The Rangers have committed $19.6 million to just a pair of players this offseason, which has grabbed the headlines and shunted the rest of the offseason to the back burner. When the Rangers signed Artemi Panarin and Jacob Trouba to their seven year deals, some viewed it as a major step in the right direction. Others were fearful that the Rangers were repeating history, and not learning from prior mistakes. This fear is certainly understood.
The Rangers of the past, specifically under the Glen Sather regime, have a history of long term contracts to old players.