Media Bytes: No Summer Savior is Coming, Trocheck, Forecasting the Future, Late Bloom for Laf

Welcome back to Media Bytes, a weekly column from Blueshirt Banter. Every Sunday, we’ll help you start the week right with a quick catch-up on the latest stories and developments around the New York Rangers and the broader NHL media landscape.

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No Summer Savior is Coming

1. Jeff Marek joined the DFO Rundown on Monday to break down what’s happening around the league, and in conversation with Jason Gregor he landed on a blunt takeaway about roster-building going forward: Trades are the only real path.

“The one thing that’s become obvious this year: there’s no one coming to save any team on July 1st. There’s not,” Marek said, adding that the reality holds even if it didn’t fully show up at the deadline.

“Unless you have prospects ready to step into the NHL in power positions, trades are the only way to lurch your team forward when you need it. There’s no one coming on July 1st. There’s no one.”

His conclusion lines up with how this season has unfolded and feels especially pointed for the New York Rangers, even if he wasn’t speaking about them directly. A UFA class that once looked legitimately star-studded has quickly thinned out, with players like Connor McDavid, Kirill Kaprizov, and Jack Eichel (among others) all re-signing with their teams instead of testing the market.

What’s left is headlined by Alex Tuch and Rasmus Andersson (whose statuses are still pending), along with a group of players on the wrong side of 30 that most teams would be wise not to chase with big, long-term money.

“Normally you can’t trade your way out of your problems. You have to now. You have to start gambling on trades. Your pro and amateur scouts better be on point — because trades are how you’re going to make it happen.”