Chris Drury has a list and he’s checking it twice.
Brady Tkachuk looks nice.
J.T. Miller would be neat.
With Christmas looming, the Rangers’ general manager delivered a lump of coal to captain Jacob Trouba — shipping him to Anaheim for Urho Vaakanainen and a fourth-round pick — while setting his sights on a shiny new toy for the festive season. He’d love to unwrap one of those two. Imagine waking up to both under that Times Square tree.
This won’t be a walk in Central Park for Drury but he is clearly pursuing some new faces for the storied franchise that calls Madison Square Garden home in New York City.
Miller is a familiar face, who has evolved into a play-driving star with leadership traits since leaving the Rangers. He’s had three straight 30-goal years and hit 100 points last season for Vancouver but is currently away from the Canucks for personal reasons — missing in action since Nov. 19, resulting in some trade rumours.
Tkachuk has ties to the New Jersey area — the Devils would be interested in landing him too — and he is a passionate American who could thrive under the bright lights in Manhattan. His older brother Matthew bailed on a Canadian market in Calgary and has already paraded the Stanley Cup down the beaches of Florida. New York is the league’s biggest market and Tkachuk is the biggest fish that Drury could target in the present.
There is smoke billowing from below the border but everyone in Ottawa is fanning those flames.
Steve Staios doesn’t want to trade his captain and the heartbeat of his franchise, understandably. He is locked up long term but Staios still has to listen, especially if Brady has expressed interest in a change of scenery. Tkachuk wants to win sooner than later. He’d relish that opportunity with the Rangers. Ottawa or New York City, even New Jersey, it’s safe to say Brady’s bags would be packed. And he’s no doubt heard those rumblings.
Ottawa has new ownership and a new downtown arena in the works. That is what Michael Andlauer is building towards. Brady would still be in his prime for that grand opening but he could be long gone from that nation’s capital if the Senators aren’t a playoff team in the meantime.
That pressure is on his watch, wearing the ‘C’, but he is aware of his options and all that outside noise. Big Walt, the patriarch of the Tkachuk family, could be advising him of the riches that would await with the Rangers on and off the ice. Keith is very patriotic, presumably wanting to watch both of his sons stateside.
That might be reaching but the Rangers and Devils will be competing to get Staios’s attention in the coming months, if not by Christmas.
Sticking with the Rangers in the spotlight, they have the assets to get this done — potentially both deals for Tkachuk and Miller, providing they could make the math work. And we’re not talking token stocking stuffers. Drury can dangle a legit gift exchange.
Alexis Lafreniere, Kaapo Kakko, Brennan Othmann and Gabe Perreault as forwards. K’Andre Miller, Braden Schneider, Zac Jones and EJ Emery as defenders. First-round picks in 2025, 2026 and 2027. And a partridge in a pear tree . . . that’s enough for the Twelve Days of Christmas!
Staios and Patrik Allvin would be intrigued by those packages. It probably takes four pieces to fetch either of Tkachuk or Miller. But the Rangers are spiralling, so Drury may see no price as too steep for those two. And the Rangers’ fan base would welcome the best player in any trade scenario.
Tom Fitzgerald would like a word but the Devils would be hard pressed to rival the Rangers’ offers. New Jersey wouldn’t win that bidding war, not without overpaying.
Dawson Mercer and Simon Nemec immediately come to mind. The Devils don’t have their first-rounder in 2025 but could do 2026 and/or 2027. New Jersey won’t separate the Hughes brothers — Luke will be staying with Jack in Newark. Anton Silayev and Seamus Casey could be in play. Nolan Foote and Chase Stillman are available as a fourth piece but aren’t as valuable as their draft position would suggest. Areseny Gritsyuk and Lenni Hameenaho might be more coveted at this point. Ottawa and Vancouver appear set in goal but Nico Daws and Mikhail Yegorov could be bandied about too.
Regardless, the Rangers’ offer would be more desirable for Ottawa and Vancouver. Drury knows he is holding a “winning” hand and ’tis the season for giving. And for shopping.
The Rangers aren’t looking for leftover deals from Black Friday. They aren’t just window shopping either. Drury is going for the gusto here. He is going to shake things up. He has made that known, intentionally. It’s only a matter of time but he’ll try to strike while the iron is hot in the fallout from today’s Trouba trade.
Drury can afford to add now, even with Igor Shesterkin’s new contract on the books, so expect to hear more about Brady Tkachuk and J.T. Miller to the Rangers for Christmas.
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