MTPS: Grading All 32 Teams From NHL Free Agency

I know that I tend to get a little wordy at the top of these articles, and some of you struggle with that. So, this time, let's just jump right in.

Winners

New York Rangers

OK, look, it is inarguably true that Chris Drury has had his ups and downs (mostly downs) in his tenure as the president and general manager of the New York Rangers. And if you wanted him replaced, you would have been justified in that belief. Hell, I agree with you.

Now, having said that, at some point in my life I want to be in a relationship with someone who is as committed to me as some folks are to believing everything Chris Drury does is shit. Drury can, and should, be held accountable for the mistakes he has made. That's fair. But you also have to acknowledge that he had, by far, the best week of any New York Rangers GM over the last 15 years. For some—like Shayna Goldman and Vince Mercogliano—who seem to be taking the stance that we should take points away from Drury because he's rebuilding a team that he broke apart, well, I find that very rich as these are the same voices that have praised post-letter Jeff Gorton while ignoring the fact Gorton first created a mess out of the Stanley Cup-contending roster that he was handed from Glen Sather.

As Joe and Eric laid out, the biggest issues with the Rangers last year were lack of scoring, lack of speed, and a lack of puck-moving defensemen who fit in Mike Sullivan's system. In one week, Chris Drury addressed all of those issue areas. And he didn't overpay to do it.

First, let's talk about what he did.

Up Front: We all know about the Dorofeyev acquisition and Smits selection. On July 1 he continued to move the needle forward. The acquisition of Oliver Bjorkstrand adds a second very good puck distributor to the top six (joining Gabe Perreault) who can help set up for J.T. Miller, Mika Zibanejad, Alexis Lafrenière, and the aforementioned Dorofeyev. His addition also pushes Will Cuylle into the role he is best served in: over-qualified third line winger.

Joe Veleno is not going to score goals, he should not be anywhere near a power play unit. That's not what he is. What he is though is a 26-year old, blazing fast, fourth line center who will win draws, play physical, and help on the penalty kill. He's an apt replacement for Sam Carrick.

The big addition for me up front is Cole Beaudoin. If you've read my columns before you know that my love for Beaudoin knows few limits. I've traded Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck for him in previous writings and I'm thrilled to have him in the pipeline. His ceiling is prime J.T. Miller (and that's a good thing). He's a physical beast who will score goals while making players who challenge him for the puck think about reassessing the decision-making paradigms that led them to that point in their lives. Fans will absolutely fall in love with him. You can read more about him here. If reading's not your thing, watch this.

Oh, and by the way, neither of the veterans that the Rangers added were signed to long term deals. Drury didn't give out any bad, long-term contracts. Not to Alex Tuch, not to Anthony Mantha, not to Scott Laughton, not to anyone. That's a good thing.