NY Rangers free agency takeaways: Chris Drury comes out ahead after busy July 1

There was a healthy dose of skepticism about the direction team president Chris Drury was taking the Rangers around the time the clock struck noon on July 1.

He’d spent the previous months dismantling a team that went to two Eastern Conference Finals in three years, a clear admission that the roster had grown stale on his watch. But his offseason plan to position the Blueshirts for a bounce back had seemingly hit a wall.

Step one went off without a hitch, with Drury clearing $6.5 million in salary cap space by sending veteran Chris Kreider to Anaheim on June 12. But his next three priorities – signing top free agent defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov, extending restricted free agent Will Cuylle and getting value in return for RFA defenseman K’Andre Miller – were each threatened by potential stumbling blocks.

Even with Kreider off the books, the Rangers couldn’t fit all three players under the cap. The problem was that the rest of the NHL was keenly aware of this fact. And for a time, it seemed to strip Drury of leverage in Miller trade discussions.

He let the 2025 NHL Draft come and go without making a deal, adding to the uncertainty as Gavrikov and the rest of an otherwise underwhelming UFA class hit the open market on July 1. To Drury’s credit, he didn’t panic. He gambled that he could wait a few more days and force an opposing general manager to up their offer.

It paid off.

Within a few hours, the Rangers had crossed off all three items from their summer agenda and renewed at least a semblance of faith from a fan base that left last season feeling disgusted.

First, Gavrikov signed for seven years at $7 million per season. The average annual value came in $1.5 million less than what Columbus gave Ivan Provorov – the closest comp for Gavrikov on the market – just one day earlier.

Then, word surfaced that New York had agreed to a two-year deal with Cuylle carrying an AAV of $3.9 million. Any fears of the up-and-coming winger signing an offer sheet for nearly double that total turned out to be overblown.

And finally, Drury struck a deal with Carolina to sign-and-trade Miller for a better-than-expected package of 2026 first- and second-round picks, plus skilled defenseman prospect Scott Morrow.

What looked like to be a sticky situation turned out just fine, with the Rangers finishing the day in a stronger position than they started.

"It's certainly been a busy and exciting few weeks for the Rangers' organization with lots of moving parts," Drury said at the start of his July 2 Zoom call with reporters.

It's all about the defense

Whether that will lead to better results in 2025-26 is a lingering question.

The Rangers have added extra draft picks, prospects and cap flexibility, improving their long-term outlook. But in terms of next season's NHL lineup, they've essentially swapped out Kreider and Miller for Gavrikov and bottom-six winger Taylor Raddysh, who was signed to a two-year, $3 million deal after the dust settled. They feel more like lateral moves than clear-cut upgrades, which probably isn't enough for a team that just missed the playoffs and had all kinds of problems.

But in Drury's mind, adding the stability and defensive track record of Gavrikov − who he called "an elite shutdown guy" − while subtracting the extreme ups and downs that came to define Miller's five-year New York tenure was a necessary step forward.

Defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov (84) has reached a deal with the New York Rangers, according to reports.

"It starts in our D zone," the GM said. "D-zone coverage, defending, certainly defending in the high-danger areas, which we were, simply put, not good at last year. We have to be better in our own zone. We have to be better in front of (goalies Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick). And to me, that’s the mindset (Gavrikov) shows up with every single day. The size, the reach, the competitiveness, the way he defends, the way he’s able to complement his partner, if that’s (Adam) Fox or any other of our right-shot D that we have. That’s what excited all of us.”

That statement represented the harshest criticism we've heard from the usually subdued Drury. And he has a valid point.

The Rangers were a defensive mess last season, ranking 28th in the league in scoring chances allowed per game, according to Clear Sight Analytics, and 30th in HD chances per 60 minutes at five-on-five, per Natural Stat Trick. Meanwhile, Gavrikov ranked fifth in HDCA/60 among 138 defensemen who logged 1,000 minutes or more. (For context, Miller was 132nd.)

That, above all, is why the Rangers prioritized this signing.

A wise choice

The final contract numbers made the swap look even better.

The Hurricanes immediately handed Miller an eight-year, $60 million extension, which carries an AAV of $7.5 million.

If you told people who follow the NHL closely that Gavrikov − widely considered the top available UFA defenseman − would come in with an annual salary $500,000 lower than Miller's, no one would have believed you. And if you told them the Rangers could spend a half-million less while adding Gavrikov, Morrow and two premium draft picks, who would argue with that?

It required sending Miller to a Metro-Division rival, which adds a layer of risk. But we can only conclude that Drury wasn't happy with the offers he received elsewhere. That likely explains why this lingered beyond the draft.

There were some Western Conference teams sniffing around, as well as the Atlantic-Division Red Wings. Two league sources told lohud.com, part of the USA TODAY Network, that Detroit was one of the teams making a bid in the days leading up to free agency. But Carolina made the most compelling offer, and Drury wisely chose to take it rather than accepting a lesser return just to get Miller out of the division.

