Latest news with #PhilipBroberg
New York Times
21-07-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Five ways Edmonton Oilers can extend Connor McDavid contention window
Edmontonians are well into summer now, with steaks on the barbeque, walks in the river valley and trips to the lake. Oilers talk is small, and when there's talk at all, it's mostly about the unsolved goaltending dilemma. Hidden under the warm days and 9:49 p.m. sunsets is an unwavering anxiety about Connor McDavid, his next contract, and future NHL seasons without the team's brilliant captain. Insiders universally agree McDavid is likely to sign, with most of the media speculation surrounding length of contract. Advertisement In a city that once saw the NHL's all-time best player sold out from under it almost 40 years ago, there will be unrest until the contract is signed and the ink is dry. For Oilers management, there are some things that can be done to ensure a Stanley Cup parade during McDavid's time in the Alberta capital. Here are five fixes that can help the organization reach the ultimate goal. Last summer, the organization was between general managers on July 1, the official start of free agency. CEO and president Jeff Jackson was point man for the proceedings, and the club quickly signed free-agent forwards Jeff Skinner, Viktor Arvidsson and Adam Henrique to contracts. All three were value deals, and at first blush, fans were invigorated. The offer sheets from the St. Louis Blues for Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway were not matched by the Oilers, mostly due to the $10 million invested in veteran forwards on July 1. Recognizing some innovation by the organization for signing short-term deals (Skinner and Arvidsson have already left the team for new NHL cities), the loss of Holloway and Broberg had a massive impact on the future quality of the roster. The threat of an offer sheet remained this summer and had an impact on the Evan Bouchard deal. Each fall starts with the Oilers having a massive advantage with McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Every dollar counts. The offer sheets a year ago, and the Bouchard extension this year, were all a heavy price brought on by a management group slow to understand shifting sands. Bowman has done solid work on the roster since arriving last August, the offer sheets going unmatched aside. Reports of running all year well under the cap offer hope for strong additions at the deadline. The window of opportunity to win remains, but it's not infinite. Advertisement The cap is about to spike, but Edmonton's cap wisdom remains a concern. During the period leading up to drafting McDavid, the Oilers employed analytics innovator Tyler Dellow. As the movement toward using statistical analysis was in its infancy, the Oilers had a chance to be the tip of the spear in an important new area. It was not to be. Dellow moved along to the New Jersey Devils, and has joined Carolina Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky (himself an impact analytics pioneer) in an effort to bring the Stanley Cup back to Raleigh. Adding to the Carolina numbers department is the recent hiring of Dennis King, who pioneered 'dangerous shots' and the impact of events that forced the goalie to move on possible scoring plays. Meanwhile, credit to the Oilers for recent improvement. Michael Parkatti's hiring as senior director of analytics in September 2023, the fine work being done by Kalle Larsson in player development (detailed by Daniel Nugent-Bowman at The Athletic), and solid work from Bowman and the pro scouts in landing one of the top 10 free agents in terms of contract quality are all signs of innovation via the numbers. The Oilers missed an opportunity a decade ago, but are firing on all pistons based on recent additions. Even before Bowman arrived as Oilers general manager, the team made procurement across the board more of a priority. Last summer, the team acquired top prospect Matt Savoie via trade with the Buffalo Sabres, and traded up to select right-handed centre Sam O'Reilly at the 2024 draft. This summer, Bowman dealt O'Reilly to the Tampa Bay Lightning for NHL-ready scoring winger Ike Howard. That doesn't necessarily improve the prospect pipeline, but the organization is hopeful it can introduce two future foundation wingers (Savoie and Howard) this winter. Advertisement That's an aggressive timeline, made necessary by the loss of Holloway one year ago. The talent is there, and one or both men could see action on a line with an elite centre, but there is risk involved. All over the roster, there are gaps and holes behind aging veterans. