You’ve probably heard by now, but the New York Rangers are retooling their roster after another disastrous season under Chris Drury. This is the second year in a row the Rangers have had an epic fall from grace, and though there are some good pieces, the overall core is either aging or rotten. Most must go, but there are some Rangers that should be kept throughout the retool. Don’t expect Drury to tell us, but we should be able to guess the Rangers that should be kept as Drury wheels and deals.

Instead of trying to guess what’s going on in Drury’s mind, which is virtually impossible, let’s use some logic to guess the Rangers that should be kept. Suffice it to say, our list of Rangers that should be kept won’t be the same as Drury’s list of Rangers that should be kept.

Rangers that should be kept no matter what

Igor Shesterkin: Trading Igor Shesterkin would free up a ton of money for the Rangers, but it would also create a massive hole in net that the Rangers would likely have to solve by pouring a ton of money and assets into the position. Pass.

Adam Fox: Perhaps there’s an angle for Fox to be traded thanks to Chris Drury and Mike Sullivan working for the same United States team that left Fox off the Olympic roster, but the belief here is that Fox will want to stay. Trading a Norris-caliber defenseman is always going to be a silly move to make.

Gabe Perreault: A retooling team should not trade their best prospect. That would be dumb. 

Vlad Gavrikov: Gavrikov has been an awesome fit in New York, just signed here, and has a long-term contract that could be tricky to move. There’s no reason to trade him. 

Rangers that should probably be kept

Alexis Lafreniere: This is not a play-based decision. If it was, Lafreniere would be traded tomorrow. The simple truth is that Lafreniere is worth more to the Rangers than anyone he could be traded for would be. At best, the Rangers may be able to pry loose a Shane Wright-type of player, which would mean the Rangers would be resetting their development of a young player failing to reach their potential. It’s a waste of time and the organization cannot be trusted. Look for Lafreniere to stay mostly because the team has already messed up his career.

Will Borgen: There are merits to trading Borgen, but the Rangers seem to love him, he’s under a fine contract, and he’s having a fine season. You’re not going to trade everyone on the roster.

Mika Zibanejad: Similar to Borgen, you’re just not going to trade everyone on the roster. Mika would likely bring back a decent package with the way he’s playing this season, but by all accounts he wants to stay, and the Rangers need to have some talent on the roster.

Players named Matt Rempe who can’t be traded because they’re Matt Rempe

Matt Rempe: Matt Rempe.

Sometimes less is more, and identifying the Rangers that should be kept can be a rather simple exercise. The only player on this list today that might be traded is Lafreniere, but even that’s not a guarantee given how teams are trying to fleece the Rangers for him.

More About: