Happy birthday, Chris Drury! He has served as both the 12th New York Rangers general manager and 12th president in franchise history since May 5, 2021. Drury had a great NHL career himself including a Stanley Cup in 2001 with the Colorado Avalanche. He also had seasons of 58 and 56 points with the Blueshirts in 2007-08 and 2008-09 respectively, as well as a 32-point campaign in 2009-10.
New York Rangers General Manager Chris Drury
So, let’s recap Chris Drury’s time as GM so far. In honour of his birthday being yesterday, here are some of the now 48-year-old’s best moves and signings. We will present Drury’s best moves as Rangers GM, starting with the best one of the four we ranked.
Top Four Chris Drury Moves and Signings as Rangers General Manager
On July 13, 2022, two days after his 29th birthday, Pittsburgh native Trocheck signed with the Blueshirts as a free agent. He inked a seven-year, $39.38M-contract. Drury clearly put faith in the former Carolina Hurricane and Florida Panther, spending $5.63 M a year on him. That was no mistake, with Trocheck being a clear contributing factor to New York winning the Presidents’ Trophy this past season, and establishing himself as an excellent playoff performer.
1. Signing Centreman Vincent Trocheck As a Free Agent
To say that Vincent “Troch” Trocheck has been a faithful on-ice presence for the Blueshirts would be a massive understatement. In his two seasons with the Rangers so far, 2022-23 and 2023-24, the now 31-year-old played all 82 regular-season games in both. Troch demonstrated his fitness as a centreman by leading the Rangers in faceoff percentage this past season notching 58.7%. He hit his NHL career peak in points (77) and assists (52) this past season. On the Blueshirts for points, he was behind only star left winger and past Calder Memorial Trophy winner Artemi Panarin (“Breadman”). The Breadman notched 120 this past season.
Finally, Troch was also an important playoff asset for the Rangers in their deep run this year. He hit playoff numbers unprecedented in his NHL career during the 2023-24 playoffs, with 20 points (eight goals and 12 assists) in 16 playoff games. This was an NHL playoff career-best by far. This includes a thrilling double-overtime winner in the second-round series against the Carolina Hurricanes, Game 2.
2. Trading Future-Round Picks for Forward Reilly Smith
Normally, it may be hard to judge whether taking on a new player is a good move prior to the season they play. This is especially true after Smith did not have his best NHL season with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2023-24. However, Drury was very positive about the veteran and acknowledged how long they’ve been watching and discussing him.
“Very excited to get Reilly,” Rangers General Manager Drury said according to the NHL. “He’s a player we’ve been looking at and talking about for a while. He brings a lot of versatility to our lineup. He has a winning pedigree having won in Vegas. A proven playoff performer and he just fits in nicely with our entire group.”
On Canada Day this year, former Penguin Reilly was traded to the Blueshirts and the Pens received a 2025 fifth-round pick and a 2027 second-round pick.
If the Rangers want another deep playoff run next year, Reilly’s most recent playoff numbers with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023 show his abilities there. He notched 14 points (four goals, 10 assists) in 22 playoff games with the Knights that year. His peak offensive playoff performance came a little while ago, with 22 points (five goals, 17 assists) in 20 playoff games with the Knights in 2017-18. Reilly has been an accurate shooter, notching a 14.4 shooting percentage in his 2022-23 season with the Knights, the sixth-highest of that year’s Vegas players. Smith will also help the Blueshirts power play, sitting on the Blueshirts’ second power play unit.
3. Signing, and Re-Signing, Goaltender Jonathan Quick
Not only was it a good move to sign him in the first place, it was a good move bringing him back. On Canada Day, July 1st, last year, the Blueshirts signed the then 37-year-old Quicker as a free agent. The Milford, Connecticut native is a three-time Stanley Cup champ, winning them all out west. Moreover, he took hockey’s ultimate prize in 2012 and 2014 with the Los Angeles Kings, the stint for which he is most known, and got credit in 2023 with the Knights.
The records show taking him on was a good move by Drury. Quicker won 18 of his 27 regular-season games with the Blueshirts in the 2023-24 regular season. Quick posted a 2.62 goals-against average, along with a .911 save percentage. Compared against the rest of the NHL, his GAA and SV% were better than average, as well as his two shutouts had him ahead of the curve in that category as well.
Following his good 2023-24 record, the Blueshirts signed him again on March 3, repeating their good move. They upped the pay for the new one-year stint, with his 2024-25 cap hit sitting at $1.275 M.
“It’s a good feeling knowing I’ll be back,” Quick said on the day of the signing according to the NHL. “It was maybe a week of negotiation, a little bit back and forth. Nothing too crazy. It worked out that they wanted me back for another year and I wanted to be here for another year.”
Not long after, Quicker made 27 saves with the Blueshirts against the Arizona Coyotes to beat them 8-5 in the desert at Mullett Arena. The game took place on March 30, 2024, and marked his 392nd NHL win, setting him as the winningest American-born goalie.
4. Extending Defenceman Adam Fox
On November 1, 2021, not long into Drury’s time as GM, the now 26-year-old blueliner Adam Fox signed a seven-year, $66.5 M contract worth $9.5 M a season (2022-2029). The 2020-21 James Norris Memorial Trophy winner Fox has notched over 70 points in all three of his last regular seasons with the Blueshirts. He also hit an NHL career-high for goals this past season, with 17 in 72 games. The Jericho, New York native’s defensive numbers in 2023-24 were good too, with 123 blocks and an NHL career-high 44 hits in 72 games.
Main photo: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
