What will Rangers do at trade deadline? Could Chris Kreider be dealt? Mailbag

The Rangers have been off this week, though six of their players have been in action at the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Adam Fox, J.T.

Miller and Vincent Trocheck all played for Team USA in its 6-1 win against Urho Vaakanainens Finns, and Mika Zibanejad represented Sweden in the tournament opener Wednesday.

Chris Kreider is also at the tournament with the Americans, though he was a healthy scratch Thursday.

Advertisement The rest of the Rangers return to practice Feb.

18.

The in-season break felt like a good time to answer some mailbag questions.

We got lots of good ones, so were splitting our answers into two parts.

Arthur Staple will take Part 2 next week.

(Some questions have been edited for length, clarity and grammar.) Betting odds for Zibanejad being moved this summer? Jimbo.

If Zibanejad wants to remain in New York, hes going to remain in New York.

He has a full no-movement clause in his contract, and a buyout would barely save the Rangers any money against the salary cap.

The Rangers could try to persuade Zibanejad to waive his no-movement clause over the summer, but that would come with significant risk.

If it doesnt work, the front office will have potentially ostracized someone it will still need to perform at a high level.

There also likely will not be a ton of teams with the flexibility to take on the rest of Zibanejads contract ($8.5 million average annual value through 2029-30), and he might not have interest in the clubs that are willing and able.

Zibanejads play entering the break gives some reason for optimism about his future fit in New York.

Since the start of January, he has five goals, 16 points and is minus-2 in 19 games.

Thats not the level of production the Rangers likely want, but its moving in the right direction.

The team has tried him at right wing since the addition of J.T.

Miller, and thats had success in a still-limited sample size.

Keeping him there could make sense, but it would mean the Rangers have to add at center going into next season.

Is it about time the Rangers start entertaining the idea of an Artemi Panarin trade? With retention and the appeal of two playoff runs, the price should start at a first-round pick, a high-end prospect and a roster player.

Hell be 35 when his deal is up.

James C.

The Rangers could undoubtedly get a haul for Panarin, but there are multiple barriers.

Like Zibanejad, Panarin has a no-movement clause, so hed have to sign off on any deal.

Additionally, and as you mentioned, New York would likely have to retain salary if its an in-season move because most contenders arent able to easily fit in an $11.6 million cap hit.

That would eat into the Rangers cap flexibility for 2025-26.

Advertisement Lastly, its hard to envision New York having a better 2025-26 roster without Panarin than with him.

By acquiring 31-year-old J.T.

Miller, Chris Drury signified he wants to contend soon, even if 2024-25 ends up being a lost season.

Trading Panarin would seemingly go in the face of that, even if it could bring back players who could help the team over a longer window.

When will Ryan Lindgren be addressed by the media or the coaching staff? Jimmy M.

We got a few variations of questions about Lindgren, who has become the subject of scorn among a segment of Rangers fans.

Our coverage has been consistent in reporting on his performance this season.

During the midseason grades, I gave him a D.

Hes been a regular on a strong penalty kill, but his play has taken an overall downturn.

Weve consistently written about him as a trade possibility and reported that this is likely his last season in New York.

The coaching staff has continued to rely on Lindgren, in part because hes Adam Foxs longtime defensive partner.

His time on ice per game is up to 19:53, more than each of the past two seasons and third-highest among current Rangers defensemen.

Jacob Troubas departure has played a role in that.

Lindgren leads the team in penalty-kill minutes despite missing the first five games of the season.

Coach Peter Laviolettes ice time distribution also shows he trusts Lindgren more than the likes of Braden Schneider and Vaakanainen against other teams top players.

Thats led to Lindgren getting burned at points this season in less-than-ideal ways for a defensive defenseman, but Laviolette appears to believe those mistakes will be less frequent with Lindgren on the ice than with some of the teams less experienced defensemen.

Last year, Igor Shesterkin was having a rough go until the All-Star Game, where he played really well and seemed to find his confidence.

It catapulted him to an amazing second half.

Of the Rangers competing in the 4 Nations, which player might be able to use the experience as a catalyst for the rest of the season in the same way? Terence M.

Zibanejad seems like a candidate to come out of the break strong.

