What's next for Rangers GM after contract extension, including clearing air with Mika Zibanejad
After overseeing one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history, Chris Drury landed a contract extension to remain as president and general manager last week.
You can view that one of two ways. Owner James Dolan has blind faith in the man he hand-picked back in 2021, the one he wanted so badly to be in charge of the operation that he canned popular team president John Davidson after two years on the job, and sent GM Jeff Gorton packing, as well. Or Dolan has taken in the big picture, sees a Presidents' Trophy and two trips to the Eastern Conference Final in four seasons, and truly believes in Drury's vision of remaking the roster to rise from the ashes of 2024-25.
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Maybe it's a combination of both. Certainly it appears the public timing of the contract extension was meant to send a message to the players that Drury is in charge, no matter how much they complain about him and/or his methods.
'The fact that they did this is a shot across the bow at the locker room to say 'You should know who's in charge. You should all fall in line. And the squeaky wheels will be rolled out of the locker room before next season,'' ESPN's Greg Wyshynski told Forever Blueshirts on the latest RINK RAP podcast.
And, listen, like it or not, that's probably good business by Dolan. It's clear the general manager has the full support and backing from the team owner. That Dolan expressed those sentiments is smart. He made this a black and white issue. There's no grey here. That should make it easier for Drury to go about the job of retooling the Rangers roster and getting them back on track to being a playoff team, one that could contend for its first Stanley Cup championship since 1994.
So, now that Drury has that contract extension, let's examine what's on his plate moving forward in this critical offseason.
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Chris Drury's to-do list for Rangers before free agency July 1
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Let's focus on what's right on front of Drury to deal with in the more immediate future. We will revisit his to-do list later in the offseason before NHL free agency begins July 1.
1. Clear air with Mika Zibanejad
After firing Peter Laviolette last week, you'd think the first major thing to do for the Rangers would be to hire a new coach. And, yes, it's massively important, of course. But don't you also think that any prospective coach wants to know where things stand with Mika Zibanejad after the star center sulked through most of this season and expressed — without mentioning Drury by name — how upset he is with the poor communication from management and how it handled the departures of Barclay Goodrow and Jacob Trouba, not to mention floating Chris Kreider's name in trade talks?
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It must be a priority for Drury to sit down with Zibanejad, who will play for Sweden in the upcoming World Championships, and clear the air. One way or the other, the two sides need to come to an understanding. Is Zibanejad all in on remaining with the Rangers? If not, will he waive his no-move clause to allow Drury to shop him this offseason?
There can be no half-measures here from the 32-year-old center. His sullen nature and half-hearted on-ice efforts helped submarine the Rangers this season. Whether one believes he was justified or not in feeling, acting and playing the way he did, the bottom line is that Zibanejad is a team leader and one of their most talented two-way players. But the Rangers need him at 100 percent.
The flip side is, do the Rangers want him? Did Drury and Co. see something in Zibanejad this season that makes them desperate to get out from under his $8.5 million salary cap hit the next five seasons?
Only one way to find out. Drury and Zibanejad must talk this out. Then the Rangers can plan moving forward. And perhaps a conversation is in order with Kreider, as well.
2. Hire the next Rangers coach
Drury is likely well into the vetting process to determine who to interview as Peter Laviolette's replacement. The GM promised an extensive search and said he's open to hiring a first-time NHL coach. It should be of interest then to the Rangers that David Carle, the two-time NCAA champion with Denver and back-to-back gold medal winner with the United States at the World Junior Championship, pulled out of the running for the Chicago Blackhawks job.
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Several current NHL assistants, like former Rangers players Marc Savard and Sylvain Lefebvre, could be in the mix, too.
Luring Mike Sullivan away from the Pittsburgh Penguins is a pipe dream, though we suspect that's Drury's perfect scenario. Perhaps Rick Tocchet, if he turns down a long-term offer from the Vancouver Canucks, or Jay Woodcroft will be options.
No matter who ends up with the gig, this will be Drury's biggest decision this offseason, as he sets out to hire the third coach in his four-year tenure as GM.
3. Decide if Rangers keep their 1st-round pick in 2025 draft
The Rangers finished with the 11th-worst record in the NHL this season, meaning that not only are they in the draft lottery, they do have a shot at the No. 1 overall pick — albeit a three percent chance, according to Tankathon — since teams are allowed to move up a maximum of 10 spots, per NHL Draft Lottery rules. The worst-case scenario here is that the Rangers fall back the maximum two spots in the lottery and have the No. 13 overall pick.
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So, if the Rangers remain in that 11-13 area, Drury has a big decision to make. The Rangers already dealt this conditional pick to the Canucks in the J.T. Miller trade, and the Canucks then shipped it to the Penguins to acquire defenseman Marcus Pettersson.
The pick's condition is that it's top-13 protected, meaning the Rangers can keep the pick this year and give up their first-round selection in 2026 instead. Or they can let the Penguins use the pick this year and hold on to their own selection next season, when experts project a deeper, more talented draft pool.
Unless the Rangers vault up in the draft after the lottery, when they would certainly keep the pick, there's no clear-cut simple answer for Drury. They don't plan on missing the playoffs next season, so that first-rounder might be lower in the draft, albeit a deeper one. Of course, no one expected the Rangers to finish with one of the League's worst records this season. So, yeah, all bets are off.
The NHL Draft Lottery is expected to be held in May, though a date is not yet set. The Rangers have up until 48 hours before the start of the draft on June 27 to inform the Penguins of their decision.
4. Make call on K'Andre Miller's future with Rangers
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Drury must make several important personnel decisions, including with Zibanejad and Kreider, as mentioned above. He's got another to call to make on K'Andre Miller, who's a restricted free agent with arbitration rights and due a sizeable raise.
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The thing is, though, that the 25-year-old minute-munching defenseman has had some pretty wild swings with his overall play the past two seasons. Not only is his production way down (from 43 points in 2022-23 to 30 last season to 27 this), but Miller's made a boatload of egregious mistakes in his own end, many of which cost the Rangers wins and points in the standings.
Then on the other hand, his advanced stats were not terrible this season, considering he's typically out there against the opposition's top line night after night. And with Ryan Lindgren gone, Miller could very well be the long-term answer as Adam Fox's partner moving forward.
The Rangers could get a decent haul in return if they trade Miller in his prime, though they'd then have to replace him on the blue line. Or they could re-sign him, but that could be a real sticky negotiation, considering he can become a UFA in 2027 and is likely seeking a rich long-term commitment from the Rangers.
On a smaller scale, Drury must decide the futures of pending RFAs Zac Jones, Jusso Parssinen and Arthur Kaliyev this offseason. Easier calls will be to re-sign RFAs Will Cuylle, Matt Rempe and Adam Edstrom.
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