The Rangers are looking for someone to pair up with Mika Zibanejad And Chris Kreider for quite some time.
They gave Kaapo Kakko a chance to start last season, but when he failed to get much going, they turned to veteran Blake Wheelerwho looked slow and a bit outmatched by the opponent’s top talent.
General manager Chris Drury had his sights set on making a big splash ahead of the trade deadline, but after failing to land the playoff performer Jake Guentzel of the Penguins (more on him later), he finished with Jack Roslovic in a last-minute deal with the Blue Jackets.
Roslovic had some positive moments, but he did as well as the others, and now the Rangers are once again looking for an answer as they head into an interesting offseason.
During his season-ending conference call, Drury told reporters that they will explore all options, both internally and externally, as they look for a top-tier playmaker to add alongside their All-Star talents.
With that in mind, here are five free agent targets for the Rangers to consider, in no particular order…
Patrick Kane
Before signing with the Red Wings last offseason, the Rangers and Kane were reportedly interested in a potential deal. Frank Seravalli said during a recent appearance on the Daily Faceoff podcast with Jonny Lazarus.
“He felt like he arrived in New York and felt hurt because he tried his best, but he let them down a little bit. He felt like he left something on the table because he wasn’t at full strength, so he wanted a chance to maybe do that again to make up for it,” Seravalli said.
But after working his way back from offseason hip surgery, Kane established himself as a relatively consistent piece for the rising Wings, with 20 goals and 27 assists in 50 games.
The 35-year-old has spoken highly of his time in Detroit, but has been very quiet about the prospect of re-signing with the team, indicating he is likely ready to test the open market again as a UFA.
Kane may be looking for more money from a completely healthy and productive campaign, but if he’s willing to take a little less, Showtime might be able to get things rolling on Broadway again.
Tyler Toffoli
According to the Athletic’s Peter Baugh, Rangers expressed interest in acquiring Toffoli from crosstown rival Devils before last season’s deadline before ultimately bringing in Roslovic.
Toffoli was instead sent to the Jets in exchange for a pair of draft picks as the two sides were unable to reach a deal, but now he is available to them again on the open market as an unrestricted free agent.
The 32-year-old is said to be looking for a bigger deal of around four years with an AAV of $5 million as this will likely be the last big payday of his career.
New York may not want to pay such a high asking price for the veteran on these terms, but if they can get him to lower the price a bit, his skill set could be a good fit for ZIbanejad and Kreider.
Toffoli has had a spectacular season, scoring 55 points and surpassing the 30-goal mark in consecutive campaigns.
Jake Guentzel
I told you we’d contact him later.
I still find it hard to believe that the Penguins would have ever sent him to the Big Apple, but the Rangers were said to be heavily in the mix for the talented winger before ultimately sending him to Carolina.
That proved to be a costly miss for Drury and the Blueshirts, as Guentzel is exactly the type of player they were missing during their playoff push, as he recorded four goals and five assists in Carolina’s 11 games.
Before that, the 29-year-old reached the 30-goal mark for the third season in a row.
And as we head into the offseason, Drury has an opportunity to put that right as New York is expected to be one of several suitors when Guentzel officially hits the open market.
There will be plenty of competition for his services and it certainly won’t be easy to make things work against the salary cap, but he was a perfect fit at the deadline, and he remains a perfect fit today.
Jonathan Marchessault
Marchessault has spent the last seven years of his career with the Golden Knights, but he could potentially move this offseason as he will be one of the top players available if they don’t agree to an extension.
There will certainly be many more teams coming after him as the veteran has emerged as a star in Las Vegas and followed up his Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe award-winning season with another productive campaign.
Marchessault appeared in all 82 regular season games for the Golden Knights, finding the back of the net 42 times, adding 27 assists and producing another six points during the postseason.
The 33-year-old will likely be looking for one last big contract, but if the Rangers can make the money work, they should definitely land him as he is a perfect fit for his playing style and playoff hockey ability.
It would also be a cool reunion considering Marchessault started his career with the Rangers’ AHL affiliate and never appeared in a game in the Big Apple, so why not wrap things up where it all started?
Jake De Brusk
DeBrusk has been a relatively underrated piece since being selected by the Bruins in the first round of the 2015 NHL Draft.
The young winger looked to be playing himself into a potential extension after putting together back-to-back 25-plus goal campaigns, but he took a step back during his contract year and is set to hit free agency.
DeBrusk has been inconsistent for the most part, as he finished with 19 goals and 21 assists while missing just two games during the regular season, and this will likely lead to his time in Boston coming to a frustrating end.
There are some risks involved in bringing him in due to his up-and-down play over the course of his first seven pro seasons, but he could potentially be an intriguing option on the wing for New York.
DeBrusk skates well, he can play on both sides and he is a tough attacker.
There will certainly be plenty of teams in the mix for his services, as he offers tremendous upside at just 27 years old, and perhaps he will be able to tap into that potential with a change of scenery.
