The New York Rangers have had themselves a shaky start to the 2025-26 season.
The New York Rangers have stumbled out of the gate in the 2025-26 campaign. New York currently sits at 15-13-4, placing seventh in the Metropolitan Division. They are also riding a three-game losing streak, highlighting the inconsistency that has defined their play so far.
Despite the recent struggles, the Rangers are far from out of the playoff picture. They trail the Pittsburgh Penguins by just one point for the final Eastern Conference wild card spot. The standings are tightly packed, with New York also sitting one point behind the Montreal Canadiens and only two points back of the Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers.
Given those slim margins and the organization’s clear playoff expectations, it would not be surprising to see the Rangers explore a significant roster upgrade. When surveying potential trade targets across the NHL, Nashville Predators center Ryan O’Reilly stands out as an especially strong fit.
With that in mind, Heavy Sports has put together a trade proposal that would send O’Reilly to New York in a headline-making deal.
Rangers Get:
Ryan O’Reilly
2026 Fourth-Round Pick
Predators Get:
2026 First-Round Pick (Top 10 Protected)
Taylor Raddysh
Brennan Othmann
Ryan O’Reilly Is One of the Best Trade Candidates in the NHL Right Now
The Predators are once again enduring a disappointing season in 2025-26. As the holiday break approaches, Nashville owns a 12-14-4 record. That mark leaves them at the bottom of the Central Division standings, with only the Vancouver Canucks sitting lower in the overall picture. Simply put, things have not gone according to plan.
Because of Nashville’s continued struggles, several players have surfaced in trade rumors, with O’Reilly drawing significant attention. There is a growing belief that the Predators could move the 34-year-old veteran ahead of the 2026 NHL trade deadline.
O’Reilly was recently ranked No. 4 on Lyle Richardson’s trade board for Bleacher Report, underscoring his value on the market.
“The Predators’ willingness to entertain offers will likely ensure O’Reilly pops up more frequently in the rumor mill between now and the March 6 trade deadline,” Richardson wrote.
If Nashville formally puts O’Reilly on the block, the Rangers would be smart to pursue him aggressively. He could be the missing piece that pushes New York back into legitimate playoff contention.
O’Reilly Would Give Rangers Another Star Center
Adding O’Reilly would provide the Rangers with another high-impact option at center. A middle group featuring Mika Zibanejad, Vincent Trocheck, and O’Reilly would create matchup problems for opposing teams, regardless of how the lines are deployed.
Beyond scoring, O’Reilly’s strong two-way game makes him a natural fit on both the power play and the penalty kill. He would also bring respected leadership to the locker room, having previously served as captain of the St. Louis Blues.
Through 30 games with Nashville this season, O’Reilly has posted 10 goals, 13 assists, 23 points, and a plus-2 rating. That production follows a 2024-25 campaign in which he recorded 21 goals and 53 points in 79 games for the Predators.