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was ineffective as a five-on-five contributor on the McDavid line one year ago, scoring just 1.5 points per 60 at five-on-five, via Natural Stat Trick. That number was 2.26 points per 60 in 2023-24, meaning a lot of goals were left behind last season. The organization may trust Andrew Mangiapane with the role in 2025-26, but Howard or another young player should eventually push his way into the lineup. There are plenty of stopgap options (Henrique, Trent Frederic), but the organization's acquisition of Howard suggests a recognition Nugent-Hopkins may not be able to deliver in the role much longer. A recovery by Nugent-Hopkins would be best, as he's the strongest two-way winger on the team. Even if there is positive regression, the time to plan for the future (via the Howard trade) is here. Bowman appears to have solutions for the future at No. 1 right wing (possibly Matt Savoie taking over for Zach Hyman, but that's probably two years away) and No. 1 left defence (most likely Jake Walman in for Mattias Ekholm, but Darnell Nurse is also a candidate). Even the strongest defenders of Stuart Skinner must be wondering if a stronger goaltending partner is required for next season. The problem for Bowman is a severe lack of options, or so it seems as July begins to fade into August. Management did add a new goalie coach for the coming year. Peter Aubry carries an impressive resume, and the hockey industry speaks well of him. If he can be a goalie whisperer for Skinner, and help him backstop the team to a Stanley Cup, fans will build Aubry a monument next to Wayne Gretzky's by this time next summer. In the first period of Game 6 of the Stanley Cup final versus Florida Panthers, the Oilers' No. 1 line and top pairing made a series of poor plays that led to the game's first goal. Much of what needs to be cleaned up is contained in that single goal:
New York Times
20-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
How the Blues' offseason could turn into a nightmare, if these 5 things happen
ST. LOUIS — On Thursday, The Athletic wrote about the perfect offseason for the St. Louis Blues. Now it's time for what a nightmare offseason would look like. Reading the reaction to the first article, there wasn't a lot of agreement among subscribers on signing Florida Panthers' free-agent forward Sam Bennett. In fact, knowing Bennett's projected cost ($10 million AAV?) and age (28), some of you strongly suggested that it would be a nightmare. And you're probably right, but it was just meant to be some summer speculation about the perfect offseason. Advertisement So what would a nightmarish couple of months look like for the Blues? Well, it could just be the reverse of what fans hope will go perfectly. For example, if you want the team to re-sign Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg a year before their contracts expire, then not re-signing them would be an unwanted outcome. I'll try and dig a little deeper than that. In the end, we can all agree — if you're the Blues, you don't want any of the items on this list to unfold this way. Thanks to their second-half run to the playoffs, the Blues have the No. 19 pick in the first round. If they choose to make that selection, they should come away with a good player from Corey Pronman's list of the top 125 prospects. But if forwards Cole Reschny (Victoria), Braeden Cootes (Seattle) and Jack Nesbitt (Windsor) are off the board, and defensemen Cameron Reid (Kitchener) and Logan Hensler (Wisconsin) are gone too, is there another player the amateur scouting staff likes in that spot, or would the team trade down? There's nothing wrong with the Blues moving back and acquiring, say, a third-round pick in return. They've had four first-round picks in the past two years, so there's a lot of top-end talent in the system. But with last year's first-round pick (Adam Jiricek) off to an injury-riddled start to his career, it could become a situation where the club looks back in a few years and sees that it missed out on some quality players. Forget about Bennett for a moment. What if the Blues not only can't make a big splash for a center, but can't find any centers in free agency who fit their need and price range? And what if GM Doug Armstrong also has trouble in the trade market? With the Dallas Stars signing pending UFA Matt Duchene on Thursday, and the Edmonton Oilers possibly having a deal for Trent Frederic, a few of the names are already coming off the board. There are others, such as the Toronto Maple Leafs' John Tavares and the Vancouver Canucks' Pius Suter, but what if they're re-signed by their current clubs, too? Advertisement As far as the trade market for a center, that looks bleak, as well. There weren't many to begin with on The Athletic's offseason trade board, so unless Armstrong is able to pluck away a player who isn't widely known to be available, then the Blues could have a tough time filling their hole. In May, I responded to a mailbag question about Blues goalie Joel Hofer getting an offer sheet this summer, and said, in my opinion, I don't think it's too much of a concern. That's not to say it can't happen, but I wouldn't be worried about the Blues matching, or