Friday’s 3 p.m. ET NHL trade deadline is closing in, with the New York Rangers one of the expected sellers many around the league are monitoring. The Athletic’s Vincent Z. Mercogliano and Peter Baugh will use this trade tracker to gather any news or things they’re hearing that affect the Blueshirts, so be sure to bookmark this page and check back often.
Carrick on the move
The Rangers made the Sam Carrick trade official Friday morning, announcing that they are receiving a 2026 third-round pick and a 2026 sixth-round pick from the Buffalo Sabres. The sixth-round pick originally belonged to the Chicago Blackhawks.
Carrick was a reliable fourth-line center over the past two seasons for the Rangers. He is under contract through 2026-27 at a $1 million cap hit.
“This is kind of my first time going through it as well with teammates being out of the lineup, trade talks and all that stuff,” said Adam Edström, one of Carrick’s frequent linemates. “Carrick has been a big part of my days in New York. Whatever happens, it’s out of my control. He’s been a great teammate and a great friend.” — Peter Baugh
Trocheck, Carrick sit against Maple Leafs
So far, in the aftermath of Chris Drury’s January letter announcing a rebuild, the Rangers have yet to trade more than pending unrestricted free agents. That appears set to change. Centers Trocheck and Carrick, both of whom have term beyond this year, were healthy scratches Thursday against Toronto for roster management reasons.
Trocheck is one of the most intriguing players on the trade market. He’s a proven second-line center and is under term through 2028-29 with a reasonable cap hit ($5.625 million). It’s paramount that Drury nail the return for Trocheck, who just won an Olympic gold medal with Team USA. Of Rangers players who could be traded by Friday’s deadline, the 32-year-old is the team’s most valuable. The Rangers’ asking price presumably starts with at least a first-round pick and good prospect, if not more. New York’s steep prices have already affected at least one team’s pre-deadline thinking. Colleagues Michael Russo and Joe Smith reported that the Minnesota Wild’s interest in Trocheck has faded because of how much Drury wants in return.
Scratching Carrick makes sense, too. Centers have gone for high prices this deadline: just ask Colorado and Edmonton, both of whom paid heavy prices for Nicolas Roy and Jason Dickinson, respectively. The Rangers won’t get a first-round pick for Carrick (unless the market truly goes wild), but he could probably bring back the equivalent of a second- to fourth-round pick. — Baugh
Latest on Trocheck
The Rangers held an optional morning skate on Thursday at the MSG Training Center that mainly consisted of young players. Many veterans stayed off the ice, including Vincent Trocheck.
When asked if he anticipates having the 32-year-old center available for Thursday’s 7 p.m. home game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, coach Mike Sullivan was noncommittal.
“Right now, everybody’s a game-time decision,” he said.
While New York continues to weigh offers and holds off on determining its lineup, Minnesota-based colleague Michael Russo is reporting that the Wild’s hopes of getting Trocheck “are fading.” They’ve had an offer on the table, but Rangers team president Chris Drury has signaled it’s not enough to get it done, and Minnesota appears to be pivoting to other center options.
Where will Drury turn now? The consensus around the league is that the price for Trocheck is too rich, but the Rangers have roughly 27 hours left to persuade someone to meet it, reduce their ask or take the risk of letting this linger into the summer. — Vincent Z. Mercogliano
Lafrenière likely staying put
One player who hasn’t received a lot of attention lately is Alexis Lafrenière. The Rangers have been gauging the market on pretty much all of their players, the 24-year-old winger included, but the belief around the league is that a trade is more likely this summer, if it happens at all.
I sat down with Lafrenière following Wednesday’s practice and asked if he’s had conversations with management about his future, to which he responded, “Not a lot now.” We also discussed his desire to stay in New York, his disappointing season, trying to finish strong and more. You can read it all here. — Mercogliano
Fox opens up on uncertain future
Adam Fox is not among the players who could get traded this week, but he made waves after his first game back from injury. Asked whether he wants to stay with the Rangers through a retool, he said those are conversations for the summer. He expanded on those comments in an interview with The Athletic on Wednesday, discussing the uncertainty around the roster and how he finds it hard to think too much about his situation during the season.
“When you have a lot of time to process and digest everything, I think that’s when you kind of evaluate the landscape,” he said.
