Rangers ‘not going to win Stanley Cup next year,’ should trade these players
Despite winning five of their past seven games and finishing strong in what was an otherwise grossly disappointing season, the New York Rangers have some serious work to do in their retool this coming offseason. An absolute must is to nail their lottery draft pick early in the first round, no matter if that’s first overall or wherever it lands after the lottery. After that, the Rangers have 10 more selections to make in the 2026 NHL Draft, including another late in the first round.
They must choose wisely and develop properly since this is the backbone of any retool. But general manager Chris Drury has major decisions to make on the futures of several Rangers players. And Jonny Lazarus of Daily Faceoff believes that two regulars in the Rangers lineup should be traded this offseason.
“Let’s not kid ourselves, this team is not winning a Stanley Cup next year. It’s not,” Lazarus told Forever Blueshirts on the Rink Rap podcast. “They have to find a way to build out this roster.
And even Adam Fox is a conversation with his contract coming up (in 2029). So, there’s a lot of things to figure out, but the one thing we know is the Rangers are not going to win the Stanley Cup next year. ” With that in mind, Lazarus believes center Vincent Trocheck and defenseman Braden Schenider should be moved for legit prospects and/or young NHL — or NHL-ready — players, in line with Drury’s stated desire when he announced the retool back in January.
It’s a similar strategy as with the Artemi Panarin trade, minus the player holding full control of the situation with a complete no-move clause in his contract. The Rangers acquired former first-round pick Liam Greentree, the top prospect in the Los Angeles Kings organization, as the key return in the Panarin trade . They tried to deal Trocheck before the NHL Trade Deadline to further boost their talent pool and prospect pipeline, but Drury didn’t like the options presented to the Rangers, and held on to the 32-year-old center.
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