5 potential trade targets for Rangers to toughen up defense corps
The New York Rangers need to get tougher throughout their lineup this summer. And it can be argued that begins with defensemen on their back end.
It’d be wise to find a big, physical left-side defenseman to play in their top four. If restricted free agent K’Andre Miller is re-signed and not traded, he’ll either slot in next to Adam Fox on the top pair or remain on the second pair with Will Borgen. However, the promising but inconsistent Miller, despite his 6-foot-5, 210-pound frame, doesn’t play the physical, intimidating style the Rangers must embrace on the blue line. So, acquiring a trusted rugged blueliner feels like a necessity.
If Miller is moved this summer, then the Rangers might consider adding more than one rugged defenseman.
There are several potential candidates who could be available on the trade market. Obtaining any of them would require some deft financial maneuvering by general manager Chris Drury, since the Rangers are projected to have about $8.4 million available under the salary cap to begin this offseason and need to re-sign several of their own restricted free agents.
Nonetheless, here’s a look at some at some possible targets for the Rangers to consider this offseason.
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Darnell Nurse, Edmonton Oilers
Nurse represents perhaps the most ambitious potential get, since the Rangers would have to find a way to make the remaining five years of his contract that carries a $9.25 million annual cap hit work for them financially. That won’t be easy.
Dumping at least one larger salary would be required to even consider this option. However, it’s at least worth that consideration because Nurse is everything the Rangers are looking for. Big (6-foot-4, 215 pounds) and mean, the 30-year-old makes opposing forwards think twice about crashing the crease. The No. 7 overall pick in the 2013 NHL Draft has doled out at least 146 hits in each of the past four seasons and posted a plus-85 mark since the start of 2020-21, with expected goal shares over 50 in each of those seasons, per Natural Stat Trick. Nurse is also a decent offensive player, having totaled at least 32 points in each of the past seven campaigns, and seems tailor-made to play on the top pair with Fox.
Edmonton doesn’t want to do away with him, but it might have to. With signing superstar Connor McDavid to a huge contract extension their top priority this offseason, the Oilers, who have about $12 million in cap space and also need to re-sign defenseman Evan Bouchard, must find areas to cut costs. McDavid could command at least $16 million annually, and Nurse’s contract represents the most obvious opportunity for savings, though they’d have to take salary back from the Rangers as well.
For that reason, the cost of acquisition from Edmonton shouldn’t in theory be too steep. There’d be a lot of juggling on both sides here, but would be well worth it for the Rangers. With Artemi Panarin’s $11.6 million cap hit coming off the books after next season, the Rangers would get substantial salary relief to accommodate Nurse’s money going forward.
Still, this potential trade remains a long shot.
Jamie Oleksiak, Seattle Kraken
One of the biggest players in the NHL, the 6-foot-7, 252-pound Oleksiak also plays with serious bite, and his size changes the equation for his team in the defensive zone. Though he’s probably not a candidate to play with Fox, Oleksiak’s presence on the second or third pair would go a long way toward bringing a desired new tone to the Rangers defense. The 13-year veteran has fought some of the most fearsome heavyweights in the NHL over the years, his sheer presence unable to be ignored by opponents.
The 32-year-old has one season remaining on his contract at a $4.6 million cap hit – one that the Rangers should theoretically be able to make work if they want to approach the Kraken again about acquiring a defenseman, after dealing for Will Borgen last season. Though probably not a long-term solution, this option is the Go-Big-or-Go-Home one of the bunch.
Luke Schenn, Winnipeg Jets
At 35 years old, Schenn remains one of the League’s most prolific hitters, with 72 in just 15 games with the Jets after being acquired before the trade deadline, and 300 in 76 games overall in 2024-25. A sought-after player for his veteran leadership, Schenn, a two-time Stanley Cup winner with the Tampa Bay Lightning, would provide stability and plenty of physicality in the defensive zone.
Like Oleksiak, Schenn wouldn’t represent a long-term solution for the Rangers. However, with one more year at $2.75 million remaining on his deal, Winnipeg might be willing to trade the 17-year veteran, as it faces a cap crunch and needs to re-sign forwards Nikolaj Ehlers and Gabriel Vilardi this summer.
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Ben Chiarot, Detroit Red Wings
Chiarot is as old school as they come, and not afraid of any opponent. The 6-foot-4, 224-pounder once fought Ryan Reaves after the feared enforcer ran his teammate, and also pounded on Matthew Tkachuk for camping out in the crease when Tkachuk was with the Calgary Flames and Chiarot was playing for the Montreal Canadiens.
Chiarot’s possession metrics aren’t pretty – he’s a minus-58 over his 12-year career, and posted expected goal shares of 45.1 and 42.8 in each of the past two seasons. Still, he racks up hits and blocked shots, and a consistent third-pair role for this throwback might imbue the Blueshirts blue line with some of what Chiarot brings on a regular basis.
It’s not clear whether the Red Wings are willing to trade Chiarot, but they could be looking for some relief from the 34-year-old’s $4.75 million cap hit that has one year left to run. The Rangers might also be able to get Detroit to retain some of that money. Like the other names on this list, Chiarot wouldn’t cost much in trade capital.
Radko Gudas, Anaheim Ducks
The 34-year-old was once considered among the dirtiest players in the League, receiving four suspensions in a four-year span totaling 21 games. He hasn’t been banned since 2019, though, and seems to have discovered the perfect balance that has allowed him to continue walking the line of legal hits without drawing discipline from the NHL.
As as a result, Gudas is still an effective physical force, playing for the fifth team in his 13-year career. Love or hate him, the man they call “The Butcher” puts opponents’ heads on a swivel as much as anyone on this list. Gudas piled up 261 hits and an NHL career-high 178 blocked shots this past season. He’s a career plus-91, and his 49.9 expected goal share in 2024-25 was likely depressed by playing for a bad Ducks team – he posted marks of 53 or better the previous three seasons with the Florida Panthers.
This is another potential high-value acquisition for the Rangers – Gudas has one year remaining on his contract at $4 million for a rebuilding Anaheim team that isn’t particularly married to any veteran players at this point, though Gudas might be viewed in a different category since he’s their captain. A salary retention situation certainly seems workable in a potential trade that would bring serious snarl to the Blueshirts blue line. Gudas does have a limited no-trade clause that would have to be addressed if the Rangers are on it.
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