The New York Rangers are looking to get back into the playoffs next season and have been active in overhauling their roster.
New York went out and traded for Pavel Dorofeyev to add some much-needed scoring to the lineup. The Rangers, however, then traded Vincent Trocheck to the Utah Mammoth for defenseman Sean Durzi, forward prospect Cole Beaudoin, and a 2027 third-round pick.
It was a surprising return, and some NHL execs didn’t understand why the Rangers would make that trade.
“I feel like they would’ve had better offers at the deadline for first-round picks,” an NHL scout said to The Athletic. “But they’re trying to live on this line of being competitive while trying to regroup.”
Another NHL exec called the return ‘fine’ for the Rangers, but also felt like they would have gotten more. Meanwhile, another exec has some questions about what the Rangers are actually getting. The exec wonders if Beaudoin can turn into an NHL player.
“For an aging center that brings so much like Trocheck, that’s a big get for Utah,” Executive 1 said. “What’s coming back is interesting because there’s a chance you get a player or two that are good, but there’s no guarantees there.”
However, one scout said he views Beaudoin as a fourth-liner and thinks his skating is a major issue.
“Great kid, culture guy, but pretty limited with what he can do,” Executive 2 added of Beaudoin.
Ultimately, the Rangers felt like this was the best move for the team, but many NHL execs and scouts are confused by the return.
Rangers GM ‘Excited’ About What he did
Although some NHL execs were critical of the Rangers’ return for Trocheck, GM Chris Drury was pleased with what he was able to accomplish.
“I’m not going to sit here and put a time on anything,” Drury said. “The only timeline I operate on is trying to get better every single day and to look at ways to get the team better every single day. We’ll continue to do that. We’re certainly excited to add the pieces we did. We think they’re real good players and real good additions to our team, and exciting pieces as part of this retool.”
Drury believes he plugged some holes, and with the addition of Beaudoin and the acquisition of Liam Greentree from the Los Angeles Kings for Artemi Panarin before the Olympic break, he believes the outlook of the team is better.
“We felt like we plugged some holes with not only real players that we can put on our roster that can play in key roles, but also added some other picks in actual draft picks and actual prospects,” Drury said.
New York’s Offseason Moves
The Rangers were active this offseason, and the team’s notable offseason moves were as follows:
- Acquire Pafel Dorofeyev from Vegas for 2026 1st round pick (DAL, #26), a 2026 3rd round pick (BUF, #92) and a conditional 2028 1st round pick.
- Sign Joe Veleno to a one-year, $1.2 million deal.
- Sign Oliver Bjorkstrand to a one-year, $4.5 million deal.
- Acquire Joonas Korpisalo from the Bruins for Kalle Väisänen and a 2028 4th round pick.
- Acquire Sean Durzi, Cole Beaudoin, 2027 3rd from Utah for Trocheck.
- Trade William Borgen to the Bruins for the 2027 2nd and a conditional 2028 3rd.
- Acquire Marcus Pettersson from Canucks for a conditional 2030 1st.
New York has just under $8 million in cap space.
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