Chris Drury's plan was clear, and then the Patrick Kane drama unfolded.

Chris Drury has had his missteps as a young GM, but make no mistake, this was an executive coveted around the league for years. Drury’s preparation for this role goes back years, and while there were definitely other factors in John Davidson and Jeff Gorton’s dismissal in 2021, there is no question in my mind that Dolan/Sather thought their grip on Drury’s young career was going to loosen if they did not promote him. They agreed on Chris Drury’s plan, and now Drury needs to stick to it, for better or for worse.

There have been ups so far. Drury has nailed every single RFA contract he has handed out. His 2021 trade deadline was a masterpiece, and so was most of his 2022 deadline. He found a gem in Vesey and signed him to a dirt-cheap extension. His early draft returns are relatively promising, and Hartford has finally made the playoffs. This was all part of Chris Drury’s plan, and JD’s, to be fair.

There have also been valleys. Barclay Goodrow is a decent player in the right role, but a six-year contract for a depth player is poor business given the Rangers’ cap situation. The Pavel Buchnevich trade will haunt the Rangers forever (finally the organization drafted & developed a young, dynamic first-line forward only to trade him as soon as he broke out). There is discourse about an Alexis Lafreniere trade, and most seem to want a play-driving right winger, a la Buchnevich.

Moves for players like Tyler Motte and Jimmy Vesey show that Drury is learning from his mistakes, and learning fast. When Goodrow was coveted by the Lightning, he was making ELC money. That was his major value to the Lightning. Vesey is now that player for the Rangers, a defensive third-liner on a friendly contract who knows his role. I anticipate a similar move will be made to fill out the bottom of the lineup late in the summer.

So what was Chris Drury’s plan?

My hope is that this deadline taught Drury another key lesson: stick to your plan. The plan was clear, and he was executing it to perfection. Acquire a top-six forward with a penchant for scoring (Vladimir Tarasenko), a solid number 6 defenseman (Niko Mikkola), and fill out the bottom of the lineup (Motte). After those moves, there were some talks that Drury would target one more forward to complete the depth of the lineup.

Everyone had their eyes set on Nick Bjugstad. He was affordable, in the midst of a good season in Arizona, and would have provided some versatility in terms of his spot in the lineup. He would have fit the plan perfectly. But then something changed. Naturally, speculation is Glen Sather or James Dolan forced the Patrick Kane trade. Chris Drury’s plan didn’t account for Kane.

When the Rangers acquired Tarasenko, fans who consume analytics breathed a sigh of relief. The Rangers had been linked with a move for Kane since the 2021 deadline. But the Kane of 2022/23 was not the Kane of years past. He was not producing, and it was clear that his offensive prowess could no longer cover for his defensive weakness. He was also injured, with talk that he would sit for the season. Again, not part of Chris Drury’s plan.

But in the aftermath of the Tarasenko trade, Kane voiced his displeasure and offered a “come get me” plea to Drury. Drury did not have to oblige; as we know, it would require bending over backward. But he did anyway, and the ensuing weeks showed just how far he had to deviate from his plan to make the deal, with the Rangers playing with an incomplete lineup for about 10 games in order to stay cap compliant.

There is another lesson Drury should learn. Early in the season, the Rangers were unnecessarily carrying an extra skater. If Drury had been more cap savvy, he would have accrued enough cap space to make a Kane deal work without having to play an undermanned roster. This is not a hindsight criticism, as it was noted by many at the time. But I digress.

Before the Kane acquisition, the Rangers were a team with defined roles, and you could clearly see how the lines would fit. The burden of adding a player with Kane’s reputation is that it unbalanced the top six. That is exactly how it played out, as Gallant struggled to find lines that could balance Kane and Panarin’s defensive shortcomings.

Realistically, Kane should have been acquired to be a powerplay specialist and third line offensive complement. But even in that respect, Kane’s presence unsettled one of the best chance-creating powerplays in the league.

Drury is only 46 and has been a GM/President for two years. He is learning on the job and honestly, I think he has shown lots of promise. He has had to act with some restraints that were not his doing. It’s not his fault that Gorton signed Jacob Trouba to an inflated contract. It’s not his fault that Chris Kreider was extended just weeks before a pandemic that caused a flat-cap NHL; and make no mistake, that is why Pavel Buchnevich is no longer a Ranger.

But this deadline should serve as a lesson for the next time this Rangers team is ready to go all in. Go all in on you plan. Do not go 95% of the way only to change course for a shiny toy.

Final Thoughts:

  • K’Andre Miller is a good young defenseman, but despite his increased scoring, I think he knocked several million off his next contract compared to what he would have been offered in September. His decision-making was erratic this season, and he looked nothing like the Hedman-lite version of him we saw at the end of last season. Bridge him for two years and get him away from Trouba.
  • If Panarin waives his NMC he will have suitors, I think anyone who thinks otherwise is kidding themselves. But I just don’t see that happening even if I do think Drury has seen enough of him in the playoffs. Let’s not dance around this, his post-season play was shocking. We knew when he signed that the last 2 or 3 years could be kind of ugly, so let’s see how it pans out.
  • Barclay Goodrow has a 15-team NTC. Have him submit the list and move him at the draft.
  • Take a look at our cap situation and pair that with what is available on the market…Alexis Lafreniere has been a total disappointment at this stage of the year but his 40 points won’t be replaced for cheaper than the bridge I anticipate he will receive.
  • The Rangers now hold a 1st round pick in the early-mid 20’s. I have already profiled some players that will be available in that range, but my plan is to spend some time creating a list of players for that pick.
  • Gerard Gallant has won a lot of games as our head coach, but the lack of structure is almost Quinn-like. He has taken this group as far as he can, this core group has the ability to play a much more sustainable brand of hockey. His time is up, go and get either Mike Sullivan or Andrew Brunette.

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