An Open Letter to Rangers General Manager Cris Drury: Part II – Make a Move Or Two

Mr Drury,

Good morning. With the trade deadline rapidly approaching, I wanted to reach out to you to give you my thoughts and suggestions.

While your team is hanging on to first place in the Metropolitan Division, third place in the Eastern Conference, and eighth in the league, it is apparent that you need to make some moves. This is especially the case, considering how poorly the team played in January.

There is no doubt that both the media and your own will be all over you if you do not at least try to make your team better going into this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs. Yes, we are aware that the moves you made before last year’s deadline did not work out the way you wanted them to, but maybe it will be different this time around.

One area that needs a lot of improvement is your bottom six group of forwards. Right now, your team relies too much on their top two lines and their power play to do all the scoring.

Having that kind of mentality will not work come playoff time. Your team’s performance in last year’s first-round loss to the New Jersey Devils is a prime example of that.

Here are some players that are worth looking at to upgrade that area:

Frank Vatrano (Anaheim Ducks): You remember Frank, right? You acquired him at the 2022 deadline, and he ended up being a great fit as he had 13 points in 22 regular season games and then added 13 points in 20 playoff games. He has also been great this season as he currently has 36 points on 22 goals and 14 assists and was selected to play in the 2024 NHL All-Star Game in Toronto.

Adam Henrique (Anaheim Ducks): He may have hurt the Rangers when he scored the series-winning overtime goal for the New Jersey Devils in Game 5 of the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals, but it would be wise to consider adding him to your roster. He brings a veteran presence and would be a major upgrade over someone like Barclay Goodrow, as Henrique can provide offense.

Mats Zuccarello (Minnesota Wild): This may be a long shot, but I can guarantee that the fans will love you if you find a way to bring Zuccarello back. He was a proven performer for many seasons with the Blueshirts, and he knows how to take his game to another level come playoff time.

To acquire one of these players, you should consider moving Kaapo Kakko. It has been three and a half seasons of not becoming the player the team drafted back in 2019, and he should have already taken a step forward, something that Alexis Lafreniere has done this season.

Another player you could consider trading is defenseman K’Andre Miller. Miller has not looked like himself this season and he has proven to be somewhat of a defensive liability this season. This could simply be a one-off for Miller, but you never know.

One player that you should try to offload is Goodrow. I know that is not going to be easy to do, considering his contract, but he has not provided anything of value on the ice this season.

These are just suggestions, Mr. Drury. Do with them what you will!

Sincerely,

Patrick Hoffman