Rangers 2024 Free Agents, Draft Targets, Offseason Guide After NHL Playoff Loss

The 2023-24 New York Rangers were built to contend for a Stanley Cup.

Now that the Rangers have been eliminated from the Eastern Conference Finals with a Game 6 loss to the Florida Panthers, general manager Chris Drury is going to face an offseason full of tough decisions.

Was winning a franchise-record 55 games during the regular season good enough to justify keeping this Rangers roster together, or does falling short of the Stanley Cup Final necessitate major changes?

Here's a look at the first questions Drury must answer this offseason as the Rangers prepare for their next run at the Cup.

Unrestricted free agents: Alexander Wennberg, Jack Roslovic, Erik Gustafsson, Chad Ruhwedel, Blake Wheeler

Restricted free agents: Kaapo Kakko, Ryan Lindgren, Braden Schneider

The Rangers may need to find a new third-line center as Alexander Wennberg heads into free agency.

A trade deadline pickup from the Seattle Kraken, who retained half his salary, Wennberg helped fill out New York's center depth at a discount. He contributed five points (one goal, four assists) in 19 regular-season games and became a go-to on faceoffs after fellow veteran center Nick Bonino was waived in February.

The Blueshirts could also bid farewell to Blake Wheeler, who missed the last two months of the regular season after suffering a right leg injury in February. The veteran winger, who joined the Rangers last offseason after 12 full seasons with the Winnipeg Jets, turns 38 in August.

The most pressing restricted free agent negotiation the Rangers will begin this offseason involves Kaapo Kakko.

After contributing 18 goals and 22 assists in the regular season prior, Kakko's numbers dipped in 2023-24. In addition to being sidelined 21 games with a lower-body injury, Kakko struggled to produce when healthy. His 19 points in 61 regular-season games, despite getting opportunities to play within the Rangers' high-octane top six, sparked trade rumors around the deadline.

That deal never materialized, and the Rangers would prefer not to lose the No. 2 pick of the 2019 draft for nothing.

New York could consider offering Kakko a similar contract to what Alexis Lafreniere, the top pick of the 2020 draft, was offered last offseason: a two-year deal worth $4.65 million. A contract in that range would allow the Rangers cap flexibility, while giving Kakko the chance to compete for a more lucrative extension if he is able to up his production by the end of the deal.

New York has managed to hold onto its first-rounders despite being a perennial contender.

The Blueshirts have four picks available in the upcoming 2024 NHL Draft, which includes a late first-round pick.

The Rangers have also retained their 2025 and 2026 first-rounders, which will give the team potential trade fodder if taking a swing at the market ahead of next season.

2024 Draft Picks

Round 1: One pick

Round 4: One pick

Round 5: One pick

Round 6: One pick

The Rangers traded their second-round pick in the deal for Alex Wennberg; their third-round pick in the 2023 trade for Vladimir Tarasenko; and their seventh-rounder in a 2023 pick swap with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

New York boasts a few top wing prospects, including former first-rounders Brennan Othmann and Gabe Perreault.

The Rangers also have Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick signed through 2024-25, and hold a promising prospect in Hartford with Dylan Garand.

It would make sense for the Rangers to target centers or defense in the upcoming draft. Two possibilities are Sacha Boisvert, a 6-foot-2 center putting up over a point per game in the USHL, or Colton Roberts, who is projected by Sportsnet's Jason Bukala as a potential two-way defenseman.

Both players could fall to the end of the first round and be considered by the Rangers as they look to bolster a strong forward prospect pool.

The core members of the Rangers' 55-win team are locked in through next season, including elite scorer Artemi Panarin and first-line center Vincent Trocheck.

During the 2023-24 campaign, the two were flanked by Lafreniere, who finished the season with 28 goals and 29 assists for 57 points in 82 games.

Although Lafreniere reached a new level during the postseason, adding a star winger to compete for the LW1 spot could help New York continue to dominate offensively next season.

The Rangers could take a game-changing swing at upgrading the team's top line if they make a bid for a top-line winger like the Vegas Golden Knight's Jonathan Marchessault or Tampa Bay Lightning's Steven Stamkos. Both are 40-goal scorers heading into free agency this offseason.

New York has the benefit of offering either player a chance to play on a contending team in 2025. That could help motivate either veteran to leave their former championship squads in order to play at Madison Square Garden.

The Rangers need something more to push them over the playoff hump. It's time for this team to take a swing at finding that addition in free agency, and that could start with signing a top-tier winger to add even more offensive weapons to an already-dangerous top six.