Top 5 Rangers to be moved by trade deadline, after Carson Soucy deal
The trade of Carson Soucy from the New York Rangers to the rival New York Islanders will go down in history for two reasons.
For one, it’s the fourth trade ever between these New York hockey rivals.. But it also opens the door for another Rangers sell off ahead of the NHL trade deadline on March 6.
Soucy is the first player to be traded but surely won’t be the last to depart MSG this season. Here are five other potential Rangers that could be dealt, ranked by their likelihood to be traded.
5. Jonathan Quick, G
- Age: 40
- 2025-26 Stats: 4-11-2, 3.17 GAA and .884 save percentage in 17 games (16 starts)
- Contract status: Signed through this season; can become UFA
- Why he could be moved: Quick retiring with his favorite boyhood team seems like the more likely scenario. But the Rangers could try to ship him to a contending club like the Vegas Golden Knights or Edmonton Oilers for one more run at the Stanley Cup as a backup goaltender, especially once Igor Shesterkin (lower-body injury) is healthy again. Note that Quick has a 20-team no-trade clause.
4. Alexis Lafreniere, RW
- Age: 24
- 2025-26 Stats: 10 goals, 29 points in 53 games
- Contract status: Signed at $7.45 million AAV through 2031-32
- Why he could be moved: Lafreniere is in the first season of a seven-year contract that buys out multiple UFA years, yet is one of the few Rangers players without a full no-move clause. That makes him easier to trade and also more valuable. Lafreniere is a former No. 1 overall pick, so there’ll be teams interested, even though he’s never lived up to lofty expectations in six NHL seasons. That’s why the Rangers might consider moving him, as David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period recently noted, “I think there’s an appetite to explore it,” he told Forever Blueshirts on the Rink Rap podcast.
3. Braden Schneider, D
- Age: 24
- 2025-26 Stats: 2 goals, 10 points in 53 games
- Contract status: Signed through this season; can become RFA with arbitration rights
- Why he could be moved: Young right-shot defensemen like Schneider are insanely coveted, and the fact he has two more years of team control after this season, means he could fetch a sizeable return package. Schneider doesn’t have a no-move clause, so that also makes him easier to move. The San Jose Sharks reportedly are kicking the tires on Schneider. They won’t be the only team interested if the Rangers decide Schneider’s not part of their core moving forward, similar to how they traded young defenseman K’Andre Miller to the Carolina Hurricanes last summer.
2. Vincent Trocheck, C
- Age: 32
- 2025-26 Stats: 11 goals, 33 points in 39 games
- Contract status: Signed for $5.625 million AAV through 2028-29
- Why he could be moved: The case could be made that Trocheck was the Rangers best option to war the ‘C’ since he is one of the most respected leaders on the club. But that ship sailed and so, too, may Trocheck’s time on Broadway. He plays in every game situation, is outstanding in the face-off circle, has a big-game reputation, and is signed at a reasonable clip. He could very well be a No. 2 center for a club that needs one, or an excellent fit as a 3C for a legit Stanley Cup contender. Plus, he’s not a rental player and only has a 12-team no-trade clause, which means president/GM Chris Drury can deal him to one of 19 other clubs without his pre-approval. If Trocheck is moved, the Rangers should get a haul in return.
1. Artemi Panarin, LW
- Age: 34
- 2025-26 Stats: 19 goals, 57 points in 52 games
- Contract status: Signed through this season; can become UFA
- Why he could be moved: It’s no secret that Panarin is a goner. Drury informed the Breadman that the Rangers won’t offer a contract extension, and the Rangers will work on trying to send him wherever he wants to go ahead of the deadline. They have no choice but to collaborate with their leading scorer this season, and in each of the previous six seasons, since he has a complete no-move clause. He is the No. 1 player on everyone’s trade board, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy moving him, especially if Panarin lets the Rangers know he’ll only accept a trade to, say, a couple teams. If Panarin wants an extension in place with another team before approving a trade, that would help the Rangers get a larger return than if Panarin is a rental.
