Trade Ideas for the New York Rangers Amid NHL Trade Deadline Rumors

The New York Rangers pretty much made it official on Friday that they are going to be sellers in advance of this year's NHL Trade Deadline.

As they sit at the bottom of the Eastern Conference -- the only team in the conference with a points percentage under .500 going into play on Saturday -- they sent a letter out to fans indicating they are looking to re-tool their roster. That means trades in the near future and changes to a roster that is not only not good enough to compete, but also not anywhere near as good as they thought it would be when they came into the season.

The only question now is how severe the sell-off will be in the coming months.

Pending unrestricted free agents Artemi Panarin and Carson Soucy seem like the most obvious players to be on the move, while backup goalie Jonathan Quick is also playing on an expiring contract.

Beyond that, it is hard to see a robust market for most of the players here.

Starting goalie Igor Shesterkin should be on the untouchable list, as should defenseman Adam Fox.

Veteran forwards Mika Zibanejad, J.T. Miller, and Vincent Trocheck are clearly on the downside of their careers and have big contracts that will take some creativity to move.

Alexis Lafreniere, who was supposed to be one of the cornerstones of this rebuild, has not become a star, but trading him would be a really risky move if you still think he might blossom in the next year or two.

All of this leaves general manager Chris Drury in a tough spot, and Rangers fans in an even tougher spot as they have to hope Drury -- who has made his share of mistakes over the past few years -- can make the right moves.

So let's take a look at a few potential trade ideas involving some Rangers players and their potential destinations.

These are not necessarily rumors or things that have been discussed. They are simply ideas and suggestions.

Do Not Trade Alexis Lafreniere (yet)

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Let us start with this. Somebody they should not trade.

Lafreniere is going to be a name that gets mentioned a lot because he has not panned out as hoped as a No. 1 overall pick, is having a down year offensively, and could be the classic "change of scenery" player.

That does make some sense .... to a point.

But what exactly is his value going to be right now? It is not high. You do not want to trade talented, younger players at their lowest possible value because it is usually just not worth it. Not unless you are 150 percent convinced that player is never going to pan out. The Rangers should not be at that point with Lafreniere.

Lafreniere is not without talent. There is still something in there, and flashes of it come out from time to time. We last saw it at the Winter Classic, when he was one of the best players on the ice. It is just a matter of harnessing it and finding some sort of consistency with it. If you are the Rangers, a team that is severely lacking in young talent, and especially young offensive talent, you want him to figure that out with you and not somebody else.

His drop in production, as well as his salary cap hit of more than $7 million per season, is going to make it hard to get a significant return for him. If anything, you are going to be looking at another player in a similar position to him, and one that might not have the same sort of upside.

That is simply not worth it. Not right now. Let him try to figure it out on your team. It is not worth trading him for pennies on the dollar in a down year.

Artemi Panarin to the Carolina Hurricanes

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At this point, it seems to be a forgone conclusion that Panarin is going to be on the move. He is the Rangers' biggest trade chip at the moment, he is a pending unrestricted free agent, and there appears to be no urgency on the part of the Rangers to offer him a long-term contract extension (and given his age and where the team is, they probably should not).

The only questions that remain here are when he gets traded and where he goes.

The Carolina Hurricanes seem like a sensible option.

The Rangers and Hurricanes have already shown they are not afraid to make trades within the division, given the K'Andre Miller move over the summer. Given Panarin's contract status and where the Rangers' season is, they should not really care if he is in the division.

Carolina also has a bounty of future first-round draft picks that can be used as trade bait, while also having enough salary cap space to fit in Panarin's remaining salary.

The Hurricanes also still probably have a need for another top-tier finisher and offensive playmaker. As good as their team is, they keep hitting a ceiling in the playoffs because their offense does not come through against top-tier teams. Panarin could help solve that. They have also shown a willingness to go all-in at the trade deadline in recent years, having previously acquired Jake Guentzel and Mikko Rantanen (before trading him again for Logan Stankoven and more future first-round draft picks).

A first-round pick, a B-level prospect and a depth NHL player is typically the going rate for a rental of Panarin's status. Carolina can make this happen.

Vincent Trocheck to the Minnesota Wild

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The Minnesota Wild are one of the best teams in the NHL and have already demonstrated they are all in on winning the Stanley Cup over the next two years following the Quinn Hughes deal.

For as good as they are, they still have some big question marks down the middle of their lineup, especially after including young center Marco Rossi in the trade package for Hughes.

The recent injury to top center Joel Eriksson Ek only adds to those center depth questions. Injuries -- including an injury to Eriksson Ek -- helped sabotage the Wild's second half of the 2024-25 season, and they can not have that happen again.

We also know Wild general manager Bill Guerin loves Trocheck's game, given that he has taken him for Team USA in two straight best-on-best tournaments, even as criticism has poured in over the choice.

While Trocheck might not make much sense on Team USA in a best-on-best tournament, he still serves a solid role on an NHL roster and would seemingly fit Minnesota's style of play and upgrade it over what is currently on the roster.

Given that Trocheck is still owed $5.625 million per season over the next three full seasons, there would need to be salary retention on the part of the Rangers, another contract going back the other way, or some other creative roster move to make it work financially. But those are easily cleared obstacles.

The Wild only have one pick in the first two rounds of the next two drafts (their 2027 first-round pick), but they still have a solid farm system to deal from, even after making the trade for Hughes.

Centers are always in demand, and there are not a ton of them available. Trocheck is still a solid NHL center, and his contract is probably more favorable than what a similar free agent would get on the open market this offseason with a consistently rising salary cap. That could help the Rangers get a better return for him, and it might make him attractive to a center-needy team like the Wild.

Carson Soucy to the Detroit Red Wings

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Soucy is the Rangers' other significant pending UFA this offseason, and there is no reason for him to remain on the team's roster after the NHL trade deadline.

The Red Wings are playing their way toward their first playoff appearance in nine years, but could still use some help around their roster. It is an especially top-heavy team at both forward and defense, and adding more depth should be a focal point for general manager Steve Yzerman. Especially after the Red Wings locker room seemed upset at the end of the 2024-25 season when Yzerman did not give them any help at the deadline.

Given their place in the standings and remaining salary cap space, there is no excuse not to give this roster some support this year.

The players there have earned it and deserve it.

Soucy should not be their only addition, but he would be a good starting point to add some additional NHL depth, and it should not cost much more than a second-round pick or a couple of mid-round picks.

Braden Schneider to the Toronto Maple Leafs

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Schneider has become a solid player for the Rangers, but his offensive production and overall game have not really developed as they might have hoped. Which is a pretty common theme among young Rangers players.

He is a restricted free agent after this season and will be due for a new contract.

Do the Rangers value him enough to sign him to a new deal? Or do they see him as a potential trade chip?

If it is the latter, Toronto would be an intriguing option given its need for a right-shot defenseman, while he would also be young enough to be a contributor in the future and probably not cost them a ton of assets in return. Both factors would be important given how depleted the Maple Leafs' draft picks and prospect pool have been over the past few years.