent -- also voiced his frustration to the NY Post, saying he felt his career was “dying by being here.”

Any contender could use his versatility and penalty-killing prowess in their bottom-six, so if Laviolette isn’t going to use him, they should let him finish the season somewhere where he’s actually going to play.