The New York Rangers made a total of 6 moves yesterday, capped off by the Vlad Gavrikov signing and the K’Andre Miller trade. They also re-signed Will Cuylle to a 2 year bridge deal, added Taylor Raddysh to bolster wing depth, and signed Justin Dowling and Derrick Pouliot to bolster their AHL depth. All in all, yesterday was as good as it could get for the Rangers.
On the Gavrikov signing
1. The Gavrikov signing was a critical step for the Rangers, who desperately needed stability on the left side after last season. The Gavrikov signing gives the Blueshirts a top pair left defenseman to play with Adam Fox, allowing Fox a bit more freedom to do his thing. Ryan Lindgren’s final two years anchored Fox to the point where even Fox’s numbers started to slip. Carson Soucy, though a better fit due to his zone entry defense, skated through mud and was not the answer in top pair minutes.
2. The highlight of the Garikov signing was the contract. Seven years is certainly long, and it probably won’t age well after year 5, but the $7 million cap hit is a bargain. The Gavrikov signing showed that New York is still a destination for players, despite the odd narrative that Chris Drury was going to drive people away with how he handled last season. If anything, the Gavrikov signing showed that Drury needs better PR and a better approach. If he was truly going to hamstring the Rangers due to his actions, then the Gavrikov signing wouldn’t have happened.
3. The Gavrikov signing, combined with the Miller trade, completely revamps the Rangers defense. Gavrikov will play with Fox, as mentioned above. But the Gavrikov signing also allows Carson Soucy to be better on the third pair in fewer minutes with less stress, likely paired with newly acquired Scott Morrow. I am under the assumption that both the Gavrikov signing and the Miller trade mean the Rangers will shift Braden Schneider to 2LD and play him with Will Borgen.
4. Mike Sullivan’s simpler system and coaching style is almost impossible to account for. We should expect a tighter defensive group that is far more reliable in their own end. The Gavrikov signing and retooling of the blue line will certainly help, since each projected pair now has a guy that can retrieve the puck and move it up the ice, along with a “defensive stalwart.” There are still questions, as the Gavrikov signing does not guarantee rebounds from Soucy or Borgen, Schneider is still recovering from offseason surgery, and Morrow is an unknown prospect. At the very least, the Gavrikov signing gives the Rangers one of the best top pairs in the league.
On the Miller trade
5. The Gavrikov signing was needed not just to shore up the blue line, but to ensure the Rangers could actually trade K’Andre Miller. Initially linked to Detroit in a deal that centered around Albert Johansson and a 1st round pick, Carolina swooped in last minute after Dmitry Orlov stated he wasn’t going to return. With Carolina willing to include a 2026 1st rounder–Detroit was only offering their 2027 1st–they moved to the top of the list. The return of Morrow, a 2026 1st (better of Dallas/Carolina) and a 2026 2nd was fantastic, even if the Rangers gave up the best player in the trade.
6. Morrow was the Canes’ top prospect, per Scott Wheeler, and is a great skater who put up solid offensive numbers in the AHL last year. People are pointing to Morrow not making Carolina’s roster, which is fair, but the 22 year old never really stood a chance. This was his first pro season after leaving UMass in 2024. Was a rookie supposed to crack a roster that included Orlov, Shayne Gostisbehere, Brent Burns, Jaccob Slavin, Jalen Chatfield and Seaon Walker? On a Cup contending team? Not unless he’s Adam Fox.
Morrow got 14 games, which shows he impressed at the AHL level. The 6’2, 205 lb right defenseman is landing in a perfect spot, and he will be given every chance to make the roster.
7. There were rumblings that Braden Schneider could shift to LD, and now with Morrow in tow, that seems to be the reality. The Miller trade and Gavrikov signing gave the Rangers the ability to shift Schneider up. It appears the vision is to have good skating, bigger defensemen to go support Fox as a top-3 defenseman in the NHL. Morrow can also serve as the primary powerplay backup should Fox get hurt.
Landing Carolina’s top prospect and a 2026 1st round pick was great work by Drury. It was also great work by Eric Tulsky, getting the best player in the trade without surrendering a roster player.
The best of the rest
8. The Gavrikov signing and Miller trade were the highlights, but don’t sleep on the addition of Taylor Raddysh to round out the wing depth. Raddysh is likely going to get 3RW time, under the assumption Alexis Lafreniere is the 1RW and one of Brennan Othmann or Gabe Perreault secure the 2RW spot.
9. Unless another center is acquired, Mika Zibanejad will be the Rangers 2C/3C, depending on how things unfold in camp. I can’t see the Rangers keeping him at wing and hoping one of Juuso Parssinen or Jonny Brodzinski is the answer at 3C. But this can be tested and toyed with in the regular season before the trade deadline.
If it’s me, I’m running Panarin-Miller-Lafreniere, Cuylle-Zibanejad-Othmann/Perreault, Berard/Parssinen-Trocheck-Raddysh, and Edstrom-Carrick-Rempe/Brodzinski. Naturally this depends on how the kids look in camp. The Zibanejad line can get sheltered offensive zone starts while the Trocheck line gets the tougher assignments against the top-six. Carrick’s line continues to get the defensive zone starts while Miller’s line gets the usual 50/50 splits and, when at home, against weaker competition to best utilize their offensive talent.
10. Derrick Pouliot and Justin Dowling are AHL depth, I wouldn’t read too much into that.
11. I would have preferred more term on the Will Cuylle extension, but beggars can’t be choosers. The Gavrikov signing made it virtually impossible to sign him long term. Better to be safe than sorry.
12. This is a bit of speculation, but with Chris Kreider, Jacob Trouba, and K’Andre Miller all traded, it appears the rumored “ring leaders” of the locker room chaos from last season have been traded. This is educated speculation based on trades, what I’ve been told, and some interview quotes.
13. There’s still some work to do, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be in the offseason. The wing depth mentioned above it pretty weak, and a lot depends on Zibanejad’s success at center. If last year was a blip and Sully brings out the best in him, then Miller-Zibanejad-Trocheck might be one of the best top-3 center trios in the league. If not, then the Rangers need a 2C/3C to fill out the roster.
The Rangers also need another winger.
All this can be managed at the trade deadline. Give Mika a chance at center. Give Berard, Othmann, and Perreault a chance during the season.
Same goes for the defense. The Rangers can always move on from Soucy if things don’t work out, his contract makes it pretty easy, given the other ones handed out yesterday.
