A collection of recent decisions by New York Rangers general manager Chris Drury has caused a rift between players and the front office, reports Vincent Z. Mercogliano of the Rockland/Westchester Journal News.
Waiving veteran Barclay Goodrow over the offseason, forcing former captain Jacob Trouba to accept a trade, and publicly making Chris Kreider available are among the decisions that have upset New York's dressing room.
Goodrow was waived with three years remaining on his contract, and he was ultimately claimed by the San Jose Sharks. Goodrow said he was surprised by the move and wasn't given any sort of warning.
The Rangers tried to move Trouba after waiving Goodrow, but the defenseman made use of his no-trade clause. He was packaged to the Anaheim Ducks earlier this month and said "it was a threat" to either accept a deal or be placed on waivers.
New York publicly made Trouba and Chris Kreider available for trade weeks before the former was moved. Several Rangers were reportedly upset about Kreider being dangled on the trade market with no warning to the club's longest-tenured player.
Recent drama surrounding the Rangers stems from a dismal run of play that's included 11 losses in their past 14 games. The skid has erased a 12-4-1 start to the campaign and put the playoffs in jeopardy after winning the Presidents' Trophy last season.
Drury was promoted to GM and president of hockey operations in 2021. The Rangers have reached the Eastern Conference Final twice under his guidance.
