What if Chris Drury makes no trades?

As we all try to decipher and predict what Chris Drury will do, and when,  to address the obvious holes on the NY Rangers roster, one option looms large over these talks. That option is that Chris Drury makes no trades, and the Rangers go into the postseason with the roster as is. Despite how horrifying that may sound, it is a wholly realistic option that we may need to come to terms with.

Now the tweet from Claire above may not necessarily be an NHL thing, and more of a Senators thing, but with almost zero trade chatter right now, this could be a league wide issue. The main concern is team liquidity since Covid, as revenues have taken a hit and no one knows where they will go. Teams aren’t as willing to take a capital risk. Now that may be more of a draft concern than a trade deadline concern, since it’s rare to see big money moved at the deadline.

What if Chris Drury makes no trades?

From a Rangers perspective, making no trades is probably one of the more realistic worst case scenarios. I don’t see Drury blowing up the farm on rentals, so the polar opposite is the more realistic worst case. That means the Rangers go into the playoffs with Kaapo Kakko and Kevin Rooney as their big adds once they return from injury.

We aren’t really sure what Gerard Gallant will do with the lineup if that happens, since the Rangers haven’t really been fully healthy all year. But suffice it to say, Greg McKegg would likely get regular reps in the playoffs. Again, that’s not a slight on McKegg, and more a slight on Drury and the roster construction going into the season.

The Rangers will need to depend on Igor Shesterkin, their top six, and their top four if they are to have any success in the playoffs if Chris Drury makes no trades. This means what we’ve seen from them all season, specifically in regards to their even strength play, is what we will get in the playoffs. The inability to create sustained offense would likely lead to an early exit. Being just good enough would be out the window at that point, since this version of the Rangers is a known entity.

The good news

There is good news here, as the above tweet is most likely talking about just the Senators, and not the entire trade deadline as a whole. Or perhaps that’s just me with the rose colored glasses, but I prefer to stay optimistic.

The many sellers leading up to the deadline mean that it should eventually turn into a buyers market, meaning Drury won’t need to spend as much to upgrade the roster. This is likely also playing a role into the lack of chatter, since market prices are too high at the moment and Drury is a mostly patient and methodical GM. He knows what he wants and what he is willing to give up, for better or for worse.

Although, Chris Drury making no trades is probably the one thing that would be so Rangers this season. The one time they have the cap space and assets to make deals in what is likely a wide open Eastern Conference would be the one year that no one makes trades, right?