Rangers' President and General Manager Chris Drury Gets Realistic and Truthful With the Team's Fans

If you have been following the New York Rangers closely this season, then you know just how bad of a hockey club they are.

As of this writing (Monday, January 19), the Blueshirts are last in the both Metropolitan Division and Eastern Conference, and they are 27th in the league with a record of 21-22-6 for 48 points. Based on the way they have played this season, it is safe to say that they probably will not make the Stanley Cup Playoffs unless they go on one heck of a run from here until the end of the season.

This is why on Friday, January 16, Rangers' President and General Manager Chris Drury penned and released a letter to their fans stating that they will be retooling. He acknowledged that given where the team is in the standings and with their current injuries, it was time to be honest and realistic regarding this hockey club.

With our position in the standings and injuries to key players this season, we must be honest and realistic about our situation. We are not going to stand pat - a shift will give us the ability to be smart and opportunistic as we retool the team.

With that in mind, Drury mentioned that in order to retool and get this franchise back on the right track, he might have to shed players who have been popular with the fans. He stated that this would benefit the club in several ways.

This will not be a rebuild. This will be a retool built around our core players and prospects. We will target players that bring tenacity, skill, speed, and a winning pedigree with a focus on obtaining young players, draft picks, and cap space to allow us flexibility moving forward.

In terms of popular players, fans should not be surprised if the likes of Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Alexis Lafreniere, and maybe even someone like Vincent Trocheck is moved. Players of this ilk could allow the team to get back solid NHLers and prospects.

When it comes to Panarin, 34, he is in the last year of a contract he signed as an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2019. Since that time, he has done everything and more for the Blueshirts as he has put up a lot of points, has helped the team get into the playoffs, and has been the team's best free-agent signing in franchise history.

Zibanejad, 32, has also been a player who has done a lot for the Rangers. He was a big part of the team getting back on track beginning in the 2019-20 season, is high up on several franchise leader lists, and is also someone who has had several memorable moments with the club.

With the exception of the 2023-24 season, Lafreniere, 24, has been a disappointment. This has especially been the case since last season as he does not forecheck or backcheck hard, does not produce consistently, shows poor body language on the ice, and he misses assignments on the ice.

Believe it or not, Trocheck, 32, is already a trade target. The Fourth Period's David Pagnotta told Jeff Marek on The Sheet on Friday that the Minnesota Wild have been circling on Trocheck.

Drury ended the letter by saying that the team will continue to play hard, which was certainly the case in their 6-3 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers in Philadelphia on Saturday afternoon, January 17. In that game, Zibanejad had a hat trick, Panarin had three points (two goals and one assists), and both Lafreniere and Trocheck had two assists.

Simply put, this is something that Drury needed to do. This roster is not equipped to go to the postseason, let alone even make it to the dance, and they need to get younger, faster, and more offensive.

Let's see how Drury goes about accomplishing what he set out to do in the letter. The ball is in his court to make things right and if he is not able to do so, getting rid of him needs to be on the table.