Read his full comments about the aftermath of Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury’s letter, watching the Olympics from home and his relationship with Mike Sullivan here. — Baugh
Rumblings as of Wednesday evening
The deadline always spurs action, with less than two full days left for general managers to make their final pushes. But as of Wednesday evening, it’s been a slow-moving process.
Some have classified this as a buyer’s market, but I’m hearing mixed opinions on that. As one league source told me, it all depends on your perspective.
Sellers such as the Rangers have been underwhelmed by initial offers and are holding out for more. Meanwhile, I’ve heard from multiple executives and agents who say buyers are perceiving asking prices as unreasonably high.
There are other factors contributing to the gridlock, as colleague Pierre LeBrun laid out earlier this week, including a new playoff salary cap that prevents teams from using long-term injured reserve to bloat their lineups and the elimination of third-party brokers for salary retention. That might reduce the volume of trades this year, but there’s sure to be some level of activity in the coming hours.
It amounts to a high-stakes game of chicken. Will any of the interested parties cave and meet Drury’s demands before the clock winds down? Or will the buyers hold firm, forcing him to either take what’s on the table or punt trade talks into the summer?
Drury has signaled he’s willing to hold his assets, according to a league source. It’s a viable threat considering his most coveted players are under team control beyond this season, most notably center Vincent Trocheck and defenseman Braden Schneider. But there’s a feeling around the league he could be using that as a negotiating tactic.
The pressure is on to do something after Drury published a Jan. 16 letter declaring a retool. He’s already moved two pending free agents, Artemi Panarin and Carson Soucy, and though newly acquired prospect Liam Greentree has been on fire lately in the OHL, Drury’s recent trade returns have generally been lackluster. There’s much heavier lifting to be done to convince fans he can clean up one of the NHL’s messiest situations.
The belief here remains that Trocheck will be moved — he seems to think the same thing — with the Minnesota Wild the team to watch. Their GM, Bill Guerin, made it clear Tuesday’s acquisition of fourth-line center Michael McCarron doesn’t preclude him from pursuing more help down the middle.
The Wild are not on Trocheck’s 12-team no-trade list and have extended an offer, as colleagues Michael Russo and Joe Smith reported. The package is likely built around Michigan State center Charlie Stramel, who has been the buzz for weeks and was mentioned in my Jan. 28 column.
Stramel isn’t considered a future No. 1 center, but he’s a legitimate middle-six prospect who landed at No. 83 in Corey Pronman’s under-23 rankings. The only Minnesota player who came in higher was Danila Yurov, but the sense is Guerin has walled him off.
Drury has surely considered the Wild’s proposal and might ultimately take it, but he’s using the allotted time to see whether anyone can beat it. The Utah Mammoth inquired, according to a league source, but Trocheck has been open about his preference not to go too far west. The Carolina Hurricanes and Detroit Red Wings are others we’ve had our eye on, but I also wonder about a mystery team such as the Buffalo Sabres. Colleague Chris Johnston called them “a potential dark horse team that could spice up this trade deadline.”
There are longer odds on Schneider’s being dealt before Friday, according to a league source. The Rangers have been seeking a young, skilled forward who’s ready to contribute right away, with no indication anyone has met that price. That could change in the next 24 hours or so, but they appear content to keep the 24-year-old pending RFA and re-evaluate this summer.
After Trocheck, the next-most likely trade candidates are mainly bottom-six forwards and fringe prospects. New York has a lot of holes to fill, but there’s a bit of a logjam in that area. Veteran center Sam Carrick probably has the most appeal from that group, but Brett Berard, Jonny Brodzinski, Brennan Othmann, Taylor Raddysh, Conor Sheary and Adam Sýkora are among the others who could factor in for mid-to-late-round draft value or as sweeteners in larger deals. The Rangers have been shopping Othmann for months and included him in previous offers, but they’ve yet to find a taker.
The final thing to watch for is a trade that absorbs another team’s unwanted salary in exchange for draft picks or other assets. New York is projected to have $8.685 million in cap space on deadline day, per PuckPedia, with that number ballooning to over $30 million this summer. (Over $35 million if Trocheck is traded.) Drury will be looking to weaponize that flexibility, and though that’s usually more of an offseason maneuver, it shouldn’t be ruled out if the right opportunity presents itself this week. — Mercogliano