even having to overpay him. Hofer, 24, will be a restricted free agent if he's still unsigned by the Blues on July 1. Granted that's 12 days away, and he doesn't have a contract. But the reason I don't think an offer sheet will come to fruition is because a team would have to give him a contract with a $4.6 million cap hit in order for the Blues to consider not matching. If it's between $2.3-$4.6 million, the compensation is just a second-round pick for the Blues, and they would match that. But as we saw with Armstrong signing Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg to dual offer sheets last season, and prying them away from the Edmonton Oilers, anything can happen. And if it did somehow happen to the Blues with Hofer, it would send them searching for a new partner for Jordan Binnington and a netminder for the future. In the final months of the regular season and in the playoffs, Blues coach Jim Montgomery could've flipped a coin when deciding whether to put either Mathieu Joseph or Alexandre Texier. Neither was overly impressive, nor did it appear that Montgomery trusted them. Joseph has one season ($2.95 million AAV) remaining on the contract that the Blues inherited when they acquired him from the Ottawa Senators in a trade last summer. With the NHL buyout window opening 48 hours after the Stanley Cup Final, The Athletic has put together a list of potential candidates that includes Joseph. It would save the Blues $2.2 million on their cap in 2025-26 and cost them $1.1 million against it in 2026-27. Advertisement Meanwhile, Texier has one more season ($2.1 million AAV) left on the deal that he signed when the Blues got him from the Columbus Blue Jackets. He has some skill and doesn't make much money, so he doesn't seem like a buyout candidate. It's not that Armstrong can't keep one of them around, but keeping both is a different story, and Joseph seems the most likely to go. Give credit to the Blues' defensive personnel, who clamped down after Montgomery took over and made the team much improved overall five-on-five. But that said, there wouldn't be too much excitement if training camp begins and Justin Faulk and Nick Leddy are both back, and Armstrong has re-signed Ryan Suter. There are a lot of players on the blue line who can skate and move the puck, but they're just not hard to play against. You can have Colton Parayko, Cam Fowler and Broberg, but if so, you have to accent them with players who are a bit more intimidating. Tyler Tucker is certainly that, and he helps, but whether it's boxing out five-on-five or on the penalty kill, there has to be more of a presence back there. Armstrong has long known that the Blues need to move on from one or more of those defensemen, but hasn't been able to because of the full no-trade clauses that he included in their contracts. But this summer, some of those full NTCs turn into modified NTCs, which will give the team some flexibility to move them. It'll be interesting to see if the GM follows through. (Top photo of Joel Hofer: Jeff Curry / Imagn Images)
New York Times
17-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Breaking down K'Andre Miller: What he does, what he's worth and what the Rangers should do
Just a few years ago, K'Andre Miller was one of the most eye-catching defensemen on the New York Rangers' back end. His straight-line skating, long reach and pesky stick made him a two-way threat to watch. Those raw skills helped him not only make the team but jump into a mainstay role. As much as Miller's shown glimpses of his potential, he hasn't hit his ceiling in New York yet. He hasn't even found a level of consistency that makes him a dependable cornerstone in the top four. And that is part of what complicates his future, as his two-year contract is set to expire in a couple of weeks. Advertisement The Rangers may not be ready to bet on him long-term just yet, but it doesn't mean another team won't. With Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway becoming success stories in St. Louis, opposing general managers may finally be ready to weaponize offer sheets. That puts pressure on an already challenging situation in New York. With the Rangers looking to shake up their roster after a disappointing 2024-25 and make key changes on defense, it puts Miller's game under a microscope. What does Miller bring to a lineup? What is it worth, and how should the Rangers handle the situation this summer? Miller's a naturally gifted player. His skating can be one of his best strengths between his long stride and acceleration. He isn't the most prolific scorer, but he can make the first pass out of his own zone. Miller has the wheels to play with pace and transition the puck up the ice, which helped the Rangers generate more quality offense in his minutes. The takeaway by 🔑. The finish from 🥶🥶🥶 — New York Rangers (@NYRangers) December 30, 2023 But even more importantly for someone generally tasked with