The Rangers are still sorting out their center situation, and Will Cuylle gave them something to think about in Tuesday’s 3-1 win over the St. Louis Blues. Mike Sullivan tried Cuylle in the middle, and the winger handled his first start at center well enough to look like a temporary answer.
Temporary is the key word, though. If New York stays in the playoff mix over the next few months, it’s going to keep hunting for upgrades. Goaltending is the obvious area, but center belongs on that list too.
That’s where Dylan Larkin comes in, or more accurately, where he doesn’t. The Detroit Red Wings center is on the trade block after requesting a move in the offseason, starting the season, and then deciding he would sit out until he was dealt. He recently put together a 10-team trade list, and the Rangers were nowhere to be found.
There was at least some thought that Detroit might push to widen the field. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reported that the Red Wings wanted to talk to six to eight teams outside Larkin’s preferred destinations, believing they could land a better package that way. But Larkin and his agent, Pat Brisson, shut that down.
“But they would like to go deeper in talks with six to eight other teams outside his list, where the Red Wings believe there’s more fertile ground to find the kind of package they need,” said LeBrun.
“Those six to eight teams that aren’t on the list include the likes of Montreal, Boston, L.A., and Buffalo, as we talked about. But Larkin’s camp, led by agent Pat Brisson, has told the Red Wings again, I’m told over the last few days, no.”
That leaves the Rangers on the outside looking in. New York has spent years trying to land a star, and Larkin would have checked a lot of boxes.
He also had the Team USA connection with J.T. Miller, general manager Chris Drury, and Sullivan, all of whom won gold at the Winter Olympics this past February.
Still, none of that mattered when Larkin first drew up his list. His original three-team group included the Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild, and Vegas Golden Knights. After expanding to 10 teams, he added the Dallas Stars, Washington Capitals, New Jersey Devils, Carolina Hurricanes, Colorado Avalanche, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Utah Mammoth.
The Rangers never got in.
And with Larkin’s camp already saying no to expanding the list further, that looks like the end of the road. New York may have to keep leaning on internal answers at center for now, then look to the trade deadline if it’s still in the playoff picture. If that happens, the most realistic path may be adding a center from a selling team, someone who can help on the bottom two lines rather than a headline name.
For the moment, Larkin should be viewed as off the board for Chris Drury.
In Other News...
Rangers Finally Delivered The Late Push Fans Had Been Waiting For
For a team that had been waiting on a timely finish, the Rangers finally gave Madison Square Garden one. New York trailed Philadelphia before finding its push in the third period, scoring twice to turn a one-goal deficit into a 3-2 win and give the home crowd the kind of late surge it has been hoping to see more often.
Dylan Garand backed it up with 23 saves, and the result also fit a broader trend the Rangers have been trying to build at home and against Metropolitan Division opponents. The comeback left the Flyers paying for a costly mistake, while the Rangers walked away with a win that felt like more than just two points. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Already Face An Uncomfortable Rick Tocchet Question
The Rangers have their own reasons to keep an eye on the Flyers early-season unease, because the broader NHL conversation around coaching and roster direction is starting to sound familiar in New York. With the 2026-27 season still taking shape, the focus around the league has shifted toward whether a teams problems are really about execution or something deeper in the way it was built and managed.
For the Rangers, that matters because the same kind of scrutiny can quickly land on a front office when results lag and the margin for error gets thin. The current chatter around Philadelphia, San Jose and New York is less about one bad week than about whether the people steering these teams have enough answers, and for the Rangers, that leaves a familiar question hanging over the rest of the season. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Young Forwards Are Giving This Team Real Reason For Hope
The Rangers have spent plenty of time looking for a younger core to grow into bigger roles, and there are real signs that the forward group is starting to answer. Will Cuylle has already shown he can finish, Alexis Lafrenire has settled into a top-line wing spot while leading the team in scoring, and Tye Kartye has added offense after coming over on waivers. Even Gabe Perreault, still working to establish himself on the roster, has brought the kind of pace and skill that keeps him in the conversation.
What makes this stretch encouraging is that it is not coming from one player carrying the load. Cuylles versatility, Lafrenires continued rise, Perreaults upside and Kartyes ability to chip in give the Rangers multiple paths to more scoring depth. For a team that has been searching for more long-term certainty up front, that kind of development is exactly the sort of thing that can change the outlook, even if the final shape of the group is still coming into focus. [Read more 🡒]