The Peter Laviolette-led New York Rangers are sputtering and looking to shake up their roster, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
The hockey insider reported on Monday morning that Rangers general manager Chris Drury is interested in making a trade and that forward Chris Kreider and defenseman Jacob Trouba are among the players available. Friedman added that “other options will be considered” by Rangers brass if it makes sense for the team.
In the aftermath of their 6-2 loss in Edmonton on Saturday, the Rangers have made it very clear they are interested in making moves and shaking up their roster.
Among the names indicated are Chris Kreider and Jacob Trouba, although other options will be considered.
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) November 25, 2024
ESPN’s Emily Kaplan added her own reporting, saying that this is being interpreted as “message sending” and could be an attempt to wake the team up.
Strong reporting from Elliotte.
Followed up with calls to people around the Rangers. While this is stunning considering the team's .658 win percentage, the names mentioned leads everyone to believe this is message sending. "No one should feel complacent" in NY right now. https://t.co/UiylSvvOAZ
— Emily Kaplan (@emilymkaplan) November 25, 2024
New York’s 12-6-1 record would suggest things are going dandy, but the team has scuffled lately. After getting crushed 6-2 by Edmonton on Saturday, the Rangers have given up six goals in three of their last eight games. The poor results come despite getting some of the best goaltending in the league from Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick. Per Money Puck, the duo has stopped a combined 10.8 goals above expected through the morning of November 25.
The Rangers sit just fourth in the Metropolitan Division with 25 standings points, trailing the New Jersey Devils (30), Carolina Hurricanes (29), and upstart Washington Capitals (27). The reigning Presidents’ Trophy winners are currently in the first wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference, only three points ahead of the ninth-place Tampa Bay Lightning.
Trouba’s name being placed on the trade block comes as he has two seasons remaining on a seven-year deal with an annual average value of $8 million and after reports that the team tried to trade him over the offseason. Trouba’s full no-trade clause expired on July 1. The 30-year-old defenseman now only has a partial 15-team no-trade clause as of that same date.
Kreider, 33, is three seasons removed from scoring a career-high 52 goals during the 2021-22 season. He followed that up with 36 and 39 goal campaigns in 2022-23 and 2023-24, respectively. He’s started the 2024-25 season with nine goals and zero assists in 19 games. Kreider has three seasons remaining on a seven-year deal worth $7.5 million annually.
