Rumor: Rangers may trade Ryan Strome tonight at draft

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The next few hours will include the Rangers drafting first overall and possibly 22nd. However, we may also see the rights of RFA, Ryan Strome traded. That’s because the deadline to give him a qualifying offer will expire tomorrow at 5PM. So if the Rangers do not intend to qualify him, it is unlikely they will just let him become a UFA on Friday. A chance for a trade tonight has just increased.

What’s going on with Rangers and Ryan Strome

There’s still a lot of discussions going on at this moment for the Rangers about Ryan Strome. Jeff Gorton said on his Zoom conference to the media last week that he would get back to them about the RFAs. Since that call, we’ve learned DeAngelo, Lemieux, and Georgiev received qualifying offers with no official word from the Rangers to date. As expected, Rangers playing it close to the vest.

I briefly chatted with a source on the player’s side to see what I could learn. They are currently in the final stages of talks, whether they can agree to a deal or not will dictate what happens next. There should be a resolution to the Strome situation soon.

How this could shake out with Strome

New York Rangers rumors
Ryan Strome and Artemi Panarin celebrate (Photo by Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images)

Here’s what you need to know. If the Rangers fail to extend Strome a qualifying offer by 5PM EST on 10/7, he will become a UFA on Friday, 10/9. I do not expect the Rangers to let him walk for nothing.

There is a possibility that his rights could be traded tonight at the draft. It is possible that a deal can be reached by tomorrow night before the draft begins, if not a trade of some sort becomes the most likely conclusion.

One other possibility is that the two sides are very close to a deal but need more time to work out details. That could see Strome get the qualifying offer before the Wednesday deadline and a new contract worked out soon thereafter.

Bottom line is this, a Strome departure means a huge hole needs to be filled at 2C. The Rangers may also be negotiating a trade for a center and thus the reason for no qualifying offer to Strome. Buckle up, something could happen at anytime.

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By Anthony Scultore

Anthony Scultore has been covering the New York Rangers and the NHL since 2014. His work also appears at... More about Anthony Scultore

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