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New York Rangers fans could be in for a fairly disappointing summer. After announcing the team would undergo a retooling in January, general manager Chris Drury was expected to target a new star player. At the time, Brady Tkachuk was widely viewed as Drury’s dream player. Nevertheless, the American was just shipped off to the Florida Panthers in a blockbuster trade.

The Rangers would also love to replace soon-to-be traded Vincent Trocheck with Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin. The veteran, however, has not named New York as a potential destination. While Larkin’s list is likely to expand, the Rangers are not expected to land the star. Instead, The Athletic’s Vince Mercogliano believes that Drury will target short-term deals with pending unrestricted free agents.

One of these UFAs specifically mentioned by the Rangers beat writer is Patrik Laine. The Finn is likely leaving the Montreal Canadiens after seeing his four-year, $34.8 million contract ($8.7 million AAV) recently expire. After posting solid statistics with Montreal during the 2024-25 season (33 points in 52 games), Laine was limited to just five total appearances this past season.

According to Mercogliano, Laine would essentially be a low-risk, medium-reward option for New York. If the winger bounces back in 2026-27, the Rangers would be happy with the move. In this scenario, Drury could also eventually flip the veteran ahead of the 2027 trade deadline. A prospect or decent draft pick would be the ideal return.

New York Rangers Will Hope Patrik Laine Returns to Previous Form

GettyPatrik Laine previously had 52 points in 55 games during the 2022-23 season.

According to NHL insider Chris Johnston, Laine is projected to receive a one-year contract worth less than $1 million this summer. If so, it would obviously be a significant pay cut compared to his previous deal. Johnston recently ranked the Finn as the 34th-best unrestricted free agent in the NHL.

Assuming the New York Rangers do give Laine this particular deal, it would not be very risky. Even if the forward fails in the Big Apple, the team would only be on the hook for one year. New York is also not expected to be a true contender for a couple of years. Spending money just to spend does not necessarily make a ton of sense right now for Drury and the Rangers.

Laine, however, could turn out to be a decent option for New York. After all, the veteran is still just 28 and was essentially a point-per-game player with the Columbus Blue Jackets between 2021 and 2023. He also recently claimed that he was not injured at the end of the most recent campaign, despite spending time on injured reserve.

New York Faces Competition to Sign Veteran Forward

The New York Rangers, however, will have plenty of competition to sign Laine in the coming weeks. TSN’s Darren Dreger is now reporting that several NHL teams are “expressing some interest” in signing the forward. According to Dreger, Laine’s recent injury history will make clubs want to include performance bonuses in his next contract.

According to Puckpedia.com, New York has just over $25 million in projected cap space. This is, of course, before the team offloads Trocheck’s $5.62 million AAV salary. Money will not be an issue for Drury and the Rangers this summer. Nevertheless, with one eye on the future, they are not expected to utilize all of these funds this offseason.