NHL rumors: Rangers looking for ‘big fish’ after missing out on Quinn Hughes

The New York Rangers continue to be in the NHL’s murky middle through 36 games in 2025-26. Following a 2-1 overtime victory over the St. Louis Blues on Thursday night, the team is 17-15-4 and sixth place in the Metropolitan Division.

The Rangers also remain on the outside looking in at the Eastern Conference playoff picture, although they’re just three points back of the Philadelphia Flyers for a wildcard berth (the two teams are playing on Saturday afternoon).

As The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reported on the latest episode of The Sheet with Jeff Marek, general manager Chris Drury is looking to significantly improve the roster ahead of the deadline — especially after losing the Quinn Hughes sweepstakes.

“They’re one of the teams that try to keep everything as close to the vest as possible, but one of the things that kind of got out was the fact that they were indeed in on Quinn Hughes and it wasn’t just poking around, it was a lot more than exploratory,” the hockey insider explained.

“They tried to see if they can find a way to make something happen and then talking to people around the League, it’s kind of given the notion that if there is another big, big fish that is available, or that teams are willing to listen on, the New York Rangers are gonna be part of those discussions in some form. It doesn’t mean they’re going after everybody, but they’re gonna be engaged in some of these because the mindset/mandate, it seems from way up top, is to go get yourself a star.”

Pagnotta confirmed that the Blueshirts are specifically looking for a star player in his 20s.

Rangers made a significant offer for Quinn Hughes

New York has struggled to create offense this season, currently averaging just 2.50 goals per game — good for 30th league-wide. It looks like it might take an external move to get this club back on track in 2025-26.

Adding Hughes would have been an incredible piece of business, and as ESPN’s Rachel Kryshak and Greg Wyshynski reported last week, the Rangers made an offer for his services.

Vancouver wanted a stacked package back, which began with former No. 1 overall pick Alexis Lafreniere, and also may have included a couple of key young players such as Gabe Perreault, Will Cuylle, Noah Laba or Braden Schneider.

But the Rangers weren’t willing to part with so much talent in exchange for Hughes, and the superstar defenseman is now a member of the Minnesota Wild.

It’ll be interesting to see if Drury and the front office can swing a deal to bring another impactful player to the Big Apple — and ideally, improve the team’s playoff fortunes in the process.

The post NHL rumors: Rangers looking for ‘big fish’ after missing out on Quinn Hughes appeared first on ClutchPoints.