{"id":560615,"date":"2026-04-27T06:24:29","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T06:24:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/560615\/"},"modified":"2026-04-27T06:24:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T06:24:29","slug":"3-burning-questions-for-new-york-rangers-entering-2026-offseason","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/560615\/","title":{"rendered":"3 burning questions for New York Rangers entering 2026 offseason"},"content":{"rendered":"

The New York Rangers (34-39-9)<\/a> were expected to bounce back after a disappointing 2024-25 season. <\/p>\n

They hired former Pittsburgh Penguins bench boss Mike Sullivan as their coach and signed Los Angeles Kings defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov. <\/p>\n

With a full season of JT M<\/a>i<\/a>ller<\/a>, and guys like Mike Zibanejad, Alexis Lafreniere, and Adam Fox having disappointing seasons, the hope was for them to rebound to the form they showed in the 2023-24 season, when they made the Eastern Conference Finals.<\/p>\n

More: Senators\u2019 $64M star reacts to \u2018big loss\u2019 after Jake Sanderson injury<\/a><\/p>\n

Instead, the team cratered. They sank to the worst record in the Eastern Conference, with rumors of locker room turmoil all around. Nearly everyone on the team became trade fodder by the 2026 NHL trade deadline<\/a>, but outside of Artemi Panarin and Carson Soucy, they held on to all of their trade chips. <\/p>\n

After the trade deadline, they had some stretches of a better team, but a six-game losing streak in the middle of March dashed their chances. They have the no. 3 best lottery odds, so they\u2019re guaranteed a top-five pick. That will hopefully cap off what could be a crazy offseason for the Rangers.<\/p>\n

\"NewNew York Rangers left wing J.T. Miller (10) and center Mika Zibanejad (93). Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

General manager Chris Drury infamously sent a letter out to Rangers fans discussing the team\u2019s plan after this season. Drury wants the team to re-tool and potentially push for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.<\/p>\n

To me, the team desperately needs a rebuild, but with Igor Shesterkin in net and some of the talent they have on immovable contracts, it was unlikely they\u2019d pivot towards that. Still, it\u2019s definitely easier said than done. <\/p>\n

More: Teams with best record in each pro sport<\/a><\/p>\n

The free agency market has thinned out due to several superstars (Connor McDavid, Kirill Kaprisov, Martin Necas) signing extensions, but there are some decent players available. Alex Tuch would be a great player to slot on the first line. He fits the Rangers\u2019 style of being gritty, and he\u2019s scored over 30 goals in three of the past four seasons.<\/p>\n

The trade market will be lively too. Auston Matthews, Jason Robertson, and Pavel Dorofeyev could be available. However, the New York Rangers don\u2019t have a ton to give up in return, with their young forwards molding into more bottom-six types instead of top-six talents. There is one player that they could dangle in trade talks.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the status on Vincent Trocheck?<\/p>\n

\"\"Feb 28, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers center Vincent Trocheck (16) reacts after scoring a goal during a shootout against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

It was a surprise to many that the New York Rangers didn\u2019t trade center Vincent Trocheck at the 2026 trade deadline. Trocheck seemed well-aware of a departure, and there were several teams on the market that could\u2019ve used his services. <\/p>\n

More: How to live stream Avalanche vs Kings: NHL Playoffs, TV channel<\/a><\/p>\n

Trocheck is still a great top-six center, notching 16 goals and 37 assists through 67 games. However, the Rangers were looking for young talent vs. draft picks. Considering the organization\u2019s checkered development record in the past (i.e. Kaapo Kakko), the Rangers acquiring young quality talent seems reasonable.<\/p>\n

Drury believes the market for Trocheck\u2019s services should expand over the summer, especially with the 32-year-old center\u2019s no-trade list shrinking from 12 to 10. We could see Trocheck traded around the draft or during July 1st, especially with the lack of center talent in free agency.<\/p>\n

Will the Rangers trade Braden Schneider?<\/p>\n

\"\"Mar 5, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers defenseman Braden Schneider (4) fights for the puck against Toronto Maple Leafs left wing Matias MacCelli (63) and center Auston Matthews (34) during the third period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Vincent Trocheck isn\u2019t the only name to watch in trade talks. 24-year-old defenseman Braden Schneider, who is a restricted free agency this upcoming season, could get trade interest.<\/p>\n

Teams talked to the Rangers about Schneider before the trade deadline, but Drury declined to make a deal. Schneider is valued in the organization for his strong character and defensive abilities. <\/p>\n

Still, there\u2019s definitely a market for him if the Rangers can\u2019t agree on a new deal with him.<\/p>\n

More: Pittsburgh Steelers fans interrupt ESPN NFL Draft broadcast with NSFW Flyers chant<\/a><\/p>\n

The San Jose Sharks seem like a logical destination, considering they need young defensive talent and have plenty of forward talent. The Tampa Bay Lightning could as well. They\u2019re looking for a young defenseman with Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh getting up there in age, and Darryn Raddysh is also a pending UFA.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The New York Rangers (34-39-9) were expected to bounce back after a disappointing 2024-25 season. They hired former…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":560616,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5111],"tags":[20557,3039,5,3328,35,63184,5190,5193,4,36],"class_list":{"0":"post-560615","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york-rangers","8":"tag-2026-stanley-cup-playoffs","9":"tag-artemi-panarin","10":"tag-hockey","11":"tag-new-york","12":"tag-new-york-rangers","13":"tag-new-york-rangers-nhl","14":"tag-newyork","15":"tag-newyorkrangers","16":"tag-nhl","17":"tag-rangers"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116475244034411195","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/560615","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=560615"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/560615\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/560616"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=560615"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=560615"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=560615"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}