As we get closer to NHL Free Agency opening up, most would say that the biggest need the New York Rangers have to fill is finding a legit top-six right winger to play alongside Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. However, another area of concern that might just be as important is addressing the team’s center depth. After Zibanejad and Vincent Trocheck, you have Filip Chytil, who while he is a very good player, missed all but ten games during the regular season and played in just six playoff games. He has a history of suffering concussions and if he or one of the other two top centers get injured, the Rangers’ center depth takes a massive hit.
After freeing up more cap space by getting the San Jose Sharks to claim Barclay Goodrow, the Rangers also lost their fourth-line center as well. They are going to need to fill that position and ask themselves the question if Chytil is going to be a center, or do they feel more comfortable with him becoming a winger? If that is the case, they are going to need to go out this offseason and look for some centers to help fill the voids they have in their lineup. Here a three potential centers that the Rangers could target if they become free agents.
Matt Duchene
At this time last offseason, Matt Duchene’s time with the Nashville Predators was cut short after the final three years of his $8 million deal was bought out. He became a free agent and signed a one-year, prove-it deal with the Dallas Stars. He went on to score 25 goals and 65 points in 80 regular season games and added just two goals and six points in 19 playoff games. He did score a double-overtime winner in the second round against his former team, the Colorado Avalanche, that sent the Stars to the Western Conference Final. Duchene proved that he still has plenty in the tank and unless he signs an extension with the Stars, he is going to be a free agent for the second time in two years and if he does hit the market, the Rangers should be giving him a call.
The 33-year-old would be an interesting fit for the Rangers. He could easily take over as the third-line center and provide more offense than a player like Alex Wennberg did in his short time with the team. He also played on the right wing this season in Dallas and if needed, he could also step in and play top-six minutes on the wing. He is likely going to be looking for a two or three-year deal and that could fit with what the Rangers are looking for depending on how much money he wants. He made $3 million on his deal with the Stars and might be looking at between $4.5-$5 million on his upcoming deal. The Rangers could make that work depending on what other moves they make leading into free agency. Duchene will be a player to watch for them if he hits free agency.
Adam Henrique
As of this writing, Adam Henrique and his Edmonton Oilers are one win away from winning the Stanley Cup after the team was down 3-0 in the series and stormed back to force Game 7. Henrique can go from winning the Stanley Cup to being a free agent in just one week. He was linked to the Rangers at the trade deadline earlier this season, but ended up getting traded to the Oilers. He scored six goals and nine points in 22 regular season games, while scoring four goals and seven points in 16 playoff games. He has scored a few key goals in the Stanley Cup Final and now he has a chance to become a Stanley Cup champion before he decides what the future holds as he approaches free agency.
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Henrique is a better all-around center than Duchene is. He can provide offense, but is also reliable defensively. He could be the perfect replacement for Wennberg as the third-line center. The 34-year-old could be looking to get some term on his next deal as this could be his last big NHL contract. He was making $5.825 million on his current deal and depending on whether he wants years or money, it could impact if the Rangers see him as an option. They likely could give him a few years, but won’t want to pay him if he is seeking around the same amount as he was making this season. It will be interesting to see if the Oilers try to keep him around or more likely, he will hit free agency for the first time in his NHL career.
Max Domi
Just like Duchene last offseason, Max Domi signed a one-year deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs after spending the 2022-23 season with the Chicago Blackhawks and Dallas Stars. It was like a homecoming for him as his father, Tie Domi, is a famous Maple Leafs alumni. He had a pretty good season with the Maple Leafs, scoring nine goals and 47 points in 80 games while adding just one goal and four points in seven playoff games. While his goal scoring did take a dip from previous seasons, it took him a while to get adjusted and he was moved around the lineup quite a bit. When he wasn’t scoring, he was fighting, laying hits and playing that playoff style of hockey that the Rangers are lacking in their lineup. This is why they should target Domi if he becomes available in free agency.
Domi plays with an edge that most players don’t have. He is one of the few players that combines skill with snarl and is exactly what the Rangers need heading into next season. Also like Duchene, he can play center or right wing if you need him to, so he would bring more versatility to the Rangers’ lineup. So while he might not be a 72-point scorer like he was six seasons ago, he still is a valuable player to any team looking to make it to the playoffs. He was making $3 million on his last deal and will likely be looking for about the same or maybe closer to $4 million and some term on his next one. He could very well be in the Rangers’ price range and if he is available, they should try to bring the Domi name back to New York.
The Rangers will have plenty of options to look at when it comes to centers in free agency. The question is, do they value adding a center more than adding a right winger? If that answer is yes, then these are three players that should be high on their list of targets when free agency opens on July 1.
