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Rangers Interested In Nikolaj Ehlers

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After today’s flurry of moves, Nikolaj Ehlers has arguably become the top pending free-agent forward available. Commanding plenty of interest already, Murat Ates of The Athletic lists the Carolina Hurricanes, New York Rangers, and Washington Capitals as known suitors. He also mentioned the Tampa Bay Lightning, but it’s incredibly unfeasible given their salary cap circumstances.

It’s unlikely to be an exhaustive list, but, notably, the three prominent teams listed come from the Metropolitan Division. It’s been known for several weeks that the Hurricanes were looking to make a significant addition this summer after falling short in another postseason appearance. With limited cap space themselves, the Capitals and Rangers may be engaging in some gamesmanship, and merely making life more difficult for their intra-division rival.

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Rangers To Send 12th Overall Pick To Penguins

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The New York Rangers have decided to send the 2025 12th overall pick to the Pittsburgh Penguins, per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. The Rangers were on the hook for sending either their 2025 or 2026 first-round pick to the Penguins to complete a mid-season trifecta of trades. New York originally traded the pick to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for J.T. Miller, as part of a multi-player trade. The Canucks then flipped the pick to the Penguins in a move that landed them defenseman Marcus Pettersson and forward Drew O’Connor in another multi-player deal.

The Rangers landed on this decision after finding more value in holding onto their 2026 first, per NHL.com’s Dan Rosen. It’s not necessarily a statement on New York’s behalf that they’re resigned to missing the postseason again in 2026 after falling out of the playoff frame this past season. Even an early elimination and a pick in the 16-20 range in 2026 likely holds equal or more value than this year’s No. 12 selection due to an anticipated deeper class of prospects to choose from next year.

Pittsburgh’s own pick is No. 11 overall, so they’ll have the opportunity to make back-to-back selections to add depth to a middle-of-the-pack prospect pool amid their retool. The Penguins’ system was labeled 20th in the league by The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler in January. However, they’ve since added 2024-25 SHL Rookie of the Year Melvin Fernström and 2021 first-rounder Chase Stillman to their pool in separate trades, although the latter has really struggled to adjust to the pro game.

Now equipped with two picks in the top 15, it wouldn’t be shocking to see Pittsburgh at least consider packaging the two selections or parting ways with one of them to move higher up in the draft order. They’ve got a fair amount of depth in their pool in the form of a few mid-to-late first-round choices and some high-value second-round picks, but lack a true blue-chip piece. While there likely won’t be one available to them at 11th or 12th overall, they could snag one if they manage to sneak into the top seven or eight selections.

Penguins Believe Rangers Are Leaning Toward Keeping 12th Pick

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  • While the order for the draft has now been set, there is still one pick whose status is in flux. That would be the 12th overall selection, presently held by the Rangers, who have until Wednesday to decide if they’re conveying it to the Penguins or keeping it, allowing Pittsburgh to get New York’s 2026 unprotected pick.  Josh Yohe of The Athletic notes (subscription link) that at this moment, the belief inside the Penguins organization is that the Rangers will keep the selection and defer ceding the first rounder until next year.  Even if that happens, Pittsburgh will have a late-lottery pick as they already have the 11th selection.

Rangers Sign Adam Edstrom To Two-Year Extension

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The Rangers and pending RFA forward Adam Edstrom have agreed to terms on a two-year extension, the team announced Monday. The deal is worth $975K per season for a total value of $1.95MM, according to Mollie Walker of the New York Post.

Edstrom took over full control of New York’s fourth-line center role as a rookie this season. His responsible and physical play in a 6-foot-7 frame was a perfect compliment to the all-out bruiser role of 6-foot-9 Matt Rempe on his wing. Edstrom earned nine points, 27 penalty minutes, and a minus-five through the first 51 games of New York’s season – until a lower-body injury ended his season on February 1st. He underwent surgery soon after sustaining the injury, and plans to be fully healthy before next season’s training camp.

Edstrom appeared in the first 11 games, and scored the first two goals, of his NHL career last season – after posting a hardy 11 goals and 16 points in 40 AHL games. He spent the five seasons prior filling a depth role throughout Sweden’s SHL, including netting 19 points in 42 games with Rogle BK in the 2022-23 season. The Rangers originally drafted him out of the Mora IK program with a sixth-round pick in 2019.

With a new contract in place, Edstrom should be well set on returning to his spot on New York’s fourth-line. He hasn’t yet found much of a scoring stride throughout pro hockey. But at just 24-years-old, he could be due for a small breakout with his feet under him in an NHL role.

Rangers Among Vladislav Gavrikov’s Preferred Destinations

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If Vladislav Gavrikov reaches the open market next week, there will be a high level of mutual interest between him and the Rangers. His preference remains to iron out an extension with the Kings, but if he’s unable to do so, New York is on a “short list of teams he is interested in joining,” writes David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period.

