PUBLICATION
Ryan Hall
May 19, 2025Â Â (12:29)
Photo credit: The Hockey News
It’s widely expected that the New York Rangers will be one of the busier teams in the NHL this offseason with several free agents linked to the franchise.
General manager Chris Drury has stated that changes are coming as he replaced his head coach Peter Laviolette with former Pittsburgh head coach Mike Sullivan.
Rangers are tighter to the cap this summer
Many believe that the Rangers will be looking to make a change in their top six with Chris Kreider as the possible player who will be on his way out of Manhattan.
Three unrestricted free agents have been mentioned as players of interest for the Rangers.
Bennett style of play would certainly change the dynamic of the Rangers as he holds an aggressive way of playing hockey it always seems to find a way to be in the right place to help contribute offensively.
Bennett can also play on the wing along with centre which gives the Rangers more flexibility.
He currently holds a $4.425 million cap hit and will likely see a significant raise as the bulk of the NHL will be calling his agent to see what they would cost to sign him.
The 28-year-old centre would certainly be an upgrade for the Rangers and a likely candidate this summer.
It’s been a strange season for the Vancouver Canucks and for Brock Boeser who has seen a decline in his play and an appetite for a change of scenery.
The 28-year-old has a direct link to the Rangers as he had played alongside Rangers forward JT Miller.
This direct link would certainly benefit Boeser as it’s widely reported he enjoyed playing alongside Miller and may want to do that again.
This past season, he played 75 games scored 25 goals with 25 assists for 50 points and was a – 25 with 16 penalty minutes. It’s quite likely that Drury will be making a call to his agent to see if he can be convinced that the Rangers would be a great place to revive his career.
Defence is another area the Rangers could use an upgrade and one defenseman who could give the Rangers help would be Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad.
The Rangers defence core is in a bad state it needs to be shored up quickly and a player like Ekblad would be ideal.
The 29-year-old defender who possesses the right-handed shot that all teams covet and stands at 6 foot 4 and 220 lbs would be an ideal replacement for Ryan Lindgren who was traded had the NHL trade deadline.
Last season he played 56 games, scored 3 goals with 30 assists for 33 points but his physicality and large frame would give the Rangers a much-needed upgrade.
Currently holding a cap hit of $7.5 million per season, it’s likely he will look for a raise and the only issue for the Rangers is the fact they are cap strapped which means more changes and trades are needed to try to fit a player like Ekblad into their roster.
It’s safe to say that the Rangers will be ready for July 1st and throughout this offseason it’s likely trades will begin especially when the NHL Entry Draft begins on June 27th.
Previously on NYRangersInsider