3 offseason changes GM Chris Drury and the New York Rangers must fix to succeed next season

The New York Rangers finished 5th in the Metropolitan Division. We all know the story: unable to clinch a wild card spot in the East, along with Peter Laviolette's firing.

With a new Head Coach, GM Chris Drury will have to change direction in order to find themselves on a winning path again.

That could involve three moves that are risky, but could be worth it if they're done correctly.

The Rangers need to consider moving on from Chris Kreider. His 50-goal season was an anomaly and won't be replicated again. While he's been a reliable net-front presence on the power-play, he's not been able to be a great playmaker this year.

Scoring 30 points (22 of them goals only), it seems Kreider is in the latter stages of his career, where his production will steadily decline. As the Rangers retool, they will have to figure out if there are takers for his $6.5 million AAV deal.

It'll give younger players who deserve the time on ice a shot at the lineup.

Alexis Lafreniere could use better opportunities with the Rangers. We think he belongs on the 1st power-play unit, especially after his 28-goal season in 2023-2024.

Kreider was unable to produce, and Zibanejad was struggling; the Rangers could tap into the potential of their former 1st-overall pick in 2020.

Give him a shot to produce at an elite level by showing confidence in his skills, considering you are paying him $7.4 million AAV.

The New York Rangers should consider bringing back all nine RFAs. Especially if the team wants to get younger, they'll have to consider re-signing Will Cuylle, Brendan Brisson, Arthur Kaliyev, Zac Jones, Dylan Garand, K'Andre Miller, Matt Rempe, and Adam Edstrom.

Brisson and Robertson provide solid depth options for the team, while Garand is poised to remain a 3rd-stringer in the lineup.

While the rest have proven they're more than capable of playing in the Rangers' lineup. Jones may be the odd one out, as we've established before though.