Welcome to your New York Rangers offseason grades! It ultimately did not end the way the organization wanted it to, but there was a lot of jog and excitement. It is summertime for the Rangers, but that does not mean we cannot reminisce on the season. Today we will look at Chris Drury’s offseason grade.
New York Rangers Offseason Grade
Report Card: Chris Drury
This New York Rangers offseason grade will be much different. Now that the roster of players is complete, the time has come to look at the men responsible for assembling this team. Chris Drury has made his mark on this team since taking over as the General Manager. Sure, he inherited a roster mainly built by Jeff Gorton, but it is up to him to continue to build upon it. Today we focus just on this season and not any season prior. During his grade, the examination will occur during the offseason moves and the trade deadline.
Offseason Moves
After a vital trade deadline the season prior (get to that below), Chris Drury could not afford to keep everyone. Every player that was acquired found greener pastures and signed elsewhere. However, Drury did make a splash, and given the roster construction, the move made sense. After spending the last few seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes, Vincent Trocheck signed a seven-year deal with the Rangers. Trocheck had experience playing under now-former head coach Gerard Gallant. Jimmy Vesey was brought back for his second stint. Aside from that, the only other player brought in was Jaroslav Halak. After moving on from Alexander Georgiev, a backup goaltender was needed. Halak provided stability in the net, giving the team the necessary backup presence.
Trade Deadline
Criticize as you will, but this is the most crucial part of the New York Rangers offseason grade. Much like last year, Drury went on to make another splash this trade deadline. Last year was more decisive, and each acquisition was fit for a specific role and helped make the roster deeper. Frank Vatrano, Andrew Copp, and Tyler Motte did an excellent job for this team. In addition, they were crucial to a deep run the club saw last postseason. As mentioned above, none of those players did return, so here we go again.
Drury went on to move struggling winger Sammy Blais and draft picks for Vladimir Tarasenko and Niko Mikkola. Tarasenko would be a massive boost to scoring on the wings, which the team did need, but at a hefty price. Ironically, Blais was acquired in the Pavel Buchnevich trade only to be sent back for Tarasenko. It really is the circle of life. Drury heard the disappointing comments from Patrick Kane and made dreams become a reality. In a three-team trade, the Rangers went on to acquire Kane. Given the injury that was not hidden, it was a questionable move. In a search for more toughness, Drury reacquired Tyler Motte from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Julien Gauthier.
Drury also managed to trade away Ryan Reaves and Vitali Kravstov. It may not have been as strong of a splash as last year, but Drury was active.
Contract Extensions
This aspect of the New York Rangers offseason grade focuses on the future. Drury wasted little time getting extensions done to some worthy candidates. Young centre Filip Chytil earned himself a four-year contract extension. In addition, Jimmy Vesey signed a two-year contract extension to keep him in the fold. These are not the biggest splashes, but these two guys play vital roles on the roster.
The Verdict
This New York Rangers offseason grade is easy to give out. While I believe last year’s trade deadline was more substantial, Drury did his best to improve the club to go on a deep run. It ultimately ended in disappointment. However, given the salary cap situation, the year to go all in was this year. Now Drury needs to focus on the youth and locking up two promising young players. There is much work to be done, but the foundation for this roster is in place.
Grade: C+
Main Photo: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
