- Chris Drury still wants to add a forward before training camp opens in September
- New York has just $2.4M in cap space and still owes Vincent Iorio a new deal
- Read below for the bonus-eligible names Drury may be shopping, from Patrik Laine to Patrick Kane
Chris Drury isn’t done shopping.
The Rangers made six additions this summer, and their general manager still wants one more forward before training camp opens in September, per Vince Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic.
Mercogliano laid out what New York can still realistically add up front:
The biggest swing was landing Pavel Dorofeyev from Vegas and handing him a seven-year, $77 million extension. Oliver Bjorkstrand and Joe Veleno came aboard in free agency.
On the way out, Vincent Trocheck went to Utah and Adam Edstrom was dealt to Nashville, while Conor Sheary and Jonny Brodzinski left as free agents.
Money is the problem. PuckPedia has the Rangers sitting on just $2.4 million in cap space, and they still owe defenseman Vincent Iorio a new deal. Once Drury leaves a cushion for early-season injuries and call-ups, there isn’t much left to spend.
That points him toward a specific kind of target. A bonus-heavy contract keeps the current-year hit low, and dropping a cheaper roster body could cover most of it. The catch is the pool. Only players 35 or older, or 400-game veterans who spent 100-plus days on injured reserve last season, qualify for those structures.
Patrik Laine is the lone name in that injury bucket, a former sniper who could at least juice a power play. Among the older group, Patrick Kane grades out as the best fit on paper.
New York reportedly isn’t on Kane’s short list, though, and his decision looks to be coming down elsewhere:
David Perron still scores in double digits. Adam Henrique and Reilly Smith read as cheaper bottom-six depth. None of them move the needle the way a top-six winger would.
Their bigger project is sorting out the forward group they already have, starting with who lines up next to Dorofeyev on the top line. Another scorer would give Drury more ways to shuffle the deck.
Deals for depth veterans like these rarely close until camp is near, so the Rangers could sit tight for a few more weeks before Drury makes his next move.
