Chris Drury is clearly not done reshaping the Rangers.
After making nine picks in the 2026 NHL Draft this past weekend, New York added Pavel Dorofeyev in a huge Friday trade with the Vegas Golden Knights, chased center Mason McTavish before he landed with the St. Louis Blues, and also moved out bottom-six forwards Brett Berard and Adam Edstrom in separate minor deals. The front office has been busy, and according to Elliotte Friedman, that activity included a serious run at Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Alexander Nikishin.
On the latest 32 Thoughts podcast, Friedman said the Rangers went after Nikishin aggressively.
“Carolina has Nikishin out there, that’s definitely true. I heard the Rangers made a pitch for him, pretty hard,” Friedman explained. “But they didn’t just want picks back for Nikishin, they wanted a player, and a player that was helpful.”
The timing of that offer isn’t clear. It may have come before New York sent out three picks, including first-rounders in 2026 and 2028, as part of the Dorofeyev deal. Either way, the message is obvious: the Rangers are still hunting for help on the blue line, even after using the No. 5 overall pick this year on Alberts Smits.
Nikishin, 24, is a left-shot defenseman who can line up on either side. He’s also a restricted free agent and is reportedly aiming for a long-term deal worth at least $8 million per year. Before reaching the NHL, he spent four seasons in the KHL, and this past season he put up 33 points - 11 goals and 22 assists - as a rookie while helping Carolina win the Stanley Cup.
And yet the Hurricanes may be open to moving him. That possibility looks even more real after their trade this past weekend for the rights to veteran UFA defenseman John Carlson from the Ducks.
“I expect anything and everything from Carolina this week,” Friedman stated. “They are not satisfied [with winning the Stanley Cup], not satisfied. They’ve got a lot of [salary cap] room.”
Carlson is 36 and reportedly wants $10 million per season on a two-year deal. He’s older than Nikishin by 12 years, but he still brings top-end ability and gives Carolina a natural right-side option, which clearly matters to them.
If the Rangers don’t land a player of Nikishin’s caliber, free agency could offer a cheaper alternative when it opens Wednesday. On the right side, New York currently has Adam Fox, Will Borgen, Braden Schneider and Scott Morrow, with Schneider’s name continuing to surface in trade chatter. On the left, the group includes Vladislav Gavrikov, Drew Fortescue, Matthew Robertson, Urho Vaakanainen and Smits.
Trocheck’s name is still in the mix, too.
Friedman didn’t have a fresh update on Vincent Trocheck, but he did say the asking price remains steep.
“I heard that the Rangers still have a very high ask there, if not higher than at the [trade] deadline [in March],” he said. “Honestly, part of me wondered after they got Dorofeyev would they want Trocheck to stay? Now, it might be too far down the road, I don’t know, but I heard that the Rangers ask on Trocheck was very high.”
Trocheck recently hired agent Pat Brisson to help work toward a trade to a preferred destination. He has a 12-team no-trade clause that drops to 10 teams on July 1, and his preference is to stay on the east coast.
If New York does move him, the team would still have plenty of center depth with Mika Zibanejad, J.T. Miller and Noah Laba, though Miller or Zibanejad could shift to wing. And if Trocheck goes, the Rangers could look at a lower-cost free-agent center such as Kevin Stenlund, depending on what comes back in a deal.
For now, though, the key detail is the price. The Rangers reportedly want an NHL player, a prospect close to NHL-ready and a draft pick for Trocheck, who has three years left on his contract at a $5.625 million cap hit.
In Other News...
Rangers Fans Can Feel Another Drury Twist Coming After Dorofeyev
The Rangers have already made one notable addition in Pavel Dorofeyev as part of their offseason retooling, and the sense around the team is that Chris Drury is not done shaping the roster. With free agency looming, the names being floated as possibilities tell you a lot about the kind of balance the front office is chasing, from experienced depth to more size and edge in the middle of the lineup.
Chris Drury has kept his plans close to the vest by declining media availability until around July 1, which only adds to the feeling that another move could be coming before long. Mats Zuccarello, Beck Malenstyn and Mason Marchment have all been mentioned as fits in one way or another, and for Rangers fans, the waiting game is now part of the story as much as the transaction itself. [Read more 🡒]
Ducks Prospect Is Suddenly Getting Serious League-Wide Draft Buzz
The 2026 NHL Draft already has a few names separating themselves, and for the Rangers, Alberts Smits is the one to watch. The young defenseman landed in New York with a profile that made him stand out from the rest of the class, giving the organization a prospect with real upside on the blue line and a chance to become a difference-maker faster than most players at his position.
What has made Smits especially intriguing is how quickly his reputation has grown around the league. He is being talked about not just as a strong defensive prospect, but as the top offense-minded defenseman in the draft, which puts him in a different conversation than the usual long-term project. If his development keeps moving in the same direction, the Rangers could be looking at a player who forces his way into a prominent role much sooner than expected. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Fans Just Got Their First Real Look At This Return
Liam Greentree finally got a chance to put on Rangers colors in a meaningful setting this week, taking part in the clubs annual development camp after signing his entry-level contract. The 2024 first-rounder is now officially on the path toward pro hockey, and for a team that is always hunting for the next wave of skill, his arrival offered the first real look at what this return could become.
The next step is likely a familiar one for a young forward: a fall start to his professional career, with AHL Hartford the expected landing spot. Greentree still has a long runway ahead, but development camp gave Rangers fans a glimpse of a player whose timeline is moving forward and whose future role could become a lot more interesting once the games start to matter. [Read more 🡒]