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New York Rangers: Biggest Deadline Move is One They Did Not Make

By Matthew Golda

Feb 10, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; New York Rangers defenseman Keith Yandle (93) skates with the puck against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the second period at the CONSOL Energy Center. The Rangers won 3-0. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 10, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; New York Rangers defenseman Keith Yandle (93) skates with the puck against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the second period at the CONSOL Energy Center. The Rangers won 3-0. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /
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Rangers Retain Yandle at the Deadline

The trade deadline has officially passed and the New York Rangers made a key move in acquiring Eric Staal from the Hurricanes on Sunday, but perhaps the biggest deadline move for the Blueshirts was a deal they chose not to make.

With his contract expiring at the end of this season, Keith Yandle’s future in New York was speculated on by the media for weeks heading up to the NHL trade deadline yesterday. The Rangers could have gotten a pretty penny if they decided to move him, but instead opted to retain him for the year and risk losing him without getting anything in return. It is a gamble, but for a team with aspirations of winning the Cup, it was the right move.

With 35 points, Yandle is third on the team in scoring and leads the team in assists with 31. Those 31 assists tie him for 9th in the NHL amongst all defenseman. No Ranger has reached 30+ assists since Michael Del Zotto recorded 31 assists in the 2011/12 season. Yandle will pass that mark and has a chance to be the first Rangers defenseman to reach the 40 assist mark since Brian Leetch did so in the 2001/02 season.

The threat of the long pass is dangerous and Yandle’s ability to stretch the ice is crucial to the Rangers’ speed game. His skill was especially on display against the Lightning in the Conference Finals last year, where he recorded 5 assists in that 7 game series. He was able to punish the Bolts for even the slightest mistakes in the neutral zone.

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He is also a solid point man on the power play and is second on the team in power play points with 12. Now, as a whole, the power play unit has been less than stellar, but Yandle’s ability to get pucks to the net and find the open man is valuable and could prove vital come playoff time, when power play chances come less frequently.

A major reason teams and media alike thought Yandle could be moved was for the previously mentioned fact about his upcoming free agent status. Last season, the Rangers acquired Yandle, defenseman Chris Summers, and a 2016 fourth round pick in return for top prospect Anthony Duclair, defenseman John Moore, a 2016 lottery-protected first round pick, and a 2015 second round pick. That is a good return for the Coyotes, but the Rangers fell short of claiming the Stanley Cup last season, so overall it was a disappointing season for the Presidents Trophy winning team

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Now, the Rangers are going to get a season and a half of Yandle out of that deal, but couple that trade along with the Staal trade, and the St. Louis trade from a few seasons ago and you can recognize a trend. The Rangers are moving future pieces to win now. If they win it all in the next year or two, this will all be an afterthought, but if they don’t, they severely hampered their future. That’s the price to pay, especially when you have an elite, but aging, goalkeeper. Lundqvist has been a rock for a decade now, but his time is coming and the Rangers are doing everything possible to ensure that they give the team every chance to win the cup in this window.

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