A Deep Dive Into Where the Rangers Can Free Up Salary Cap Space
The Rangers rank towards the bottom of the league in cap space. What moves could they make to free up some space, even if it comes at the expense of star players?
After failing to reach the playoffs this season, the New York Rangers must take a long, hard look in the mirror and reevaluate the current roster. Like any team, the Rangers will look to make moves this offseason that help the team compete for a Stanley Cup as soon as possible. But when assessing the current state of the roster, it is obvious the team is not in a good spot financially.
As it stands, the Blueshirts have $12,344,643 in cap space for the 2025-26 season, the seventh lowest of any team in the NHL, according to Spotrac. Of the teams among the bottom 10 in cap space, the Rangers were the only team that failed to make the playoffs during the 2024-25 season.
While it may seem the team is back in cap hell, a few moves could completely change the outlook of their salary cap situation. Some moves seem almost inevitable after how the season went, whereas others may not seem as likely.
Here are a few different moves the Rangers can make to free up cap space.
Rangers and Chris Kreider Split Up After 13 Seasons
At this point, it seems all but inevitable that the Rangers will be moving on from their longest-tenured player. Along with many of his teammates, Chris Kreider massively regressed this season and missed time due to injury. The former first-round pick had 22 goals and 8 assists, one of the lowest point totals during his 13-year career in New York. The Boston College product will turn 34 before the start of next year, and it seems like his best days are behind him.
Coming off a 45-point season in 2020, Kreider signed a seven-year, $45.5 million extension. He now has two years left on that deal, at an average cap hit of $6.5 million. For the first few years of his extension, Kreider had a full no-movement clause, making it nearly impossible for the Rangers to move on from him, even if they wanted to. But, beginning with the start of the 2024-25 season, his no-movement clause switched to a 15-team no-trade clause.
This gives the Rangers plenty of different options on where to send Kreider. While the Rangers have had some success of late with not having to retain money on bad contracts, it would be no surprise if the Rangers did have to retain some of Kreider's contract. Shipping off the longtime Ranger would make many of the Garden Faithful upset, but if the team wants to once again be competitive, this would be a good start to free up some needed cap space.
