Why trading for Mario Ferraro makes sense for Rangers
Regardless of their plan for K’Andre Miller this offseason, the New York Rangers likely will look into upgrading the left side of their defense corps. In particular, there’s a need to improve the top four as well as add someone who can provide leadership to a team that sorely lacked in that area this season.
With only so much salary-cap room and several key restricted free agents — like Miller — to take care of, it’s more than possible that going the trade route becomes the best course of action for Rangers general manager Chris Drury.
Nothing should be off the table, but there’s reason to believe that if Miller, a restricted free agent with arbitration rights, can be retained at a reasonable cost, Carson Soucy is expendable. Assuming Zac Jones is not in the plans for regular duty — again — next season, he’s expendable, as well.
No doubt, Drury’s phone will be active this offseason. As teams get eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs, more trade opportunities are sure to present themselves.
For example, after their first-round flameout against the Florida Panthers, will the Tampa Bay Lightning entertain trading Ryan McDonagh? The former Rangers captain is 35 now but has only one season left on his contract — though at a $6.75 million salary-cap hit.
Think it through. McDonagh can still play, coming off a solid season with the Lightning, and is an experienced leader and two-time Stanley Cup champion. Plus, he enjoyed his years in New York. Does Tampa Bay — in a serious cap crunch themselves — say no to a package of Soucy, a prospect like Adam Sykora and a draft pick? Could the Rangers land McDonagh for less?
Or maybe the Lightning would have more interest in Jones than Soucy — an affordable young puck-moving defenseman? It’s worth making that call to Lightning GM Julien BriseBois to find out.
But perhaps a better option is for the Rangers to contact the San Jose Sharks and look into a possible trade for Mario Ferraro.
Related: Trade or sign him? Rangers have massive K’Andre Miller decision to make
Why Rangers should try to acquire Mario Ferraro from Sharks
Stating the obvious, Drury and Sharks GM Mike Grier go way back and likely will always be solid trade partners. Though it wasn’t a trade, just look back a year and see how they worked out the Barclay Goodrow situation and got around his no-trade clause to San Jose.
With the Sharks in the midst of a full youth movement of their own, they are set to have a promising future upfront with superstar talent like Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith leading the way. Still years away from contention, the back end could use a boost in young talent, especially on the power play.
Jake Walman did a great job in that role this season, before he was traded to the Edmonton Oilers ahead of the NHL deadline. Jones, though, could replace him now and in the future. In all likelihood, the 24-year-old would be San Jose’s best offensive defenseman for years to come, giving him the opportunity he craves in the process.
In order to land Jones, the Sharks need to give up something the Rangers need. So how about Ferraro, the rugged left-shot d-man, for Jones and a draft pick and/or the rights to either Juuso Parssinen or Arthur Kaliyev? Really this is a Jones for Ferraro swap that the Rangers would have to sweeten just a bit.
Ferraro would bring a “do whatever it takes” mindset sorely missed on the current Rangers roster, not to mention a knack for being a team leader. All-around, he’s not dissimilar to Ryan Lindgren — a heart-and-soul player with a serious edge to his game. He’s durable and eats up 21-23 minutes a night.
Last season, Ferraro played over 1,400 minutes 5v5, more than 300 more than any other Sharks player. The Sharks were miserable, but Ferraro held his own in a bad situation.
Ferraro is 26 years old and his $3.25 million dollar cap-hit with one year remaining is also easy for the Rangers to absorb without hindering Drury’s negotiations with the remaining restricted free agents, especially if Jones and/or Soucy is traded away.
The Rangers would land either a partner for Adam Fox on the top defense pair or a top-four d-man to play alongside Will Borgen or Braden Schneider, with Miller partnering with Fox. Ferraro makes a lot of sense for the Rangers.
The Sharks may want to keep and extend Ferraro — or keep and trade him closer to the deadline in 2026 to maximize the return. There’s even noise in San Jose that Ferraro could be the Sharks next captain.
But the Rangers won’t know for sure until Drury rings up his old college buddy and former Buffalo Sabres teammate in San Jose and finds out.
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