Rangers Linked To 3 Players In Forward Search
Per Vincent Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic, multiple league sources indicate New York is aiming to do more, specifically by acquiring additional help up front, with team president Chris Drury remaining on the prowl for a forward before training camp opens in mid-September.
Patrik Laine, Michael Bunting, and Jonathan Drouin are among the names still sitting on a quiet free-agent market.
The Laine Case
Laine is the most interesting of the group.
The 28-year-old appeared in just five games last season due to core muscle surgery, but he has seven seasons of at least 20 goals on his resume and remains one of the most dangerous pure shooters available.
That injury-shortened year has driven his price down, and he will likely have to settle for a one-year, prove-it contract, which is precisely the type of deal the Rangers prefer.
Plenty of notable names are still on the market 👀
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) July 17, 2026
Sportsnet's @lukefoxjukebox ranks his top 10 UFAs still available a couple of weeks into free agency 📊 pic.twitter.com/ktF1n1D0uH
The caveat is that Mercogliano noted Drury's actual interest in Laine is unclear.
Still, a low-cost bet on a bounce-back scorer carries little risk and could be flipped at the deadline if it does not work.
Bunting And Drouin
Bunting and Drouin could enter the conversation as well if the money and term line up.
Bunting, 31, would not provide the same offensive punch as some other options, but he brings bite and a physical edge to a top-nine role, having posted 19-goal seasons in each of the past two years while bouncing between Carolina, Pittsburgh, Nashville, and Dallas.
Drouin became available after being placed on waivers for buyout purposes and clearing, making him an unrestricted free agent again. Across 64 games last season, the 31-year-old recorded just four goals and 24 total points.
The season before that, however, Drouin put up 11 goals and 37 points over 43 games, so there is recent success to look at.
Michael Bunting, acquired by DAL, is a middle-six complementary winger who hangs out around the slot grappling for tips and rebounds or getting open for back-door passes. Puck skills are there but limited. Plays with some edge and draws penalties. #TexasHockey pic.twitter.com/NxQMsxsgif
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) March 5, 2026
The complication with both is redundancy.
Mercogliano noted that all of these forwards have similar profiles to Oliver Bjorkstrand, whom the Rangers already signed, meaning they would provide a temporary jolt rather than raising the team's ceiling.
The Cap Reality
Braden Schneider's one-year, $5.5 million deal left the Rangers with roughly $1.5 million in cap space on a full 23-man roster, but there is wiggle room depending on who comes off.
Waiving a player like Taylor Raddysh could push the number closer to $2.8 million, carrying 22 players instead of 23 would allow for a salary up to $3.75 million, and moving on from goaltender Joonas Korpisalo in favor of rookie Dylan Garand could open upwards of $4 million.
That means acquiring a forward in the $3 million to $4 million range is realistic even without moving anyone off the current NHL roster.
The Rangers had also poked around on Anthony Mantha and Eeli Tolvanen, though Mantha has since signed with the New Jersey Devils and the Bjorkstrand signing appeared to cool that pursuit.
Drury has already added Pavel Dorofeyev, Marcus Pettersson, Sean Durzi, Korpisalo, and Bjorkstrand while trading Vincent Trocheck, spending significant assets in the process.
