Rangers eye ‘consistency over volatility’ with possible defensemen moves, per report
With the NHL Draft and start of free agency right around the corner, it appears the New York Rangers’ offseason game plan is coming more into focus. Multiple sources confirmed to Forever Blueshirts that the Rangers are indeed seriously shopping K’Andre Miller while remaining open to listening to offers for other players on their roster.
Vince Mercogliano from LoHud.com, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported Tuesday that the Rangers are seeking “final-and-best offers this week” for Miller. That timeline makes sense because the Rangers would need to replace Miller in the top-four on defense, likely when free agency begins July 1.
To that end, Mercogliano reported that there’s mutual interest between the Rangers and UFA defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov. If — when — the Rangers move Miller, they could sign Gavrikov, who’s coming off an excellent season with the Los Angeles Kings, to partner with Adam Fox on the top pair. For now, that likely leaves Carson Soucy on the second pair with Will Borgen. But there could be other moves on the horizon to address that as well.
The Rangers appear leery of giving Miller, a restricted free agent with arbitration rights, a long-term, big-money contract because of his inconsistent — and declining — play the past two seasons. He has plenty of upside and has proven capable of playing big minutes in a shutdown role, though, which makes the 25-year-old plenty attractive on the trade market. That upside must give Rangers general manager Chris Drury pause as he pursues a trade for Miller.
“If they miscalculate on him and he goes somewhere else and does what Seth Jones did this year in Florida or what Niko Mikkola did in Florida, that’s going to be a problem for the Rangers,” NHL insider Pierre McGuire told Forever Blueshirts on the RINK RAP podcast.
It’s not a stretch to think the Rangers could get a decent return for Miller. They then would replace him in the lineup with the steady Gavrikov, who’s four years older (29) but averaged 23:05 TOI playing all 82 games this past season. The veteran also plays with more bite and was a staple on one of the top defensive teams in the NHL.
Mercogliano summed up the Rangers’ plan with those defensemen thusly: “In short, the Rangers are willing to risk losing out on Miller’s high ceiling in favor of Gavrikov’s high floor. They’re valuing consistency over volatility.”
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Rangers navigating tight salary cap trying to retool roster
The Rangers do not have a boatload of salary-cap space to work with, which could be an issue if Gavrikov is seeking to cash in with a massive payday. There aren’t a lot of difference makers among UFA defensemen this summer, so there could be a team willing to outbid the Rangers for Gavrikov. But if they can sign him for around $8 million annually, they might not be forced into unloading another player or two to create more cap room.
As of today, the Rangers have approximately $12.2 million in available cap space, per PuckPedia. But they still need to re-sign restricted free agent forward Will Cuylle and have other holes to fill on the roster, notably on the third line and on beyond the top pair on defense.
Forever Blueshirts has been told that the Rangers are seeking young, controllable players who can help now or in the very near future in a deal for Miller. Several sources stated that the Rangers wish to be a playoff team next season, but that they view the 2026 offseason as their best opportunity to retool the roster in order to become a true Stanley Cup contender.
We should know shortly what the Rangers’ game plan is this summer — and if there’s actually a bigger move to be made, or, perhaps, some smaller ones to fill in the gaps. Game on.
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