The trade deadline may be in March, but with the Olympics coming up in February, there will be another deadline before that roster freeze takes effect, much like last year before the Four Nations Tournament. That date is around February 6 when the NHL season pauses, though not explicitly called out. That date actually served as the primary deadline last year when the big moves were made, and the big question for the Rangers now is can Chris Drury thread the needle at that deadline to improve the present and future of the Rangers.

This February “soft deadline” is when we saw the Rangers trade for JT Miller and Carolina trade for Mikko Rantanen. There will still be moves made when the NHL returns to action and before the March 6 trade deadline, but if Drury threads the needle and addresses most of the Rangers needs, he will need to leverage this soft deadline as well.

The Rangers have many needs

The good news is the Rangers have some key pieces in place already. They have a top-three coach in the NHL, a top-three goalie, a top-three defenseman, and an elite top defense pair. These pieces are very difficult to find, so the Rangers already have a leg up. These are also the reasons why the Rangers won’t fully tear it down, but I digress.

The Rangers needs are pretty clear, as we’ve been discussing them a lot as this season has gone sideways pretty quickly. The Rangers need, in no particular order:

  1. A puck moving left defenseman
  2. Top-six scoring
  3. Youth and speed
  4. Cap relief

It may only seem like four needs, but only one is very specific. Getting younger, faster, and cheaper while addressing top-six scoring is a very difficult ask that requires Drury to find a trade partner that values players on the Rangers roster, notably Artemi Panarin, Brennan Othmann, and perhaps Braden Schneider. Panarin and Schneider have the most trade value, but it’s about how Drury threads the needle, not about their trade value.

Can Drury thread the needle?

If Drury threads the needle, he’s able to address most of these needs with a small amount of roster moves and trades. The big question is who will be made available for Panarin, still an elite level winger, if he is both unsigned and if he has an extension in place. Both impact his value and the willingness of other teams to include a young NHL player with a top-six ceiling.

Schneider, on the other hand, has tremendous value across the league as a big, physical, 24 year old right handed defenseman. Schneider’s future with the Rangers is in doubt because he hasn’t surpassed Will Borgen for the 2RD spot, making his next contract a luxury the Rangers can’t afford if they are to address their scoring woes. Schneider’s contract expectations are roughly 4-5 years at $4.5 million-$5 million, give or take. That’s an awful lot for a third pair defenseman. Trading Schneider likely makes the Rangers older, so this is a tough decision.

Drury also needs to make room for Gabe Perreault to stick in the top six and ensure Brett Berard sticks on the third line. Jackson Dorrington is looking like he could be the best part of the JT Miller trade as well. He and Sullivan need to make a quick decision on Scott Morrow as well. But of all these guys, only Perreault is the “can’t miss” prospect that should be considered untouchable. No one else has that elite potential, and as Brandon said earlier this week, these types of prospects should not be a deal breaker for a player that helps Drury thread the needle.

So can Drury thread the needle? It will depend on who actually becomes available. Drury wants a quick retool back to Cup contention, but it takes two to tango. JT Miller fell into their laps and isn’t working out as they had hoped. Drury and Sully know this, but Miller is the type of player that gets made available since he’s over 30 years old. The Rangers need to get younger, not more 30+ year old veterans.

I wonder at what point the question shifts from “Can Drury thread the needle?” to “How long will the retool take?”

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