New York Rangers roster tiers: Who stays and who goes this offseason?

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We do know at least one person in the New York Rangers hierarchy who’s staying. President/general manager Chris Drury received a multiyear extension on Wednesday from owner James Dolan, a move that was announced — rare for this organization to publicly announce front-office contracts — in part to quell any speculation that Drury might follow Peter Laviolette out the door and in part to remind the players after this dismal 2024-25 season that Drury still has his boss’ backing.

That means more change is coming to a roster that drastically changed before and during this past season, to pretty terrible results. Five Rangers in the opening night lineup — Jacob Trouba, Kaapo Kakko, Filip Chytil, Victor Mancini and Reilly Smith — plus injured regulars Ryan Lindgren and Jimmy Vesey were moved during the season. There’s almost surely more to come.

So here’s our initial stab at who’s on the way out and who will still be in a Ranger uniform when the puck drops on the 2025-26 season.

Locks to stay

Igor Shesterkin: His eight-year extension worth $11.5 million per kicks in next season, and despite the bad year, Shesterkin was the only thing standing between the Rangers and a bottom-five finish in the league. Maybe he should have been worse this season, given the draft lottery odds for the Rangers now, but he’s a cornerstone.

Adam Fox: A down season for Fox is still a season 99 percent of the defensemen in the league would love to have. He didn’t impact the Rangers enough at five-on-five, and the power play sank like a stone the back two-thirds of the season, but Fox managed to post 61 points and a plus-17.2 expected-goal differential when on the ice. Yeah, the Rangers still need him.

J.T. Miller: Drury expended a lot of capital — Chytil, Mancini and a top-13 protected first-round pick, which now belongs to the Pittsburgh Penguins and will be the subject of some debate this offseason as to whether the Rangers should surrender this year’s first or next year’s unprotected first — to get Miller, so he’s a centerpiece of this group now.

Vincent Trocheck: Like pretty much every other Rangers player, Trocheck had a down season, but he still put up 26 goals and 59 points. He and Miller are the veteran leadership core now.

Braden Schneider: Now we know that a torn labrum in Schneider’s shoulder is what seemed to cause a stumbling-block season for the promising young defenseman. Between surgery and another year at the low cost of $2.2 million, he’ll be back.

Will Borgen: Armed with a five-year extension, earned after just 17 games with the Rangers, Borgen’s not going anywhere.

Jonathan Quick: Quick’s play as Shesterkin’s backup tailed off, but his steadying influence in the room, especially within the goalie room, is of bigger importance.

Adam Edström: The Rangers were already in their tailspin when Edström was lost for the season in early February, but they definitely missed the big fourth-liner’s presence.

Matt Rempe: If there’s one lasting impact Laviolette had on this team, it might be the improvement from the big fella. Rempe looks like an NHLer now.

Gabe Perreault: He’s going to have a new coaching staff evaluating him and it will be his first full NHL training camp, but even if Perreault isn’t immediately in a key role, no chance the Rangers move him.

Sam Carrick: If the Rangers stay healthy, a new coach could do worse than running an Edström-Carrick-Rempe line out there every night.

Jonny Brodzinski: No guarantee he’ll be in the Rangers lineup every night, but 12 goals for barely over league minimum means Brodzinski will be around.

Near-locks, but not certain

Artemi Panarin: He’s still far and away the most important Ranger not named Shesterkin, and he has a full no-move clause. But with just one year left on his deal and the sexual assault claim settlement he and the Rangers made in August now public, this summer might be the time to move on. Especially if the Rangers are truly trying to forge a new path as a team that’s hard to play against and built for the postseason, maybe Panarin could be convinced his future is elsewhere.

Alexis Lafrenière: There’s probably some buyer’s remorse going on with Drury over the seven-year, $7.45-million extension that Lafrenière signed on Oct. 25. The 23-year-old took a big step back this season. There’s likely no way Drury could move him with that new contract for any sort of fair value, but that doesn’t mean the Rangers GM won’t gauge the market.

Mika Zibanejad: Like Panarin, there’s a no-move clause and a player in this case who’s been pretty clear in his public statements that he has no intention of waiving that clause. Zibanejad did have a big finishing kick with 33 points in the team’s final 32 games, but it’s those first 50 that were the problem.

Will Cuylle: It’s not a matter of wanting Cuylle back — the 23-year-old wing scored 20 goals and emerged as a quietly no-nonsense voice in the room — but more whether the Rangers can agree on a second contract for him before some offer-sheet hunters come sniffing around. That’s a long shot, but it puts him just a notch below a lock to return until he’s signed.

Decisions, decisions

K’Andre Miller: Does Drury commit a decent amount of the Rangers’ limited cap space this offseason — $9.67 million right now, according to PuckPedia — to lock up Miller, or is there a trade out there that would bring the right pieces back for where the Rangers want to be? Miller got lost in the fog for a bit this season but ended up with 27 points and a decent pairing with Borgen. Doubtful he takes another short-term deal like the one that’s expiring. There are left-handed defense options on the unrestricted free agent market but none with Miller’s upside and youth. It’s a tough call.

Zac Jones: He’s wanted out, and it’s now two coaches who haven’t wanted to use him regularly. Seems like an easy call, right? Except that there’s a new coach coming in and Jones is still 24, so tossing him aside isn’t really Drury’s style.

Juuso Parssinen: He’s a pending restricted free agent, like the other three players in this category, but with far less fanfare. Parssinen showed some flashes after coming over in the Lindgren-Vesey deal, and he’s only 24, but there’s no obvious spot for him in the top 13 forward group.

Arthur Kaliyev: Again, some flashes, but also no real spot for him.

Likely back, but could be moved for improvements

Brennan Othmann: He got his chance at regular NHL minutes after 94 AHL games and, despite the amazing lack of production — 0-2-2 in 22 games — didn’t look out of place. There may not be much of a market for him, but if the Rangers go for a big offseason trade, I could see Othmann being part of a package.

Carson Soucy: The Rangers acquired Soucy in a standalone deal to see if he could be a Lindgren replacement alongside Fox. It didn’t look that way in his 16 games, but he has a year left on his contract, so perhaps a new coach can unlock him.

Urho Vaakanainen: He had a decent enough run in 46 games after coming in the Trouba deal and earned a very modest two-year extension at $1.55 million per, but is Vaakanainen an every-night defenseman? Jury’s out on that.

Brett Berard: Lots of heart and some skill too, plus one more year on his entry-level deal means we’ll very likely see Berard at camp next year.

Adios, amigo

Chris Kreider: After all the injuries and hard feelings it’s difficult to see Kreider returning. Definitely not impossible, given he’s got two years left at $6.5 million and there may not be much of a market for him, but if there were a rift with any remaining Rangers, it’s likely the strongest between management and the team’s third all-time leading goal scorer. It will be a sour way to go out, but it would be best for all parties.

Calvin de Haan: He wants a job next season, and it’s doubtful it’ll be here. Especially after dropping an F-bomb about his treatment following the trade from the Colorado Avalanche.

(Top photo of Ryan Lindgren, Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider: Luke Hales / Getty Images)

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