The New York Rangers have experienced a major roster overhaul this summer after falling well short of expectations and missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2025-26, Mike Sullivan's first year behind the bench. The organization has made a number of significant changes, including moves involving several key players.
Among those changes was the eventual departure of forward Vincent Trocheck, a move that had been speculated about leading into the March trade deadline. In return, New York added forward Pavel Dorofeyev from the Vegas Golden Knights and quickly secured his future with a lengthy contract extension.
There's a chance that the Rangers may not be done making adjustments to their roster just yet, and according to a key Insider of the Edmonton Oilers, the northern Alberta club could attempt to make a play at a young Rangers forward.
According to Oilers Insider Allan Mitchell, Edmonton could try and make a play for Rangers forward Noah Laba to help fill their need for a right-handed center.
"Noah Laba of the New York Rangers would be a perfect fit. He has size, speed, and enough skill to project as a middle-six (second- or third-line centre). He came out of nowhere to grab an NHL job last season, and it's unlikely the Rangers would let him go. Peter Baugh at The Athletic tracked him early in the season as a surprising but significant piece of the New York retool. Laba didn't deliver the kind of offence that suggests a career on the second line, but players often blossom in their second or third NHL seasons. He's the outer marker target, probably beyond what the Oilers can acquire at this time."
After being chosen by the Rangers in the fourth round (111th overall) of the 2022 NHL Draft out of Colorado College, Laba established himself as a valuable contributor during his first full NHL campaign.
The forward suited up for 74 games in New York during the 2025-26 season, finishing with nine goals and 15 assists. Although Laba provided promising production in his debut full year at the NHL level, the Rangers were unable to secure a playoff spot, and were the League's worst club on home ice.
Laba has one more year left on his contract which carries a salary cap hit of $945,000 before he's eligible for restricted free agency next summer.
The two most notable players in the history of the NHL to have played for both the Rangers and Oilers during their respective careers are Mark Messier and Wayne Gretzky; the iconic pair were teammates with the Oilers, winning the Stanley Cup four times together. They later reunited for one season in New York in 1996-97 before Messier jumped ship to the Vancouver Canucks.
Other notable names who have played for both franchises include Kevin Lowe, Glenn Anderson, Esa Tikkanen, Jeff Beukeboom, Adam Graves, Jari Kurri, and goaltender Jussi Markkanen.
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