Rangers GM addresses flurry of roster changes: ‘big piece of it was salary cap’
One day after Chris Drury made a slew of big-time moves on the first day of NHL free agency, the New York Rangers reclusive general manager met with reporters for a rare Q&A session Wednesday.
Drury discussed a variety of topics, including why the Rangers moved on from core players Chris Kreider and K’Andre Miller this offseason. He explained that a roster shakeup was necessary after the Rangers bottomed out and missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season for the first time in four years.
But there was more to it with Kreider and Miller.
“A big piece of it was salary cap. There’s only so much to go around in trying to figure out the pieces that fit under the cap as we tried to rework the roster,” Drury explained.
So, the Rangers traded Kreider to the Anaheim Ducks in June for prospect Carey Terrance and a swap of mid-round draft picks. That saved them $6.5 million in cap space each of the next two seasons.
Miller was traded Tuesday to the Carolina Hurricanes for defenseman Scott Morrow and two premium picks in the loaded 2026 NHL Draft — a conditional first-rounder and a second-round selection. The Rangers couldn’t afford to re-sign the 25-year-old defenseman, who was a restricted free agent looking for a big payday, especially because they had their sites set on the top defenseman available in free agency, Vladislav Gavrikov.
When the Rangers landed Gavrikov with a seven-year, $49 million contract Tuesday, Miller was a goner. The Rangers had been shopping Miller for a while and weren’t sold on him as a long-term, big-money player in the first place, but the Gavrikov signing sealed his fate.
There was only so much money to go around, especially because a top priority was to re-sign RFA forward Will Cuylle, after his 20-goal breakout season. They accomplished that Tuesday, as well, agreeing to a two-year, $7.8 million contract that carries a $3.9 million salary cap hit.
“It’s certainly been a busy and exciting few weeks for the Rangers organization with lots of moving parts,” Drury said in a true understatement.
After all these moves, plus adding depth forwards Taylor Raddysh and Justin Dowling, the Rangers have approximately $778,000 in cap space, with a shadow roster of 23 players.
So, yeah, there were plenty of financial considerations for Drury and Co. to navigate as they tried to improve the roster this summer.
Related: Get to know newest Rangers prospect Scott Morrow after trade with Hurricanes
Takeaways from Chris Drury’s media session to discuss big Rangers moves
Let’s dive into other key topics from Drury’s media session.
It wasn’t just about money for Rangers
Though the salary cap played a major role in how the Rangers conducted their business this offseason, it wasn’t just about money for Drury. The Rangers GM has been rebuilding the defense corps since last December, when the first domino fell with the trade of captain Jacob Trouba to the Ducks.
Since then, Ryan Lindgren, Victor Mancini, Zac Jones, and now Miller were also jettisoned. Defensemen Will Borgen, Urho Vaakanainen, Calvin de Haan, Carson Soucy, Gavrikov, and Morrow were added to the mix. All but de Haan, an unrestricted free agent, are on the current roster.
Why all the changes to the defense corps?
“It starts in our D zone. D-zone coverage, defending, certainly defending in the high-danger areas, which we were, simply put, not good at last year,” Drury explained. “We have to be better in our own zone. We have to be better in front of ‘Shesty’ and ‘Quickie’ (goalies Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick).”
It was clear to Drury that not only did the Rangers need to shuffle their deck of defensemen, but that signing Gavrikov was they key to their entire offseasson plan.
“The size, the reach, the competitiveness, the way he defends, the way he’s able to complement his partner, if that’s [Adam] Fox or any other of our right-shot D that we have. That’s what excited all of us [about Gavrikov],” he said.
Chris Drury bestows high praise on ‘Rangers legend’
This was the first time Drury spoke with the media since the Kreider trade. It’s no secret that Drury had been trying to move the 34-year-old forward since last November, when a trade memo to the other League GMs with Kreider’s name on it was leaked publicly.
That certainly made for an uncomfortable situation, especially when Kreider battled numerous injuries, as well, and dipped to 30 points last season (though he scored 22 goals).
But Drury had high praise Wednesday for Kreider, who exited Broadway third all-time in franchise history with 326 goals and tied for first with 116 power-play goals.
He called Kreider “a true Rangers legend,” and praised No. 20 and his agent for their cooperation to get a deal done with the Ducks.
Certainly, the Rangers GM handled this delicate situation better than his previous dealing with Kreider last season or the unpleasant drawn-out process with Trouba.
Have the Rangers started contract extension talks with Artemi Panarin?
Drury is well known for playing things close to the vest and not sharing information publicly. Such was the case when asked if the Rangers started contract extension discussions yet with Artemi Panarin.
Simply, Drury wouldn’t say.
Panarin is eligible for an extension, since he’s entering the final season of his massive seven-year, $81.5 million contract. He can become an unrestricted free agent at the end of next season when he will be 34 years old.
Panarin led the Rangers with 37 goals and 89 points last season. And just two years ago he had 120 points (49 goals, 71 assists), second most in franchise history. In 430 games with the Rangers, Panarin has 186 goals, 364 assists and 55o points.
Of course, it was revealed late last season that Panarin and the Rangers each paid a sexual assault settlement to a former Rangers employee. Whether that factors into the equation here, well, Drury’s clearly not saying.
Is Mika Zibanejad a center or wing next season?
A really important piece to the Rangers puzzle next season is where Mika Zibanejad fits in the forward group. Is the long-time center going to stay in the middle, possibly leading to Vincent Trocheck or Zibanejad himself as the 3C? Or will the 32-year-old play right wing on a line centered by J.T. Miller, which is where he resuscitated his spiraling 2024-25 season, when he finished with a disappointing 62 points (20 goals, 42 assists)?
“We’re in constant communication about a lot of different things within the organization, but I think one of the best parts about the forward group is there’s a lot of versatility,” Drury answered without providing a direct answer. “There’s a lot of players that can play center and wing … I’m trying to give [the coaches] as many options as possible.”
It should be Mike Sullivan’s decision anyway. And it appears that’s the case. Get back to usin September for more clarity.
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