New York Rangers general manager Chris Drury has a clear message for his team: no one is untouchable.
The Rangers currently have a record of 12-6-1, which doesn’t seem that bad at first glance, but there are serious issues that continue to plague the Blueshirts.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman dropped a bombshell on Monday when he reported that the Rangers have made it very clear that they are interested in making moves and shaking up their roster, with the names of Chris Kreider and Jacob Trouba indicated as possible options in a move.
In the aftermath of their 6-2 loss in Edmonton on Saturday, the Rangers have made it very clear that they are interested in making moves and shaking up their roster.
Among the names mentioned are Chris Kreider and Jacob Trouba, although other options will be considered.
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) November 25, 2024
Friedman’s report quickly spread across the NHL world as all eyes are now on the Rangers, and not for good reason.
However, this isn’t the first time Drury has tried to shake up the team.
Over the summer, the Rangers placed Barclay Goodrow on waivers, a player who was widely liked in the locker room, while Drury tried and ultimately failed to trade Trouba.
Barclay Goodrow on how it ended #NYR:
“It was just a surprise. I never got the inclination or anything that I wouldn’t be back with the team and that happened. That was a while ago, I’ve been trying to move past it. We’re here and excited to be in San Jose.
— Mollie Walker (@MollieeWalkerr) November 14, 2024
Drury tried to clear space in what looked like an attempt to make a big splash. However, the Rangers had a memorable offseason, with the acquisition of Reilly Smith marking their biggest move.
The only notable thing to emerge this summer was all the dysfunction, specifically regarding Goodrow’s sudden departure, and the ongoing trade rumors surrounding the Trouba and Igor Shesterkin contract fiasco.
Entering the 2024-2025 season, there was a lot of off-ice drama circulating around the Rangers and that seemed to be a distraction, especially during the first day of training camp when Trouba expressed his displeasure with media coverage of his future in New York. York known to all the world to know.
Once the season started, all the noise had died down and hockey was back on everyone’s minds.
Despite some impressive flashes, New York’s run is off to an early season start.
As the Rangers’ struggles became clearer, questions began to surface about what was really wrong with the Blueshirts until everything reached a boiling point on Monday.
Drury suddenly made Kreider available to all NHL general managers. That news leaked and became public.
USA Today’s Vince Z. Mercogliano provided insight into the current behind-the-scenes thinking of the Rangers’ management group and the panic going on.
“There is clear unrest in the #NYR organization right now, with concerns from the top over these core plateaus and increasing player/employee discomfort,” Mercogliano wrote via X. “But sources also reminded how rare/difficult major deals are this time of year.”
To add to Elliotte’s reporting (and more to come), there is clear unrest #NYR org at the moment, with concerns from the top about these core plateaus and increasing player/employee unease. But sources also reminded how rare/difficult big deals are this time of year. https://t.co/KcODEwU8M0
— Vince Z. Mercogliano (@vzmercogliano) November 25, 2024
The assumption among many is that there is something fundamentally wrong with the Rangers, both on the ice and in the locker room.
“There must be something wrong in that room,” a director of player personnel said, via Peter Baugh of The Athletic.
At the start of the season, Trouba said matter-of-factly that this season together the core of the Rangers would be ‘Last Crack’.
“In all likelihood, this will probably be the last crack in this core,” Trouba said. “I don’t think that’s a secret.”
At first, those comments were confusing considering the Rangers were coming off a season that saw them win the Presidents’ Trophy and reach the Eastern Conference Finals, but now Trouba’s comments align with the situation New York finds itself in now .
Drury wanted to blow up or at least reshape the core over the summer and 20 games into the season he is already ready for a complete transformation.
It shows that Drury wasn’t really confident with the way this roster is currently constructed and was more or less forced to roll it back with the same core as he wasn’t able to make any significant trades or sign free agents.
After Wednesday’s optional skate, a slew of questions came in about these trade rumors and how they impact the team.
While players like Trouba and Peter Laviolette shrugged off trade speculation, it was clear in the Rangers locker room that it’s an uncomfortable situation for everyone involved.
It’s this dark presence in the minds of players, coaches and members of the media that no one wants to fully address.
All season, the Rangers have been like a ticking time bomb waiting to explode, and on Monday that finally happened.