playing against top offensive competition, he has the tools to shut down opponents. His skating, paired with his long reach, can be a threat in the defensive zone. It helps him catch up to opponents, break up plays with his stick and limit rush chances against. Miller can use his size to take away space from opponents and pressure them to turn the puck over. At times, even this past season, it helped fuel the Rangers from the back end. That was especially true in his minutes on the top pair with Adam Fox in the early goings of the season. The two played almost 315 five-on-five minutes together in total, outscoring opponents 19-12 and earning a 65 percent expected goal rate that ranks highly relative to the rest of the league. Advertisement But there were also extreme lows for Miller. The Rangers were completely exposed when Miller moved back to Jacob Trouba's left on the second pair. In 99 five-on-five minutes together, the Rangers were outscored 10-0 with a disastrous 29 percent expected goal rate. As easy as it was to pin that pair's shortcomings on Trouba — who was without a doubt part of the problem — Miller's game also is flawed. Playing with Will Borgen somewhat helped stabilize his game, relative to Trouba, but he still wasn't at the level the Rangers needed in such a key role. Miller's entry denial took a hit this season compared to 2023-24. Opponents were able to transition right past him into the zone and create scoring chances off the rush. According to tracking at AllThreeZones, his rush chances against numbers were some of the worst not just in New York, but league-wide. 🚨 Leo 🚨 What a SNIPE! 🎯#FlyTogether — Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) March 29, 2025 Some of those mistakes were due to his decision-making. He made poor reads in odd-man situations and sometimes left his feet to take himself out of position. NAMESTNIKOV FROM EHLERS AND THE JETS ARE UP BY 2✈️ — TSN (@TSN_Sports) November 13, 2024 In some instances, he would react and adjust too late to the shooter, leaving his goaltender exposed to a quality chance. KYLE CONNOR RIPS IT HOME TO PUT THE JETS UP 3-2 🏒🎯 — TSN (@TSN_Sports) November 13, 2024 Miller's puck management burned the Rangers at times too. He turned the puck over too often and didn't always recover quickly enough. As fast as his straight-line skating is, he still has work to do in tight. K'Andre Miller with a tough turnover and Thomas Harley makes up for his delay of game penalty by tying it 🫨 — B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) January 8, 2025 In a lot of ways, Miller lost some of the structure in his game that made him a fit for his deployment in matchup minutes. And over the last few years, under Phil Housley's direction, it doesn't appear that enough was done to help him rebound — besides giving him a new partner in Borgen. It diminished his value on a blue line that collapsed around him this year. Between all the ups and downs, the challenge is nailing down the proper value and how that inflates in a rising-cap world. Sometimes when a team is unsure of how best to proceed with an RFA, a bridge deal is the answer. It buys a team time to assess the player and create cap room for their next deal, and it's a chance for a player to show exactly what they're worth. Advertisement In Miller's case, it would give the Rangers time to see if he can bounce back after a rough 2024-25 under a new coaching staff. There's been a lot of coaching turnover in his five NHL seasons — from David Quinn (and Jacques Martin, who ran the defense) and Gerard Gallant (and Gord Murphy) to Peter Laviolette (and Housley) most recently. Miller is far from the only player to regress over the last couple of years under the latest coaching staff, but will Mike Sullivan (and now Quinn, as a defensive assistant) be able to get his game back on track? A two-year extension, according to Evolving-Hockey, projects to be worth $5.43 million a season, which would come in below his market value (according to The Athletic's Dom Luszczyszyn's model) and increase the chances of him delivering a positive value throughout. Maybe that would be more of a possibility if Miller didn't just play through a two-year bridge worth $3.87 million a year. Signing the 25-year-old to another short-term deal like this would take him right to unrestricted free agency, which could crush the Rangers' leverage and create a problem down the road. Evolving-Hockey's model points to a four-year deal as the highest probability extension, with a $5.94 million AAV. That, at least, would buy more of his prime years (which Luszczyszyn pointed out is between ages 23 and 29) without a long-term commitment that could age poorly if he doesn't take a step forward. The potential for an offer sheet could throw a wrench into the situation, though. If a team signs him between the $4.68 and $7.02 million range, the Rangers could get a first-round pick and a third-rounder in