Reality Setting in for Rangers, Who Won’t Find Quick Free Agency Fix

Elliotte Friedman believes the New York Rangers may be facing a longer, more complicated reset than many fans want to admit.

Speaking on the 32 Thoughts podcast, the NHL insider suggested the organization is caught between expectations, ownership tendencies, and a lack of true options to change the team quickly — even though New York remains a destination market. He said it’s hard to envision a fast organizational pivot, but that the Rangers never truly commit to a full rebuild.

---

Last time the team wanted to undergo a rebuild, they bailed on it after signing a difference-maker in free agency. “They almost never really got a chance to start it,” Friedman said, referencing Artemi Panarin falling into their lap and accelerating the timeline prematurely.

While the Rangers aren’t in traditional tax-friendly or warm-weather destinations like Florida, Texas, or Vegas, Friedman still believes New York carries elite appeal. The problem now, however, is that free agency is no longer the solution it once was.

“The best player who’s still a free agent is their own guy,” Friedman said, adding that the Rangers haven’t been willing to pay him what he wants — at least to this point. And beyond that, there simply isn’t an available player capable of instantly changing the franchise’s trajectory.

Even if Connor McDavid somehow hit unrestricted free agency, Friedman joked, the Rangers would offer him “three blocks of prime real estate in Manhattan.” But that kind of opportunity doesn’t exist — and most elite players are locked up long before free agency arrives.

With limited trade capital and few transformational options available to sign, Friedman compared the Rangers’ position to what Vancouver is now beginning to acknowledge: it may require a longer, more patient evaluation.

The Rangers Players Are Feeling the Pressure

That pressure is already being felt in the locker room, said Friedman.

He described a team walking on eggshells, with players struggling to balance accountability and media scrutiny. Comments about effort, panic, and confusion — including J.T. Miller’s blunt “I don’t even know what to answer for you” response — reflect a group unsure how to publicly address internal problems without making things worse.

“That’s a really tough place to be,” Friedman said. “The bottom line is that’s a much bigger job than I think they realize.”

Friedman suggested reality may be setting in for the Rangers — that fixing what’s wrong won’t be quick, easy, or solved by one move.

Next: Latest NHL Trade Buzz: Oilers, Canucks, and Big Names on the Trade Board