Even though it’ll be a few years until the New York Rangers are in the conversation as contenders for a Stanley Cup championship, they are well on their way back to become a force in the playoffs. The Rangers front office, especially General Manager Jeff Gorton, has been working very hard in acquiring draft capital, mostly by letting go of players on the tail end of their contracts.
This all starts with making trades. It’s very hard to deal away fan favorites like Mats Zuccarello, and Kevin Hayes, but when the end result is more draft picks for the upcoming years, then you have to do it.