3 reasons why New York Rangers should not have extended GM Chris Drury

The New York Rangers extended general manager Chris Drury with a multi-year deal, the team announced Wednesday.

The deal comes on the heels of Peter Laviolette's dismissal as head coach days earlier. It now seems the Rangers are committed to keeping Drury despite the team's disappointing season, which saw it miss the playoffs.

With that in mind, three reasons stand out as to why the New York Rangers should not have extended Chris Drury as the club's GM.

3 reasons why New York Rangers should not have extended GM Chris Drury

#1. The Rangers have not addressed their aging core

The Rangers' aging core could become a problem for the club moving forward - Source: Imagn

The New York Rangers have amassed 193 points during Drury's four-year tenure. Moreover, the Rangers have advanced to the Eastern Conference Final twice. The results speak for themselves.

However, those results came when their core was younger. That same core is now four years older and not getting any younger. In the meantime, Drury hasn’t done enough to inject youth into the roster.

Former No. 1 pick Alexis Lafreniere hasn’t quite lived up to the hype, with a significant drop in his numbers compared to last season.

Beyond Lafreniere, the Rangers don’t have exciting young prospects coming up through the pipeline. In fact, Drury has traded away younger players like Filip Chytil for the much older J.T. Miller in hopes of salvaging this past season.

Unless Drury finds a way to replenish the Rangers' prospect pipeline, this aging core could lead to a painful rebuild.

#2. Questionable coaching decisions

During Drury's four-year tenure with the Rangers, he’s hired and fired two coaches. First, he hired Gerard Gallant to replace David Quinn. Gallant registered a 99-46-19 record from 2021 to 2023.

Gallant, however, was fired following the Rangers' first-round exit at the hands of the New Jersey Devils in the 2023 NHL playoffs.

The move led to the hiring of Peter Laviolette. Laviolette's first season with the Rangers was a resounding success. The team won a record 55 games and the Presidents' Trophy. They made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Final, coming close to defeating the Florida Panthers.

Expectations were high this season, but the Rangers hit rock bottom, becoming just the fourth team in NHL history to win the Presidents' Trophy one season and miss the playoffs the next.

The situation led to Laviolette's firing days after the season ended. While coaching performance isn't entirely on Drury, he was the one who hired both Laviolette and Gallant. Therefore, it's his responsibility that such questionable choices were made.

#3. The handling of the Jacob Trouba situation

The Jacob Trouba situation did little to boost the team's morale - Source: Imagn

The biggest negative storyline for the New York Rangers this season was the Jacob Trouba situation. The club, particularly Drury, handled the situation so poorly that the former captain's treatment by the team became the subject of media scrutiny.

Trouba was eventually dealt to the Anaheim Ducks, with Trouba publicly criticizing Drury and the Rangers. The fallout did little to improve team morale.

Ultimately, the situation underscored how dysfunctional things became in the Rangers' clubhouse this season.