What's Left for the Rangers: 6 Forwards New York Could Target to Bolster Depth
From bounce-back candidates to veteran leaders, these are the forwards the Rangers should consider signing before opening night.
When you try and piece together what the New York Rangers' opening night lineup could look like, there are still a couple of unanswered questions. Specifically, questions pertaining to the Rangers' forward group. With the uncertainty surrounding where exactly Mika Zibanejad is going to slot into the lineup, there is a potential need for either a top six right winger or a third line center. That along with the surplus of players the Rangers have who are best used in a fourth line role, as well as all the younger wingers who are still trying to carve out their true identity at the NHL level, leaves some lines open to interpretation.
Looking at the forward depth, here is a rough estimate at what the Rangers have to work with.
Panarin - Trocheck - Lafreniere
Cuylle - Miller - Zibanejad
Perreault - Parssinen - Raddysh
Edström - Carrick - Rempe
Berard - Brodzinski - Othmann
Blidh - Dowling - Fix-Wolansky
Sykora - Brisson - Chmelar
Roobroeck - McConnell-Barker - Vaisanen
? - Terrance - Laba
That alone is just short of filling up complete NHL and AHL rosters. There are always guys signed to AHL-only contracts and other players to fill things out, but the Rangers could still benefit from signing at least another forward or two, whether it's to compete for an opening night roster spot or simply to add some more experience to Hartford.
With that, here are some players still available on the open market that could be of interest to the New York Rangers.
Robby Fabbri
Given how many team's around the league are in need of centers, I'm a bit surprised this option is still on the table. A former 21st overall pick in 2014, Robby Fabbri came into the league with an OHL Championship under his belt and went on to be a part of the St. Louis Blues team that won the Stanley Cup in 2019. Since then, he's spent five seasons with the Red Wings and one with the Ducks. At his best, Fabbri is a strong offensive player who battles hard and can really shoot the puck while providing reliable secondary scoring. Only problem is, he's had a number of injuries throughout his career which hinder his ability to stay healthy for a full season.
Fabbri's career year came in his rookie season with the Blues, which in itself is another concern, especially considering that was the closest he's ever come to a full 82-game campaign (37 points in 72 games played). In the eight seasons that followed, he averaged about 22.5 points a season—which for a bottom six forward, isn't terrible. However, he has only maxed out at 68 games played in a season. Some years he hits the thirty point mark, others he barely sniffs twenty points. Some seasons he good for 50-60 games, others only 30-40, and sometimes even less.
Last season, he skated in 44 games with the Ducks and scored eight goals and assists for a total of 16 points. At this point in his career, you can't be certain that he's someone you can count on to be an important part of your lineup, but for a team like the Rangers that has contingency plans (Juuso Parssinen, Jonny Brodzinski, other young players), they can roll the dice on Fabbri. He's coming off a hand injury that put an early end to his season but it does seem that every other year, he plays more games and scores more points as a result. Perhaps this could be a bounce back year for him and if the Rangers can sign him to a cheaper one-year deal, it would be a worthwhile chance to take.