return. The next tier — $7.02 million to $ 9.36 million — would add a second-rounder to the compensation. The highest probability projection for Miller to sign outside of New York is a seven-year deal worth a $7.48 million AAV. That kind of deal is likely out of the Rangers' scope, considering their current cap situation. It also comes with a lot of risk considering his current trajectory, which could be reason enough for the Rangers not to match. If he can follow the path of some of his comps, like Esa Lindell and Brent Burns, as a true top-four defenseman capable of playing in a shutdown role in the long run, it would pay off. But Zach Bogosian, David Savard and Rasmus Ristolainen represent much dicier forecasts, which could give any team pause since Miller hasn't shown enough consistency in his career yet to firm up a path. The Rangers could wait for an offer sheet to land and figure it out from there. At worst, the team would get draft compensation in return, which would bolster its trade asset pool. But management may want to act a bit more proactively to ensure a certain level of return that threads the needle in an important offseason. As tempting as offer sheets are, especially after the Blues found so much success with theirs last summer, few teams have actually weaponized them in recent history. So a trade could be the Rangers' most certain path forward if management doesn't see a future with Miller. Even with all of his flaws and inconsistencies, teams will be interested in Miller this summer. Under the right coaching staff, within a stronger system, there is a way to harness the raw skills he brings to a lineup and turn that into a dependable top-four defender. It would make him a fit for up-and-coming teams like the Columbus Blue Jackets and Calgary Flames, who both need help on the back end. The Detroit Red Wings' left side could use a boost behind Simon Edvinsson, and Miller would be an upgrade on Ben Chiarot, Jeff Petry and Erik Gustafsson. Miller could make sense in Seattle behind Vince Dunn, or to give Hampus Lindholm some support on the left in Boston. Advertisement Contenders could also look at Miller, depending on free agent departures. The Los Angeles Kings will need a lefty to replace Vladislav Gavrikov, who looks like a big-ticket free agent. After a disappointing Eastern Conference final exit, the Carolina Hurricanes may want to find more skill to play within the system. If Dmitry Orlov walks as a free agent, maybe Carolina can maximize Miller's game. As ideal as the trade route may seem for New York — since it allows management to clear cap space and get more favorable assets in return than an offer sheet — it doesn't necessarily make this team better, either. Even if trading Miller feels like a necessity, it leaves the blue line without someone capable of absorbing matchup minutes and contributing game-changing plays on both ends of the ice. That's what makes the situation so complicated for the Rangers. Miller has the chops to be a franchise defenseman, but this is a results-driven league. The results weren't there last year and management can only bet on so many bounce-backs. The contract situation, road to free agency and threat of an offer sheet only add more hurdles to navigate. And that could be what spells the end for Miller in New York, despite all the skill he brings to the table. Data via Dom Luszczyszyn, Evolving-Hockey, CapWages, HockeyViz, HockeyStatCards, All Three Zones and Natural Stat Trick. This story relies on shot-based metrics; here is a primer on these numbers.
New York Times
06-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Blues fan survey: Contracts for Holloway, Broberg? Trade Kyrou? Sign Marner? Offseason priorities?
Now that I've given out report cards for the St. Louis Blues' players, coaches and management, and answered your questions in Part 1 and Part 2 of an early-offseason mailbag, it's your turn to weigh in on the team. Every offseason, The Athletic offers Blues fans an opportunity to take a survey, answering pertinent questions about their overall opinion of the team and what moves it should make in the summer. Advertisement As usual, there are some juicy topics this offseason, including how much the Blues should pay to re-sign Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg and whether they should explore the idea of trading Jordan Kyrou. Of course, there's always a question or two about confidence levels in coaching, management and ownership. Here's your chance to make your voice heard with our 20-question survey. (Note: If you have any problems loading or filling out the survey below, you can access it directly by clicking here. Loading… (Top photo of Robert Thomas, Cam Fowler, Jordan Kyrou and Dylan Holloway: Jeff Le / Imagn Images)
New York Times
22-05-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Rangers mailbag, Part 2: Offer-sheet situations? The next captain? Mike Sullivan's system?
