The New York Rangers have made massive trades already in 2024-25. First, they traded Jacob Trouba to the Anaheim Ducks after a breakdown between player and team. Then, the Rangers traded Kaapo Kakko to the Seattle Kraken after controversially benching him. On Friday, the Rangers struck again to pull off the J.T. Miller trade with the Vancouver Canucks.
All of these moves did not go down for the sake of making moves, either. New York has had an immensely disappointing season in 2024-25. At first, everything seemed fine. They were 12-4-1 and looked the part of a Stanley Cup contender as expected. However, they soon fell off a cliff, and were closer to the first overall pick than they were to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Rangers have turned things around, to some extent at least. However, their season outlook remains rather bleak regarding their playoff chances. Things aren’t all doom and gloom, though. The Rangers are only points back of both the Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings, the two Wild Card teams in the East at this time.
The Blueshirts are likely to continue making moves between now and March 7th. However, these moves don’t need to be subtractions, though we are likely to see at least one player leave town before the deadline. New York has one glaring roster flaw, and the Rangers need to address this flaw if they are to be active at the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline.
The Rangers must add long-term replacements for aging core
The New York Rangers have an aging core leading the way right now. For a win-now team, this is fine. If New York was on track to make another run to the Eastern Conference Finals as they did in 2024, no one would bat an eye right now. However, since the Blueshirts aren’t on that track, the concern over their core is only going to grow.
Three of the Rangers’ top five point scorers are 31 years old or older. Moreover, other key players such as Reilly Smith and Chris Kreider are also in their 30s. New York went on to add another player on the wrong side of 30 when they acquired Miller from the Canucks on Friday. Miller is signed long-term, like other New York stars, but none of these players are getting any younger.
New York also doesn’t have the greatest prospect pipeline. The Rangers have the 19th-best prospect pipeline in the league, according to The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler. They do have a clear star in their pipeline in 2023 first-round pick Gabe Perreault. However, he is the only clear-cut star in the system.
The Rangers need to prioritize the future more than they have in a few seasons at this year’s NHL Trade Deadline. They did this to some extent by slapping a top-13 protection on the 2025 first-round pick they sent to the Vancouver Canucks for Miller. However, if the pick does not convert this year, it’s an unprotected 2026 first, which could be valuable to the pick’s current owner, the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Restocking their draft capital is one way the team can work on adding long-term talent to the organization. They could also pursue young NHL-caliber players with upside to plug and play now. For instance, a trade for someone like Anaheim Ducks forward Trevor Zegras could help them now and later on.
The Rangers are trying to win now, and their roster is constructed with that in mind. However, they need to start considering replacing the current core. It won’t be long before this current group is led by a different contingent of star players.
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