A 'life-changing' day for K'Andre Miller

The Canes may end up looking smart in the long run.

Miller oozes upside and should thrive in their swarming system. He's got the wheels needed to succeed in that high-octane environment, and if there's any coach who can maximize his potential and help him cut down on costly mistakes, it's Rod Brind'Amour.

"They have such a fast team," Miller said in his own Zoom call. "They get up and down the ice in a fast motion, and they do everything as a team. It’s a fun group to watch, and they’ve had a lot of success recently. I’m excited to join that style of game."

The talented 25-year-old recognized that a trade was coming − "It was definitely in the back of my head that something could happen," he said − but didn't have a lot of firm information throughout the process and tried to stay out of it.

"I didn't know too much about it," he said. "I honestly shut my phone off and my socials the last couple weeks, just with all the speculation and the noise and uncertainty with New York. It was good to just kind of decompress and just worry about my summer, getting stronger and getting my mind right. I’m in a good spot now."

New York Rangers defenseman K'Andre Miller (79) hits Columbus Blue Jackets center Adam Fantilli (19) in the second period at Nationwide Arena on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025 in Columbus, Ohio.

Drury made it clear the Rangers weren't willing to commit to Miller long term, adding, "We just felt at this time it was best to allow him to explore a different opportunity."

As a result, the 6-foot-5, 210-pounder has gone from a place he wasn't wanted to much smaller market that he believes will be a good change of pace. In the process, he landed a new contract that will allow him to take care of his mother, Amy Sokoloski, who raised him as a single parent to forge their tight relationship.

"It was a great day for me and my family," Miller said. "Life-changing. Me and my mom are not only set for life, but extremely happy for the position that we're in and very grateful."

Offer sheet buzz

Trading Miller ensured the Rangers would have ample cap space to re-sign Cuylle, who projects as Kreider's replacement on one of the top-two lines.

There was some buzz about other teams tempting the 23-year-old with an offer sheet, and even though multiple sources indicated he was never likely to sign one, Drury said they prepared for the possibility.

On the other hand, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported that Carolina would have considered an offer sheet for Miller had they failed to get the sign-and-trade done.

"It’s within the rules," Drury said. "It’s certainly not something that you can ignore, but at the end of the day, we were just happy to be able to facilitate a trade with Carolina for the other pieces we got back, which we thought was a good return, and also be able to use K’Andre’s money somewhere else."

Mika Zibanejad at center or wing?

So where does this leave the Rangers' lineup?

We'll have time to dissect that in the coming months, but one of the central questions is where new head coach Mike Sullivan will play Mika Zibanejad.

Feb 2, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers center Mika Zibanejad (93) waves to fans after a 4-2 win against the Vegas Golden Knights at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-Imagn Images

He's been a center throughout his 14-year career, but struggled mightily the first half of last season before being moved to right wing later in the year. His play picked up considerably from there, particularly while skating on a line with new No. 1 center J.T. Miller.

The Rangers' top six looks strongest with Zibanejad on Miller's wing, in which case Cuylle would presumably be their LW and the once-productive trio of Artemi Panarin, Vincent Trocheck and Alexis Lafrenière could try to rekindle their 2023-24 magic. But that would leave a gaping hole at third-line center, where Jonny Brodzinski, Sam Carrick, Juuso Pärssinen and newly signed journeyman Justin Dowling are the current options.

Moving Zibanejad back to center would allow Trocheck to take that 3C role and make New York much stronger down the middle, but it would risk disrupting the budding Miller-Zibanejad chemistry while thrusting an unproven prospect such as Brennan Othmann or Gabe Perreault into a critical top-six role.

"One of the best parts about the forward group is there’s a lot of versatility," he said. "There’s a lot of players that can play center and wing. Coaches will work hard throughout training camp and exhibition to see what lines and matchups they want to go with. … I’m trying to give them as many options as possible."

Taylor Raddysh is an under-the-radar signing

While Drury refused to tip his hand on Zibanejad, he's notably yet to sign any surefire NHL centers. (Dowling is likely to start the season in the AHL.)

That could change in the coming days, but the UFA well is running dry.

Meanwhile, he gave Raddysh an AAV of $1.5 million and mentioned only him and Gavrikov among the new roster players. Drury could have put that money toward a center, but instead opted to give it to the 27-year-old, who appears to have the inside track to the 3RW job.

"We’re excited to bring him on board," Drury said. "He had a good year in Washington last year. He’s had some good offensive production from the third line at some other stops along the way. We like his size. He’s a guy that can play both the wings. I think a good, valuable, bottom-six forward and a good value signing for us."

Vincent Z. Mercogliano is the New York Rangers beat reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Read more of his work at lohud.com/sports/rangers/ and follow him on Twitter @vzmercogliano.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: NY Rangers free agency takeaways: Chris Drury comes out ahead after busy July 1