Quiet On Rangers Front, But Additions Could Be Coming

The New York Rangers have been very quiet for over a month now as some big things went down on July 1. Their team could be set to go into the season, but I think they are bound to do a bit more to upgrade their group as they have the opportunity to get back into the playoffs with force.

The Rangers have $775,000 in cap space, but if you remove Matthew Robertson to hold seven defensemen on the active roster, then that number jumps to $1.5 million in cap space with 13 forwards and seven defensemen.

There are a number of fringe NHL players in the organization and the Rangers don't necessarily need that. These are players like Conor Sheary, Justin Dowling, Juuso Parssinen, and Jonny Brodzinski. They will likely spend more of the season in the AHL or out of the lineup. But younger players like Gabe Perrault, Brennan Othmann, Brett Berard, Adam Edstrom, and Matt Rempe all still have to prove themselves in full time NHL roles. None of them are necessarily going to be gifted 82 games, especially not in a good spot in the lineup. The NYR are in win-now mode, but are hoping for players to step up to help them achieve their goal.

In terms of players expected to make the Rangers out of training camp and be in the NHL all season, Taylor Raddysh and Sam Carrick are both questionable depth players. I can see them coming out of the lineup at a point. Both may not have a huge impact on the team and are expendable if younger talent steps up.

So what can the Rangers actually do to erase question marks with their roster and go into the season feeling more confident? It is between targeting a remaining free agent who would actually be an upgrade in Jack Roslovic, Victor Olofsson, Robby Fabbri, or Max Pacioretty, or there is projected to be many more trades around the league in August and September as the season grows near, so the team could be in the mix for someone who is already signed, whether that be for a year or more.

Nothing went right for the Rangers last season, but they are in a good spot to bounce back in a big way. It's hard to see how they don't make the playoffs after their moves and more that are expected to come.