Countdown to Free Agent Frenzy: Rangers looking to shake things up
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With the Stanley Cup Final underway, the NHL's off-season has arrived for 30 teams who are preparing for the NHL Draft starting on June 27 and Free Agent Frenzy on July 1. TSN.ca keeps you up to date with all the latest rumours and speculation from around the NHL beat.
Rangers looking at big changes
The New York Rangers are among a handful teams that are considering big changes to their roster with some big names possibly becoming available, according to Arthur Staple of The Athletic.
Staple suggests that only goaltender Igor Shesterkin, defenceman Adam Fox, and winger Artemi Panarin could be the only ones who are safe from trade rumours this off-season.
The Rangers enter the off-season with just over $11 million of cap space with eight players on their roster needing contracts, including defencemen K'Andre Miller and Zac Jones, and forwards Arthur Kaliyev, Matt Rempe, and Will Cuylle.
Staple also suggests that the team may be looking to shed some cap space in order to make a pitch to pending unrestricted free agent defenceman Vladislav Gavrikov once Free Agent Frenzy begins on July 1.
Gavrikov, 29, recorded nine goals and 30 points in 82 games with the Los Angeles Kings last season while averaging 23:05 of ice time.
He added two assists in six playoff games while averaging 21:00 of ice time before his team was eliminated by the Edmonton Oilers in the first round.
The 6-foot-3 left-shot defenceman is coming off a two-year, $11.75 million contract that carried an annual cap hit of $5.98 million.
Drafted 159th overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2015, Gavrikov has 29 goals and 135 points in 435 career games split between the Blue Jackets and Kings.
Islanders have decisions to make
While Staple suggests the the New York Islanders aren't looking to make major surgery on their team, there are some decisions that newly appointing general manager Mathieu Darche and head coach Patrick Roy have to make before the start of next season.
The long-term future for defenceman Scott Mayfield and forward Anthony Duclair with the organizations are two of the bigger decisions they have to make.
Mayfield, 32, played his entire 11-season career with the Islanders and recorded three goals and nine points in 66 games last season while averaging 17:00 of ice time with a plus-18 rating.
The 6-foot-5 right-shot defenceman is signed through the 2029-30 campaign with an annual cap hit of $3.5 million. He has a no-trade clause this year and next year before it becomes a modified no-trade clause where he can supply a 16-team list.
Despite Mayfield's security in his contract, the St. Louis native fell out of favour with Roy last season, according to Staple, but Darche still thinks he has value.
Drafted 34th overall by the Islanders in 2011, Mayfield has 28 goals and 125 points in 535 career games with a career plus-28 rating.
Duclair, 29, joined the Islanders as an unrestricted free agent in July of 2024 on a four-year, $14 million contract with an annual cap hit of $3.5 million.
The 6-foot winger's first season with the Islanders was riddled with injuries, leading him to record seven goals and 11 points in only 44 games.
Duclair left the team near the end of the regular season for personal reasons but is expected to report for training camp in September.
Drafted 80th overall by the Rangers in 2013, Duclair has 153 goals and 314 points in 607 career games split between the Rangers, Arizona Coyotes, Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Ottawa Senators, Florida Panthers, San Jose Sharks, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Islanders.