By signing the Edmonton Oilers' Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway to offer sheets in 2024, Doug Armstrong didn't just make the St. Louis Blues a much better team. He also created one of the biggest summer 2025 storylines: whether offer sheets will become a more prevalent tool for general managers. We'll see if there's an uptick in teams poaching other clubs' restricted free agents, but you all certainly had questions about how it might pertain to the Rangers. I dig into that — plus more! — in Part 2 of this early-summer mailbag. Note: Some questions have been lightly edited for clarity and length. Which restricted free agents could the Rangers offer? — Doug V. It's hard to see the Rangers giving other teams' restricted free agents offer sheets, for a couple of reasons. For one, for a team to successfully acquire a player via offer sheet, it often has to pay higher-than-market rates to dissuade the player's original team from matching. Broberg, for example, had played only 81 regular-season games when St. Louis offered him a $4.58 million average annual value deal. Unless the Rangers move multiple roster players, they don't have the cap flexibility to throw the money around required to snag any of the more appealing RFAs. That's in part because New York has to worry about its own restricted free agents, with Will Cuylle and K'Andre Miller due big raises. Advertisement The Rangers also might not have the draft picks necessary to sign a player to an offer sheet. New York doesn't have its own 2026 second-round pick — required to sign an RFA for a $2.34 million-$4.68 million average annual value deal — because of the Patrik Nemeth salary-shedding deal, and it might not have its 2026 first-round pick, either. That first plus a 2026 third would be required to sign an RFA for between $4.68 million and $7.02 million AAV. Because of the J.T. Miller trade, the Rangers have a choice of whether to send the No. 12 pick in this year's NHL Draft (via the Vancouver Canucks) or their 2026 first to the Pittsburgh Penguins to complete the deal. We'll see if offer sheets are more prevalent league-wide this summer. Broberg's and Holloway's success in St. Louis might make general managers more inclined to try it. New York just isn't in a position to be one of the teams to pull it off. Are the Rangers intending to re-sign Cuylle before July 1 to pre-empt any possible offer sheets from other teams? How high or low do you think they'll go beyond the AFP projections? — Torsten S. Handling Cuylle's contract sooner rather than later would probably be a wise play by general manager Chris Drury. As you said, that would give him protection over the offer-sheet possibility. AFP Analytics projects Cuylle to get a three-year, $3.43 million AAV deal. Cuylle does not have arbitration rights, so he does not have much leverage unless another team comes in with an offer sheet. That could allow the Rangers to snag him for a bit less than the AFP Analytics projection, especially if it's a two-year bridge deal. But if Drury wants to get a long-term contract done with Cuylle, he'll have to pony up significantly more than the $3.43 million a year. That might be tricky given New York's tight cap situation. If Drury doesn't get a deal done with Cuylle before free agency, then uses up a good chunk of his cap space on signings and trade acquisitions, he could find himself in a hairy situation. A team could swoop in and offer Cuylle $4.67 million, just below the threshold that requires a first-round pick, which the Rangers would have a difficult time matching. That's how the situation in Edmonton unfolded when it lost Broberg and Holloway. Advertisement Even if an offer sheet is unlikely — and league history says it is — the smartest play for New York is to get Cuylle signed before opening the possibility. Suppose K'Andre Miller and Cuylle get offer sheets at slightly above-market numbers. What would those numbers look like? What would the return be? Which, if either or both, would you expect the Rangers to match? — Stuart P. I have a hard time seeing both players receiving offer sheets, which as of now come pretty rarely. Clubs typically don't do them unless they think there's a legitimate chance they'll result in getting a player. But let's play along with the question. As I mentioned, Cuylle's projection is a three-year, $3.43 million AAV deal. If a team offered him $4.67 million per year, it would only have to give a second-round pick to the Rangers, not a first. I'd expect the Rangers would find a way to match — they'd be wise to, at least — even if it limited some of their cap flexibility. Now, a team could dramatically overpay for Cuylle, as the Carolina Hurricanes did with Jesperi Kotkaniemi in 2021 when they signed the Montreal Canadiens RFA to a one-year, $6.1 million deal. If a team went that route with Cuylle, New York would have much more to think about. It would get a first- and third-round pick back and would not have to struggle to fit that large of a cap hit onto its books. AFP gives two projections for Miller: a one-year, $4.65 million deal if it's short-term or a six-year, $6.03 million AAV deal if it's long-term. If a team offered above-market value, it would likely fall into the first- and third-round pick range ($4.68 million-$7.02 million). If the Rangers were to consider letting Miller walk should he sign an offer sheet, they'd need to be confident they could get an upgrade at defense with the added cap flexibility, perhaps by using the acquired first-round pick in a trade. That's far from a guarantee. What kind of defensive and offensive systems does Mike Sullivan prefer to run? — Steven B. For this question, I turned to colleague Josh Yohe, who covered Sullivan throughout his entire tenure in Pittsburgh. Advertisement 'His system isn't anything especially unique,' Yohe said. 