Why I’m Struggling to Blame Chris Drury For This Season

Relax. Take a deep breath, and let me explain.

I’ve been a well documented critic of Chris Drury, and his decision making, in the past—most notably, in regard to him trading Pavel Buchnevich for Sammy Blais and a draft pick.

I’ll never let it go, folks. I’m sorry.

But now that the New York Rangers season has ended, I’m finding it difficult to blame Chris Drury for the way that it went, or rather, the way in which it didn’t.

Here's why.

Barclay Goodrow

In the summer leading up to the 2024-25 season, Drury & Co., made, what many have since regarded as a “ruthless move,” by circumventing Barclay Goodrow’s 15-team no-trade list, so a prearranged transaction with the San Jose Sharks could be completed.

As Larry Brooks at the New York Post noted, that type of move is what championship organizations do.

In moving Goodrow, Drury successfully rid himself, and the Rangers, of Goodrow’s $3.64 million cap hit—which, in my personal opinion, was far too much to pay Barclay Goodrow to begin with.

Goodrow was part of what I refer to as the “Meat and Potatoes Movement,” for the Rangers. An experiment which, ironically, yielded less than palatable results.

Unfortunately, while the move was beneficial for the Rangers from a fiscal perspective, it was not received well inside of the locker room, as Vince Mercogliano of LoHud.com noted back in December. 

And even now, months later, it still seems to be a topic of discussion.

In an interview conducted on break up day, Chris Kreider told the New York Post's Mollie Walker that Goodrow was a part of “two guys that were massive leaders for us and a big part of our room.”

Now, despite popular belief, I do in fact have a heart, and I understand where Kreider, and the like, are coming from when they speak about losing a teammate like Goodrow. As I noted previously in a Substack article, the move certainly caused resentment, and it may have subsequently led to certain players, like the aforementioned Kreider, not playing the way they’ve been known to and instead showing much less heart out on the ice.

With that said, I think it’s important to point out that Chris Drury is the general manager of a professional hockey team and, as such, needs to do what’s best for said team at all times.

Moving Barclay Goodrow, and his contract, was in fact, best for the Rangers.

And yes, it’s tough to see a friend go, we’ve all been there—the tears, the loneliness, the “I wonder if he’s looking at the moon right now too,” thoughts. Just me?

All joking aside, I cannot blame Chris Drury for doing what needed to be done here.

Even less so, when you look at the horrific statline Goodrow put up in San Jose this season, and juxtapose that with the production we saw from Sam Carrick, who makes far less.

As Charlie Chaplin said, “this is a ruthless world and one must be ruthless to cope with it.”