Gavrikov has already been tagged as one of the Rangers’ top free-agent targets as they look to reshape a blue line that’s already undergone major surgery since the beginning of 2024-25. If signed, he would presumably come at the expense of pending RFA K’Andre Miller’s signing rights being traded elsewhere. New York has received strong interest on the trade market regarding the young defender, and with Gavrikov projected to command nearly $8MM per season on a long-term deal, they’d only have around $5MM in cap space left over after signing him with RFA winger William Cuylle in need of a new deal as well.

While Gavrikov’s puck-moving ability may be a step back from Miller’s ceiling, the veteran has been far more consistent over the past few years and offers greater defensive upside. That two-way presence – this past season was his second time hitting 30 points in his NHL career – combined with spectacular impacts and a willingness to get involved in the play physically would give Adam Fox the bona fide No. 2 defenseman and potential long-term partner he’s missed over the last few years with Ryan Lindgren’s decline and subsequent trade.

The Rangers would obviously end up paying a premium for Gavrikov’s services coming off a stellar platform year, but they’re in a position of need. There’s nothing resembling even a fringe first-pairing lefty in the organization, particularly if Miller isn’t re-upped, and Gavrikov has a highly desirable track record with his combination of heavy deployment and good two-way play over his six-year NHL career. Poor possession play has plagued the Rangers throughout the past few seasons, so much so that it may make more sense for new head coach Mike Sullivan to deploy Fox, who routinely boasts above-average possession impacts regardless of who his partner is, on a separate pairing from Gavrikov if he’s brought in.

Still, a long-term agreement with Gavrikov isn’t something the Rangers should rush into. They’ve had to make some undesirable cap dumps in the past few months because of similar moves. They already have two lengthy contracts on the books for defenders – Fox’s rather desirable $9.5MM cap hit through 2029 isn’t much of an issue, but William Borgen’s $4.1MM cap hit through 2030 could be a tricky one if he can’t manage to hold onto a consistent top-four role on the right side with the younger, more dynamic Braden Schneider breathing down his neck entering a contract year.

Strong Market Developing For K’Andre Miller

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While the Rangers opened up over $6MM in cap space when they moved Chris Kreider to Anaheim, they’re still expected to continue shaking up their roster.  One of the potential casualties has long been speculated to be defenseman K’Andre Miller.  Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports that between 12 and 15 teams have inquired about the 25-year-old.

Miller is a pending restricted free agent and is coming off a bridge contract that saw him carry a cap charge of $3.872MM.  However, the back-loaded structure of that agreement makes it that his required qualifying offer is $4.646MM while also giving him salary arbitration eligibility.  The belief has been that the Rangers aren’t prepared to give him a long-term deal while a short-term agreement takes him that much closer to testing unrestricted free agency, something he’s eligible for in 2027.

Before the Kreider trade, Miller was a speculative offer sheet candidate, knowing that New York still needs to re-sign winger Will Cuylle while wanting to add via free agency or trades.  The Kreider trade lessens that risk to an extent as the Rangers now have $13.1MM in cap space, per PuckPedia.

Two years ago, it appeared as if the 25-year-old had taken a big step toward becoming an all-around key piece on New York’s back end.  That season, Miller notched a career-best 43 points (including 38 at even strength) while logging nearly 22 minutes per game.  But their cap situation at the time necessitated the bridge deal, something that might ultimately have worked out for the best for the team given what has happened since then.

Miller’s play took a step back in 2023-24 with his production dropping to 30 points while there were more defensive miscues than desired.  This season, it was more of the same.  His output dropped to just 27 points in 74 games while the defensive slipups were more frequent as the Rangers went from a projected preseason contender to a team that ultimately missed the playoffs altogether.

Despite that, Miller has five NHL seasons under his belt as a top-four defender.  He’s willing to throw the body around (with over 100 hits in four straight seasons) and block shots, and as his 2022-23 performance showed, he has some offensive skills.  Between that, a 6’5 frame, and being a strong skater, there’s a lot to work with which is why close to half the league has apparently kicked the tires on his availability, believing that a change of scenery and a new coach could help him get back to his previous form.

That certainly bodes well for GM Chris Drury.  With the UFA market for defensemen not being particularly deep and Miller heading toward his prime years, it appears that the Rangers should be able to get a strong trade return for the blueliner although they’ll have an additional key roster spot to try to fill if and when a move gets made.  But with a goal of continuing to shake up the core group in New York, this appears to be an increasingly viable way to do just that.

Rangers Begin Contract Talks With Will Cuylle

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  • Although all eyes are on the status of restricted free agent defenseman K’Andre Miller, the New York Rangers have another quality RFA to worry about. According to a new article by Peter Baugh in The Athletic, the Rangers have initiated talks with Will Cuylle, and both parties are interested in a contract extension. Baugh expects the Rangers and Cuylle to agree on a three-year, $10MM contract (or near it), which would allow them to optimize their salary cap this offseason while also establishing a multi-year commitment.

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Rangers Sign Matthew Robertson To Two-Year Extension

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The New York Rangers have signed defenseman Matthew Robertson to a two-year contract extension. The deal will carry two-way status in year one, and one-way status in year two. Both years will have a league-minimum, $775K cap hit at the NHL level.