'He loves to activate defensemen, which was great when (Kris) Letang was good, not so much now that he isn't. The big key to his system is having wingers who can skate. They were at their best when they had people like (Carl) Hagelin, (Bryan) Rust and (Conor) Sheary on three different lines. That forecheck pressure from wingers who can fly is everything to his system.' Yohe added that it's not a passive system and relies on heavy pressure and heavy puck pursuit. Forwards need to be able to rotate back and help defensively. New York was not a strong forechecking team in 2024-25. Whether that was because of coaching or personnel will be worth monitoring this coming season. Who should the Rangers' next captain be? Is that player on the roster? — Gunnar S. Sullivan said in his opening news conference that he was impressed with the leadership on the roster in his initial conversations with players and that he and Drury will discuss whether to fill the captaincy. If New York decides to have a captain, the three most likely candidates seem to be Vincent Trocheck, Adam Fox or T.J. Miller. Trocheck took over some of the leadership duties after Drury traded captain Jacob Trouba midseason. He's also someone Drury signed, which is notable when evaluating who he trusts to make the next captain. Miller could be the choice for similar reasons. He's the biggest player Drury has acquired and fits into the identity of the team he wants to build. Miller had a rift with teammate Elias Pettersson in Vancouver that became public, but when asked directly whether that caused concerns, Drury said he wouldn't have made the trade if he wasn't comfortable. Fox, meanwhile, is under contract long term and is consistently one of the team's top players. He would make sense if the team wants to ensure its next captain will be with it for a long time. Now that the lottery is done, have there been any indications on what Drury might do with the No. 12 pick? People seem to feel like 2026 will be a better draft, but I'm not convinced the Rangers believe they will be picking in the lottery zone again (spots 20-32 in the draft don't tend to drastically change in quality year over year), and telegraphing to the team that they think this is a real possibility feels counterproductive as well. — Reed L. I wanted to ask Drury about this at Sullivan's opening news conference, but the Rangers limited the number of questions before ending the presser, so I didn't get the chance. Advertisement I'd keep the No. 12 pick and trust that the team will be better under Sullivan. Part of my rationale is similar to what you posited, Reed, about the strength of the draft classes. '(The 2026 draft) is a stronger draft at the top,' Scott Wheeler, one of The Athletic's prospect gurus, said. 'I think talk of it being a significantly deeper draft overall has gotten carried away.' New York will have a better chance of getting an impact player at No. 12 than in the low-20s in 2026. If the Rangers don't believe they'll be picking near the top in 2026, they ought to use the pick this year and get a player into their prospect pool a year earlier. That strategy comes with risk. If the Rangers bottom out in 2025-26, the pick going to Pittsburgh could end up being pretty high. Who do you think suits up as Fox's primary partner? — Zach V. Let's go through the candidates one by one. • K'Andre Miller: Miller and Fox had elite underlying numbers with each other in 2024-25. The issue New York runs into is that if they're together, the second pair might become a weakness. • Carson Soucy: Fox played with Soucy at points after New York acquired him at the trade deadline. Soucy, though, has been most successful in his career when in a bottom-four role. Counting on him to be a top-pair defenseman feels like a risk. • Braden Schneider: Schneider showed he can play on the left in 2024-25. New York could use him in that role with Fox, but it would lead to playing tougher minutes than he has previously in his career. • Shop elsewhere: The Rangers could look to the free-agent or trade markets, but they'd probably have to trade significant players to have cap space for an upgrade. We'll see how Sullivan handles it. I'd be inclined to give Miller an extended look with Fox, then see if Schneider can play shut-down minutes on the left side with Will Borgen. If he can't or looks like he'd be better used on the right, then Sullivan can tinker with the pairs a bit.
