There’s little doubt that New York Rangers team president Chris Drury is planning to be active this offseason.Multiple league sources believe he’d like to take a big swing if the right opportunity presents itself, but as we detailed last week, the market isn’t exactly brimming with high-end talent. This year’s free-agent class is as shallow as any in recent years, and while ample trade speculation has surrounded stars such as Auston Matthews and Brady Tkachuk, banking on those far-fetched scenarios doesn’t suffice as a sound strategy.Rather than hoping for a franchise-altering deal that may never come, the Rangers should be exploring moves that replenish their asset pool and infuse their lineup with much-needed skill, speed and youth. It will require levels of patience, creativity and opportunism that have been lacking in recent years, but Drury is believed to be looking under every rock for ways to turn this thing around.We’ll examine some of the free-agent options as we get closer to July 1, but today’s exercise will focus on two types of trades New York is pursuing:
Acquiring young players with upside who haven’t hit their ceilings and could benefit from changes in scenery.
Weaponizing nearly $30 million in salary cap space to absorb contracts that other teams want to move and potentially turn them into additional assets.
