3 weakest links New York Rangers should promptly get rid of ft. Matt Rempe

The New York Rangers will be looking to pull off a quick retool this summer. The club is one year removed from a Presidents’ Trophy season.

The Blue Shirts have already shaken things up by moving on from Peter Laviolette and hiring Mike Sullivan. The hope is that Sullivan can spur a turnaround on Broadway, leading to a Stanley Cup championship.

But amid the efforts to turn things around this upcoming season, three team members stand out as weak links that the team should move on promptly.

3 weakest links New York Rangers should promptly get rid of

#3 Chris Drury

New York Rangers GM Chris Drury engineered one of the most successful seasons in team history, leading to the Presidents’ Trophy in 2023-24.

That same core faltered this past season. The debacle reached a low point with the trade of former captain Jacob Trouba to the Anaheim Ducks.

The Rangers and Ducks were trade partners again, this time involving former 50-goal scorer Chris Kreider. In both deals, Drury landed underwhelming returns. While the objective was to shed payroll, Drury did not significantly address the team’s needs.

Drury also preyed on the Vancouver Canucks in the J.T. Miller deal. But it cost the team Filip Chytil a solid center with top-six potential.

Perhaps the most concerning situation is the self-inflicted cap crunch. The Blue Shirts have six players taking up over half of the club’s salary cap allocation. To make matters more complicated, Artemi Panarin is entering the final year of his contract.

Panarin will need a new contract for next season and the Rangers may not have the cap space to retain him.

#2 Mika Zibanejad

Zibanejad's declining production makes his contract an albatross - Source: Imagn

Mika Zibanejad’s declining production has been concerning for the New York Rangers. His production has dropped two consecutive seasons after notching 39 goals and 91 points in 2022-23.

Zibanejad is under contract until 2030 at a cap hit of $8.5 million. That situation has led to speculation that Zibanejad could be on the move this summer. His full no-movement clause stands in the way of anything getting done.

#1 Matt Rempe

Rempe's one-dimensional skill set makes him a liability on the ice - Source: Imagn

Matt Rempe is about as one-dimensional as a player can get. His limited skill set centers on his bruising, pugnacious style.

As an RFA at the end of the season, the New York Rangers moved to re-sign Rempe to a two-year deal with a $975K AAV.

While the deal is hardly onerous, Rempe is the sort of player who hits the ice for less than 10 minutes a night. As such, his roster spot would be better served for a reliable fourth-line player who can contribute at both ends of the ice.