This move is a tidy piece of business, and checks one of the 14 pending restricted-free agents off of New York’s to-do list. Robertson spent the majority of last season with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack. He graduated into a top-end role with the club as the year went on, and finished the season with a defense-leading 25 points in 60 games played. Interestingly, only one of those points was a goal – scored just four games into the season in a comeback win over the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Robertson went on to lean into a defense-first role, and earned the first two games of his NHL career in New York’s final two games of the regular season.

Robertson’s NHL debuts didn’t come with any scoring, but nonetheless stood as two promising performances. He posted a plus-three across the two matchups, and earned 20 minutes of icetime in the latter of the two: a 4-0 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Robertson looked capable of handling NHL tempo and speed, using his full-size frame and lengthy reach to control opponents into the boards and knock the puck loose. Those will be the traits that headline his game, and potentially earn him NHL reps, as soon as the start of next season.

Rangers, Matt Rempe Agree To Two-Year Deal

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10:12 a.m.: Rempe will earn a $775K base salary with a $200K signing bonus in 2025-26 and a $975K salary in 2026-27, according to PuckPedia. His qualifying offer upon expiry will be $1MM as a result.

9:17 a.m.: The Rangers have agreed to terms with pending RFA forward Matt Rempe on a two-year contract, Larry Brooks of the New York Post reports Wednesday. The total value is $1.95MM with a corresponding $975K AAV and cap hit, according to Peter Baugh of The Athletic. The team has since made the contract official.

It’s not surprising to see Rempe land a one-way commitment coming off his entry-level contract, nor is it surprising to see his second NHL deal remain in the six-figure range per season. A sixth-round pick in 2020, he debuted with the Rangers in February 2024 amid internal turnover on the club’s fourth line. Over the last year and change in New York, he’s produced four goals and six assists for 10 points in 59 games.

Rempe never has and never will be counted on for high-end point production. Instead, it’s his 6’9″, 255-lb frame and penchant for physicality that has led the Rangers to give him increasingly consistent deployment in limited minutes. His ceiling moving forward will be determined by how well he can effectively deploy his frame as a brutal forechecker instead of ineffective, penalizable hits. Rempe spent nearly as much time in the penalty box (71 minutes) as he did on the ice (95 minutes) in his initial 17-game trial in the NHL last season. He improved his penalty impacts somewhat here in 2024-25, only logging 67 PIMs in 42 appearances and 357 minutes of total ice time. However, he was still suspended for eight games in December for elbowing Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen. It was the second suspension of his career after receiving a four-game ban in 2023-24.

Still, after bouncing between the Rangers and AHL Hartford for the first few months of the season, Rempe didn’t see another minor-league assignment for the rest of the year after being reinstated from his suspension in January. He’s eligible for waivers for the first time in 2025-26, so expect him to begin the season on the opening night roster and stay there for good unless an unforeseen roster crunch forces the Blueshirts into exposing him to the rest of the league. The Calgary native has 27 points in 114 minor-league games through his first three professional seasons.

Assuming no additional subtractions from their forward group via trade and prospects like Brett Berard, Brennan Othmann, and Gabriel Perreault starting 2025-26 on the opening night roster, New York has 12 forwards on their active roster for next year. That doesn’t include a new deal for pending RFA William Cuylle. The team has nearly $14MM in cap space remaining after the Rempe deal with Cuylle and defenseman K’Andre Miller still among their notable RFAs without new contracts, per PuckPedia.

Contract Talks Have Started With Jones; Soucy A Likely Trade Candidate This Summer

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The Rangers have had contract discussions with pending RFA defenseman Zac Jones, reports Mollie Walker of the New York Post (subscription link).  The 24-year-old expressed frustration with his usage earlier in the season; while he set a new career-high in games played, he still only suited up 46 times, recording 11 points in a little over 17 minutes per night of playing time.  His camp had permission to explore trade options during the season but nothing materialized in terms of a move.  He’s owed a qualifying offer of just over $866K but also has arbitration eligibility which is something New York would likely prefer to avoid.  That might explain the early discussions as if the two sides can’t find a suitable deal, Jones could be a non-tender candidate at the end of the month to avoid the risk of a possible arbitration award that’s higher than they want to pay.

  • While the future of K’Andre Miller with the Rangers remains murky, Arthur Staple of The Athletic suggests (subscription link) that clearing out the final year of Carson Soucy’s contract is something else New York will be looking to do on the left side of their back end. The 30-year-old was acquired from Vancouver near the trade deadline as a buy-low addition with the hopes that a change of scenery could give him a boost.  Instead, that didn’t happen and Soucy was even briefly scratched.  He had 13 points, 106 hits, and 113 blocks in 75 games this season but with a year and $3.25MM left on his contract, GM Chris Drury likely feels that money could be better spent elsewhere.  Soucy has a full no-trade clause until July 1st when that protection drops to a 12-team no-trade list.

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