Chris Drury committed to competing again while insisting Rangers retool is not a rebuild

Since the season ended, Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury removed chunks of salary off the books and infused a stale prospect pool with coveted talent and promising upside, all while redesigning the defense corps and adding a young premier scoring threat in the NHL. While the aggressive nature of the moves was necessary to undo some setbacks, the Rangers have navigated this offseason like a team that intends to compete next season.Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Mollie Walker about the inside buzz on the Rangers.

In a true rebuild, the three first-round picks Drury shipped off since the start of the offseason would be valued at a premium. But haven’t you heard? This is a retool. “My philosophy and our philosophy was if [a first-round pick] for the right player or players, that are at the right age with the right contract that can help our lineup — not just in the [next] year or two but for a number of years down the road — it would be worth it,” Drury said on a Zoom call Thursday afternoon. “We were also able to acquire at the deadline a first-round pick that’s closer to playing, turning pro this year, in [Liam] Greentree.A little later pick in [Jacob] Battaglia and obviously Cole [Beaudoin on Wednesday] is a former first-round pick, so we felt we plugged some holes with not only real players to put on our roster that can play key roles, but also added some other picks and actual draft picks and actual prospects in those players I mentioned.”While they might not make those selections, the Rangers acquired former first-rounders who are much closer to being NHL-ready than any future draft pick likely would be. Plus, two of three picks are top 10 protected thanks to conditions Drury implemented.

If either of the next two seasons go down the drain again, the Rangers — who still have their own firsts in 2027 and 2029 — won’t be hindered further by missing out on ...