Currently sitting in last place in the Metropolitan division, and losers of 5 straight games, New York Rangers GM Chris Drury sent a letter to fans vowing change as the club moves forward.
“We wanted to take a moment to connect with our loyal and passionate fanbase,” Drury wrote. “We know and feel your disappointment with how the season has gone to this point. We are just as frustrated and want nothing more than to deliver an on-ice product you can be proud of – it’s what drives us every day. No one in the organization is happy with what has transpired – from management, to coaches, to players. Over the last few years, we’ve had some successes and moments to cherish, but ultimately it was not the end goal. We are working relentlessly every day to bring a Stanley Cup back to New York because that is what our fans deserve.”
“With our position in the standings and injuries to key players this season, we must be honest and realistic about our situation. We are not going to stand pat – a shift will give us the ability to be smart and opportunistic as we retool the team. This will not be a rebuild. This will be a retool built around our core players and prospects. We will target players that bring tenacity, skill, speed, and a winning pedigree with a focus on obtaining young players, draft picks, and cap space to allow us flexibility moving forward. That may mean saying goodbye to players that have brought us and our fans great moments over the years. These players represented the Rangers with pride and class and will always be a part of our family.
“As we start on this new strategic plan, we will continue to play hard with pride and passion for our fans. We appreciate your unwavering support for the Rangers more than we can describe and thank you for all that you do for our organization. You will begin to see some of our plans come to light in the coming weeks and months. LGR”
According to reports, Drury held a players meeting to inform them that the letter would be sent out later that day. Additionally, an individual meeting with star winger Artemi Panarin was held shortly afterwards.
Currently set to become an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, Panarin would instantly become one of the most sought after trade deadline targets if the Rangers opt to move on from him. The 34 year old does however hold a full no-trade clause as part of his deal, and with a cap hit of $11.64M, the pool of realistic trade destinations will be reduced significantly.
Last year, the Rangers became just the 4th team in NHL history to win the President’s Trophy one season, and miss the playoffs altogether the next. And with a 20-22-6 record, the club is currently on track to miss the postseason for a second consecutive year.
New York is currently armed with their own first round pick, plus Carolina’s 1st rounder from the K’Andre Miller trade in June. If the club were in fact to move on from Panarin, they would almost certainly be looking at a trade package that includes an NHL ready body, a top prospect, and 1st round pick.
The Rangers are next in action against the Philadelphia Flyers in a 1pm ET afternoon affair on Saturday, January 17th.
Photo: Joseph O’Connell. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.