He traditionally plays well when representing Sweden, and his game seemed to turn a corner entering the break.

If things go well for him and the Rangers, the 4 Nations tournament will allow him to keep his momentum heading into the final stretch of the NHL regular season.

Lets say we could add a shutdown defenseman and a high-quality third-line center.

Do you believe we can contend for a Cup? Because if we cant, Drury might as well sell off what we can and get some youngsters some playing time.

Henry H.

The Rangers played better in January, but they still are a ways off from being a true Stanley Cup contender, even with the addition of Miller.

Adding a high-quality third-line center and shutdown defenseman would in theory bring them closer, but Drury would have to pay a big price to make it happen.

That comes with huge risk.

New York has depleted significant draft capital by buying at recent deadlines, and this year could be a chance to re-stock, or at least not sacrifice any more.

The teams worst-case scenario would be giving up picks and prospects for rentals, only to miss the postseason or be a first-round out.

Advertisement If Drury wants to add, it makes most sense for him to do so by trading for players under contract beyond this season.

Miller fit that mold.

Someone like Buffalos Dylan Cozens (No.

5 on Chris Johnstons latest trade board ) could, too.

Brock Nelson or Yanni Gourde would not.

If the front office goes for rentals, theres no guarantee of a worthwhile payoff.

Players with term at least give New York more kicks at the can.

Like you said, Henry, if Drury does not view this team as a Cup contender, he could opt to trade pending unrestricted free agents like Lindgren, Reilly Smith and Jimmy Vesey.

None of those players would bring back huge returns, but New York could get back some mid-round picks.

Drury could use those either to add players to the prospect pool or to trade for more immediate help over the summer.

It also could open opportunities this season for prospects like Brennan Othmann and Brett Berard.

Why would the Rangers want to trade Reilly Smith? Hes good defensively and chips in points including shorthanded.

Whats all the trade talk about him for? Hes valuable.

Tim R.

Youre right that trading Smith would likely make the Rangers worse, but it would not be a move aimed at this year.

Smith is a pending unrestricted free agent, and New York probably wont have the cap flexibility to bring him back.

If Drury were to move him, it would likely be a signal that he doesnt believe the 2024-25 team is good enough to make a meaningful playoff run.

We outlined above why, if thats the case, it makes sense to trade away players such as Smith, Lindgren and Vesey.

Do you see Lindgren, Smith and Zac Jones being traded at the deadline? If so, what do they bring in return for the Rangers? Nicholas R.

Weve already gone through the dilemma Drury faces at the deadline.

If he doesnt believe the Rangers have a chance to make a run, the wise choice would be to trade away pending free agents for future assets.

The Rangers wont get a dramatic return for any of these players.

I wrote in January that Lindgren could probably fetch a third-round pick and maybe a second if there arent many defensemen available.

Smith feels like he could bring back a third- or fourth-round pick.

You didnt ask about Vesey, but past trade returns indicate the Rangers could get a later-round pick for him, perhaps in the fifth or sixth round.

Jones is an interesting case.

If the Rangers trade Lindgren and dont get a defenseman back, New York could keep him around and give him more extended playing time.

Jones doesnt appear to have a ton of trade value.

New York granted his camp permission to speak to other teams about a potential trade, but nothing came together.

Theoretically, the Rangers would have moved him had they got any appealing offers.

Any chance Drury trades Chris Kreider by the deadline? Nicholas R.

When Drury sent a memo to other teams in November saying he was willing to trade roster players, he mentioned Trouba and Kreider by name.

The Rangers sent Trouba to Anaheim a month later.

Advertisement Kreider, who is on a $6.5 million AAV contract through 2026-27, has not done much to help his trade value this season.

After Drurys memo, he came out publicly and said hes been dealing with back spasms, and hes producing points at the lowest rate of his career since 2012-13.

He also has a 15-team no-trade list.

That gives him some say in his situation, though not as much as Zibanejad, Panarin and players with no-movement clauses have with theirs.

Kreiders future with the Rangers is murky, but its hard to see a contender making enough salary cap room to take on his entire contract midseason.

Its not impossible, but it feels more like an offseason move if it happens.

(Photo of Chris Kreider: Sarah Stier / Getty Images).

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