NY Rangers Could Face Big Exodus of 5 Notable Names This Season: Insider

This is a big season upcoming for the New York Rangers. After yet another disappointing year, and many core players having been shipped out, will the 2026-27 version of the squad be a playoff contender?

Arthur Staple of The Athletic, speaking on the Rangers Recon Podcast, said if the Blueshirts are out of the playoff race again this season by the trade deadline, or even sooner—for the third year in a row—several other big names could be on the move, regardless of contract status or trade protection.

If they are 6-10 points out by Christmas, it's over (for GM Chris Drury). I genuinely feel that... They've done 180s each of the last two years... Guys out, guys in... You can't keep spinning around like that and hope that you're gonna move forward. So my feeling would be that brings us to a lame-duck situation for Chris Drury.  

So that's the first big name. The GM could be done by the end of the year. 

But even if Drury were to be given a vote of confidence by ownership, Staples figures that another year like the last two would have the rest of their star veteran players questioning if they still want to be there.   

Do any of the guys with no-move clauses—you're talking about Mika Zibanejad, you're talking about JT Miller, you're talking Adam Fox & Vladislav Gavrikov—even Igor Shesterkin? Do any of those guys go to (GM) Chris Drury and say 'I want out'?' And then you're really in a situation where you're tearing things down. 

He adds that Fox is the biggest domino among that group that would really trigger the exodus. "Taking Adam Fox off this roster would mean that you're turning it over to younger guys. You must. You'd have to tear it down and start to build it back up in the middle of the season."

Over the last couple of years, Jacob Trouba, Chris Kreider, K'Andre Miller, Artemi Panarin & Vincent Trocheck are among the big names that have left the Big Apple. Will the complete and total overhaul be in effect if this is another flop of a year on Broadway?