Fire Sale = damaged goods for dirt cheap.
Why would any other team pay for Rangers damaged goods unless picks/prospects were attached?
I mean there are a couple of different categories here
The guys that you are going to need to attach picks to move are the ones that are going to be the hardest to move because of NMCs and they have term:
- ZIbanejad and Trouba
We have bad players that they are going to need to take a bath on, but because they are rentals, I wouldn't attach anything to
- Smith and Lindgren
Then you have the "one mans trash, another man's treasure" category which are guys that are going to be movable for rightful/wrongful reasons. Namely the salary cap implications/recouping assets that you would need to attach to move Zibanejad or Trouba
- Kreider (need to move salary out and less restrictive NTC), Trocheck (need to move salary out and probably forced to keep ZIbanejad), Miller (can't afford RFA raise/change of scenery)
And finally you have the three nuclear options
- Trading Igor (because signing him to this team would be nuts)
- Trading Fox (before his NMC sets in and team is rebuilding anyway)
- Trading Panarin (since they probably aren't going to be re-signing him Summer 2026)
I don't think any form of re-tool makes any sense for this team at all. I don't think Drury should be the one holding the keys to this either.
The big issue here is the two albatross contracts on the two most immovable guys on the team. Those are the ones that don't have value; but even Trouba I wouldn't go crazy attaching assets to move because he is expiring next season, and its not like the Rangers have another other Dmen they can replace him internally with. That being said, based on what happens/doesn't happen with those two is going to have to drive anything else. Zibanejad has completely cratered and he is the biggest problem right now; and he has a full NMC so....yeah