Rangers May Not Fully Solve Defensive Issues Until the 2026 Trade Deadline

So far, there are just a couple of known left-side defensemen that are rumored to be available that stand out as a fit – Bowen Byram, who remains under Buffalo Sabres’ control as a pending restricted free agent and Vladislav Gavrikov, who is scheduled to hit the open market in July. The latter would be a target for Drury if the team can free up more cap space, according to Arthur Staple of The Athletic. Interestingly, the two are vastly different players, but would fill a need for the Rangers in different ways.

Byram is a young elite skating defenseman who ranks in the 94th percentile in distance and 91st in speed burst over 20 miles per hour, according to NHL EDGE. The problem is, while the 2019 fourth-overall pick has established himself as an NHL defenseman, he has yet to reach his potential in other areas. As a result, the Sabres have been shopping him since around the NHL trade deadline, and insider Frank Seravalli now ranks Byram fourth on his trade target list this offseason. In the NHL, Byram has struggled with his defensive play, with analytics from RonoAnalyst grading him just 31/100 for defense and 86/100 for offense this season. Injuries recorded in his previous seasons might also be holding him back. Still, the upside is intriguing. If the Rangers are going to move on from pending RFA K’Andre Miller this offseason, Byram might be the one player to bet on. Also, you have to wonder how the Sabres would value Schneider. Regardless, the move is something worth exploring.

Gavrikov, on the other hand, has proven he can lock down the left side while handling top-pair minutes. The native out of Russia grades out to 93 for his defensive play, according to RonoAnalyst. He just might be the perfect defenseman to play with Fox, who needs a defensively responsible partner, allowing the 2021 Norris Trophy winner to unleash offensively. While Gavrikov could be a great fit, there are two obstacles. For one, it’s unclear if the 29-year-old will even hit free agency and what the Los Angeles Kings’ aspirations are to keep him. Secondly, what is the cost of signing him? The Rangers need to be careful, particularly on the term of the deal. If the market is willing to give him a seven-year, $7.5 million average annual value (AAV), identical to what Brady Skjei got last July, that’s something Drury needs to avoid. If it’s something more like Marcus Pettersson’s six-year, $5.5 million AAV extension signed in February, that’s something the front office should seriously consider.

Options Get Thinner and Weaker After

While both Byram and Gavrikov are intriguing options for the Rangers, the left-handed defensemen market weakens significantly afterward. For potential free agents, the top names (not necessarily the best options) are Ivan Provorov, Brian Dumoulin and Ryan Lindgren. On contenders, you can make the argument that these three are third-pairing defensemen at best. Plus, Lindgren, who was traded by Drury ahead of this year’s trade deadline, is no longer a fit in New York, so you can almost certainly rule that one out.

Via trade, Nicolas Hague of the Vegas Golden Knights is rumored to be available. While the 2017 first-round pick has some upside, he’s not a great skater, ranking below the 50th percentile for both speed bursts over 20 mph and top speed. It’s hard to foresee him being a fit next to either Fox or Borgen. Meanwhile, Morgan Rielly is ranked 15th on Seravalli’s trade board. The 31-year-old’s offensive intangibles, from puck breakouts to exceptional skating ability, are certainly an intriguing option for the Rangers’ second pair. However, the $7.5 million AAV will be tough to justify and absorb under the team’s payroll.

So there are really only two known options (as of now) potentially available – Byram and Gavrikov. Likewise, competition for both of their services will arise, which could drive up the costs. So the Rangers will need to weigh whether either of them or both is worth the cost. Plus, more trades are likely needed to clear up room on the depth chart and cap space. The most likely scenario is that at least one of Miller, Schneider, or Carson Soucy won’t be Blueshirts by training camp. Perhaps another left-handed defenseman across the league is available behind the scenes, like Ryan McDonagh of the Tampa Bay Lightning, who we previously predicted would return to Broadway earlier this offseason for Soucy and a third-round pick.

Meanwhile, there’s another option: Keep the current defensive makeup nearly as is and wait for someone to become available between now and next year’s trade deadline. It’s risky – but the hope is that a new coaching staff under the lead of Mike Sullivan will be enough to mask the Rangers’ flawed blue line until the 2026 Trade Deadline, a plan B we would call “Operation Survive Through 25.” But Drury will likely have a busy next month ahead of him on the phones in efforts to try to make his team better.