The New York Rangers have had a surprisingly quiet trade deadline. The January retooling letter, followed by the Artemi Panarin trade, marked what many thought would be the start of a potential fire sale, but that wasn’t the case – at least for now.
General manager Chris Drury is expected to continue to submit offers on Vincent Trocheck after the season, and insider Emily Kaplan suggested there was a chance the upheaval in New York could go much deeper than that.
During a show on TSN’s TradeCentre, Kaplan noted how many people are wondering about the future of superstars Adam Fox and Igor Shesterkin through this shakeup, adding that those could be conversations and, depending on how they play out, potential moves for this summer.
“I know a lot of people are wondering, okay, what about Adam Fox, maybe even Igor Shesterkin, that won’t happen until at least the summer, if at all… But that’s a big if,”
Fox, 28, is in the fourth year of the seven-year, $66.5 million extension signed with the Rangers in 2021, while Shesterkin, 30, is only in the first year of the eight-year, $92 million deal signed to extend in New York in 2024.
Fox has produced 29 points (four goals, 25 assists) in just 34 games played this season. Shesterkin is 19-12-6 while posting a 2.47 goals-against average, .912 save percentage and one shutout in 38 starts.
Recent comments – or its absence – from Fox on his desire to stay with the Rangers through a reorganization were eye-opening and certainly one to watch moving forward. We haven’t heard as much from Shesterkin, however, for a guy who will be 31 next season, a lengthy retooling or rebuild might not be of interest.
If one or neither player is ready to hold up in New York, then Drury has the opportunity to truly rebuild his roster and accumulate a huge stack of future assets. Both Fox and Shesterkin would attract considerable interest if available on the trade market, although the latter might be a bit harder to move given his $11.5 million cap hit as a goaltender.
As Kaplan noted, there’s still a big “if” at play here. However, Rangers don’t necessarily appear to be embarking on a quick reorganization to return to competition, so these are the sorts of questions that will inevitably arise. That said, trading franchise cornerstones is never easy, regardless of the circumstances, which undoubtedly makes for difficult decisions for everyone involved.
Following: Oilers insider hints at potential off-season trade for potential goaltender
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