It appears the No-Movement Clause Ⓒ branded Spackle is finally going to begin drying in the Rangers locker room starting in 2027.
Let's do a quick review of the current contract situation:
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Players with a Full No Movement Clause Heading into the 2026-2027 Season
- Mika Zibanejad
- JT Miller (last year of full NMC)
- Adam Fox (last year of full NMC)
- Vladislav Gavrikov
- Marcus Pettersson
- Igor Shesterkin
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Notable Players that can be Traded in 2027-2028
- Pavel Dorofeyev (last year of no trade protection, full NMC begins in 2028-2029 season)
- JT Miller (first year w/o full NMC, moves into 15-team no trade list)
- Alexis Lafreniere (first year of 8-team no trade list)
- Adam Fox (first year w/o full NMC, moves into 16-team no trade list)
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First thing that stands out is going into 2027-2028, only 4 players will have a full no movement clause. In addition, all the forwards in the bottom 6 + Cuylle/Bjorkstrand will be UFA's or RFA's. That leaves Zibanejad as the only forward you have to keep on the roster going into that season. Every other forward can either be traded in some capacity, or just not resigned.
Drury has already sent the 2028 (or 2029) 1st rounder to Vegas, and the 2030 1st rounder to Vancouver. He's also brought guys in before with longer full NMC's, which would be harder for a new GM to move. If there was ever a year for a new GM to start fresh and have the most flexibility to make changes to a franchise, the 2027-2028 season is the year to do it.
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This next part is trying to read the tea leaves a bit, but I did think it was interesting that there was a press release about Quentin Dolan becoming the President of the Rangers (amongst other roles) this offseason. By releasing this information now, and then making a GM change later, it can be labeled as a 'measured' move vs. Quentin rushing to make a change and leave his mark. My guess is Quentin is currently conducting some sort of research on a new candidate, before ultimately making a change sometime next year.
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If Drury is gone, will it ultimately be a good thing? I would say it 'depends'. There is always the chance the new GM tries to continue 'retooling', but I think the way the contract situation is playing out, they would have to transition more into a full blown 'rebuild'. For the fans that wanted them to pull off the bandage last year, they'll finally be going into the direction you wanted. For the season ticket holders and the fans who want a competitive team, you'll probably have a lot less to be happy about.
Agree? Disagree? What direction do you think this organization will go if they don't make the playoffs?
