Mirroring a similar action they took almost eight years ago, the New York Rangers released a public statement — a letter — to fans and the media announcing the club would chart a new direction for its competitive future, embracing a “retool” of its roster as the best path back to legitimate Stanley Cup contention.
While no transactions have yet been made to kick off this “retool,” (outside of a brief recall of defenseman Connor Mackey) it’s likely that we’ll see several made as we get closer to the NHL’s trade deadline on March 6.
In the aftermath of the Rangers’ letter, two players have emerged as the most likely candidates to be traded by the team before the deadline: pending UFAs Artemi Panarin and