New York Rangers Making Midseason Moves
The New York Rangers haven’t won a Stanley Cup since 1994 and haven’t even made an appearance in the finals since 2014. After three-straight-promising seasons where they won 47 games or more in all three years, the Rangers are officially going all in on making it back to the Stanley Cup with the hopes of winning it all. As the middle of the NHL season approaches, the Rangers are already making some big deals towards being a top contender. Let’s see what they have been up to and some more potential deals they could make here soon.
In 2022 the Rangers made it to the Conference Finals. They played the reigning Stanley Cup champions in the Tampa Bay Lightning and lost. The next season the Rangers got upset in the first round and last year they lost to the eventual champions, the Florida Panthers. Currently, the Rangers are just above the .500 mark and are looking to make a strong push to get this team a championship.
The first move that they made was to trade their captain, Jacob Trouba, in a move that needed to be done. This trade was a long-time coming and may be the cure for some early season woes. Trouba had zero goals in the first 24 games after a season with just three. He also had a -3 rating overall.
Next, the Rangers made a huge re-signing to keep their star goalkeeper, Igor Shesterkin. It was a record-breaking deal as he will get $92 million across the contract. The contract will kick in next year and will make him the highest paid goalie next season. After losing six of their last seven games, it shows the Rangers are still committed to him and winning as soon as possible.
The main-rumored target now is the 25-year-old Ottawa Seanator’s captain, Brady Tkachuk. He has 13 goals and 29 points already this season. He’s off to a great start and could add some firepower into this lineup for New York. Larry Brooks first reported that Tkachuk was now the top target for the Rangers after the Trouba deal was made official.
Brooks also has said the Rangers have been in talks with multiple other teams about potential deals. Trading Trouba may be just the tip of the iceberg for the Rangers as the middle of the season rapidly approaches. Look for more rumors and deals to go down for New York shortly.
By Jack Stradley, I’m a sports writer always looking for a gripping story and a hot take.