The Rangers have already done plenty of offseason heavy lifting, but they may not be finished shopping for forward help. And if they go looking for a familiar face, the name to watch isn’t Chris Kreider.
New York’s biggest move came on the first night of the NHL Draft, when the club landed winger Pavel Dorofeyev from the Vegas Golden Knights for multiple draft picks and then locked him up on a seven-year, $77 million deal. The Rangers also sent Vincent Trocheck to the Utah Mammoth, leaving them with a thinner forward group even after adding a legitimate scorer.
That’s why the search for more top-six depth still matters. The Rangers don’t have much cap space left after their offseason work, so any addition would have to fit carefully. One possibility floated by The Athletic’s Vince Mercogliano is a reunion with former Ranger Frank Vatrano, who could become available if the Anaheim Ducks decide they need to shed salary.
Mercogliano pointed to Anaheim’s cap situation after the club signed center Leo Carlsson to a five-year, $90 million contract. He wrote, “The Ducks must clear salary after matching a massive $18 million-average-annual-value offer sheet for star center Leo Carlsson, with Vatrano a prime candidate to go.
He’s under contract for two more seasons at a $4.5 million AAV, so it would require a little cap maneuvering on Drury’s part. But it’s not the craziest idea I’ve heard,”
He added, “That’s not to say it’s likely, or that the Rangers should be making a strong push. But there’s a decent chance Anaheim will have to attach an asset to get another team to take Vatrano off its books, and if that’s the case, it may be worth trying to take advantage.”
Anaheim does still have cap space, but there’s another contract to sort out in Cutter Gauthier, whose extension could climb close to an eight-figure annual salary. Vatrano, Kreider and Alex Killorn have all been mentioned as players the Ducks might move to create room.
Kreider’s name will naturally catch Rangers fans’ attention, but he is owed $6.5 million for this coming season. Vatrano’s cap hit is $4.57 million annually through 2027-28.
For New York, the appeal is obvious. Vatrano already knows the organization, and he showed exactly what he can do in a Rangers sweater during the 2021-22 season after arriving from the Florida Panthers at the trade deadline. He scored eight goals and added five assists in 22 regular-season games, then turned in a strong playoff run with five goals and eight assists in 20 games as the Rangers reached the Eastern Conference Finals.
His time in New York didn’t last long. Vatrano left in free agency and signed a three-year deal with the Ducks, where he put together a strong 2023-24 campaign. He made his first All-Star Game that season after posting 22 goals and 14 assists in 50 games before the break, then finished with 37 goals and 23 assists in 82 games.
Last season was much quieter. A shoulder injury limited Vatrano to 50 games, and he finished with five goals and four assists. He also didn’t appear in a playoff game during Anaheim’s run to the second round.
The Rangers still need at least one more forward before the season starts, ideally someone who can slide into the second or third line. Big-name options like Kreider, Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko don’t look realistic. If Vatrano does become available, though, he would give the Rangers a proven fit and a little continuity from that 2021-22 group.
In Other News...
These Former Rangers Defensemen Vanished Faster Than Fans Ever Expected
A few former Rangers defensemen once looked like the kind of prospect pipeline that could quietly pay off for years, only to disappear from the NHL picture far sooner than anyone around the team expected. Michael Sauer had the look of a steady blue-line piece before his career was derailed, while Yegor Rykov and Libor Hjek each arrived with enough intrigue to make their names worth tracking, even if the long-term fit never quite came together in New York.
Rykovs path back overseas after his lone North American season and Hjeks inability to lock down a permanent role both speak to how quickly defensemen can slide from promising depth to organizational afterthought. For the Rangers, it is a reminder that not every bet on size, pedigree or upside turns into a lasting NHL answer, and in each case the early promise ended with a lot more questions than the team ever got to answer. [Read more 🡒]
Vincent Trochecks Rangers Goodbye Just Hit Fans Right In The Heart
Vincent Trochecks exit from New York lands with extra weight because his Rangers chapter was about more than just production on the ice. Over four seasons, he became a central part of the lineup after signing a seven-year deal in 2022, and his impact stretched beyond the usual box score markers. The family settled in, the team leaned on him in big moments, and his time with the club came to feel like one of those stretches that leaves a real imprint on both sides.
Thats why the reflections from his family have resonated so strongly with fans, who saw not just a dependable center but a player whose life in New York became intertwined with the teams own recent run. Trochecks best season in a Rangers sweater came with an All-Star nod and a major role in a 55-win, 114-point campaign, the kind of year that deepens the connection between player and city. Now the organization and its supporters are left sorting through what his departure means, and how much of that era goes with him. [Read more 🡒]
Ducks Could Get Pulled Into An Unsettling Rangers Rumor
The Rangers are still working through the same offseason question that has hovered over them for weeks: how to add forward depth without boxing themselves in. Around the league, Columbus is sorting out its own restricted free agent business with Adam Fantilli, while New York keeps scanning the market for help through trades or signings, with names like Patrik Laine, Michael Bunting, Jonathan Drouin and Frank Vatrano all part of the conversation.
What makes the picture more interesting is the price range New York seems able to operate in, which points to a player who can fit in the middle of the lineup rather than a major splash. If the Rangers want to make that kind of move, they may have to clear room with waiver-eligible depth pieces, and that is where the rumor mill starts to widen beyond the obvious targets and into the kind of possibilities that can pull another team into the discussion. [Read more 🡒]