Joe's Reaction of the Week: Chris Drury's Catch 22
Quinn Hughes was never really the point. The real issue is what comes next for a Rangers team with aging stars, thin assets, and a front office staring down a fork in the road it helped create.
It would have been such a glorious thing if Chris Drury and the New York Rangers were able to pull off a trade that landed 26-year-old superstar Quinn Hughes. The consolation prize of him not going to the New Jersey Devils was fine, but it would have been much better (for a variety of fairly obvious reasons) for him to end up on Broadway.
We know the Rangers were in on Hughes throughout the process, but we also know the Rangers likely did not have a package that matched what the Minnesota Wild were able to pony up to get him.
New for @TheAthletic:
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) December 13, 2025
Behind the Quinn Hughes trade: Who was in on the Canucks star, and what execs think of the deal ⤵️ https://t.co/hgjlnFlwF7
Which brings us to the major problem Chris Drury has: Do you front the very limited tradable assets, prospects, and picks you have to get a superstar in the door right now? Even if the answer is yes, what do you do when said assets still aren't enough—as they weren't with Hughes?
By my math, if Drury wanted to throw his chips into the middle of the table he has five desirable assets he can play with (six if we include veterans who the Rangers would only look to trade if things go wildly off the rails):
- The Rangers' first round pick this year, and the top-10 protected first from Carolina or Dallas (whichever is better)
- Gabe Perreault
- Alexis Lafrenière
- Will Cuylle
- Braden Schneider
- Vincent Trocheck/Artemi Panarin
