Chris Drury has two tricky calls sitting right in front of him, and both could say a lot about where the Rangers are headed next.
New York’s offseason may have gone well, but the roster is still in the middle of a transition. This season looks more like a wild card team than a true contender, and while another lottery-pick finish feels less likely, it still can’t be ruled out. The bigger issue is what comes after this year: if the Rangers are going to finish the retool and become a Cup contender again, Drury has to make the right decisions with Will Cuylle and Braden Schneider.
Both players are young, both have already logged meaningful minutes for the Rangers, and both are cost controlled for the moment. They also look like NHLers who will be around for a long time.
But that’s where the comfort ends. The question is whether their value is being inflated by reputation, and whether New York could end up paying more than it should.
Cuylle is the more straightforward case on the surface. He brings size, hits, and enough scoring to matter.
The problem is that his ceiling still looks more like a 50-point player than a true top-end threat. That’s useful production, no question.
It just has to come at the right number. Cuylle is closing in on what could be a pretty expensive contract, and last season he struggled when the Rangers asked him to handle top-six duty.
If a third-line forward gets paid like a core scorer, the bill starts to look awfully bad.
Schneider’s situation is similar, but the conversation around him has been louder. He’s already been pushed down the depth chart by the acquisition of Sean Durzi, a move that should make Rangers fans feel better about the blue line.
Durzi is a strong puck-moving defenseman. Schneider, on the other hand, has a reputation that seems to carry more weight than his actual NHL production.
There was plenty of buzz around him as a prospect, but he has shown very little in his NHL time, and his chance to handle top-pair minutes with Vlad Gavrikov last season came with significant struggles.
That’s why trade talk around Schneider has been so persistent. His current one-year contract could be appealing to other teams, and the Rangers may want to cash in while his perceived value is still high.
Cuylle has not been nearly as central to trade discussion, mostly because moving him is a tougher sell and would not go over well with fans. Still, New York has plenty of third-line options, and there is real logic in using him to help land a significant scoring piece for the core.
It’s a harder argument than making the same move with Schneider, but Cuylle is not untouchable.
In the end, the standings may decide everything. But even before that picture gets clearer, the Rangers have to decide whether either player is truly essential.
The case for moving Schneider is obvious enough: when a young player’s reputation is stronger than his actual upside, it makes sense to turn that into value. The same argument applies to Cuylle, even if it’s less popular.
The real question is simple: can Chris Drury do that?
In Other News...
Rangers Face An Early Blue Line Decision They Can't Rush
Alberts mits has already made himself part of the conversation at Rangers training camp, earning strong reviews from the coaching staff as the club sorts through its blue-line options. Head coach Mike Sullivan has seen enough to believe the defenseman looks physically ready for the NHL, which is no small compliment at this stage of camp, especially with roster spots still up for grabs and the back end under close watch.
Still, the Rangers are not in a hurry to force the issue. Sullivan has made it clear the organization wants to keep the bigger picture in mind as it weighs mits next step, and the competition on defense remains tight with Matthew Robertson among the players chasing a place on the opening-night roster. For a team trying to balance immediate needs with long-term development, the decision on the last left-side spot could be one of camps more delicate calls. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Camp Has An Unexpected Defenseman Turning Heads Fast
Marc Del Gaizo arrived at Rangers training camp as one of the quieter additions on the roster, but he wasted little time making an impression on the first day. The defenseman, who has prior NHL experience and spent his college years at UMass Amherst as a key contributor and alternate captain, jumped into the early camp skates with a competitive edge that stood out in a setting where everyone is trying to carve out a role.
The energy around Del Gaizo picked up during scrimmages, where his compete level was hard to miss and his exchanges with Matt Rempe added some edge to the morning. For a player trying to establish himself in a crowded camp, those moments can matter, especially when coaches are sorting through the details of how hard guys are willing to push in the gray areas of practice. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Bottom Six Battle Is Getting Harder To Ignore
Tye Kartye has made a noticeable early impression on Rangers training camp, continuing to show the kind of motor and edge that made him useful after New York claimed him off waivers last season. He settled in as a reliable bottom-six forward and penalty killer, and this camp has brought more of the same, with strong effort and the sort of attitude coaches tend to notice quickly.
The wrinkle now is that the Rangers have added more competition to that part of the lineup, and the depth chart is starting to take shape in a way that could squeeze out one of the younger forwards. Kartyes own standing has been affected by the latest roster move, and with Hartford looming as the fallback option for players on the outside, this part of camp is becoming harder to ignore. [Read more 🡒]