The New York Rangers are in desperate need of an offensive-minded defenseman. The only way they can acquire one without giving up another first-round pick would be to trade one of their young forwards. Here is the case for trading their new Harvard grad.
The New York Rangers, when healthy–which has not been the case, halfway through the regular season–have the deepest forward group in the NHL. On the other side of the coin, the New York Rangers, healthy or not, have a bad defense, plain and simple.
There has been much talk about the team going out and acquiring a right-handed offensive defenseman ever since Keith Yandle was dealt to the Florida Panthers for a draft pick in the offseason. After an offseason where upgrading the forward group seemed to be a priority, rumblings and trade rumors that are currently circulating say that the Blueshirts are active on the trade market trying to acquire a top-two or top-four defenseman.
Making a trade for a puck-moving defenseman is not going to be easy. They are such a rare commodity that they will cost a lot on the trade market. The team will not trade Ryan McDonagh or Brady Skjei at any cost–they can’t afford to, anyway. The team hasn’t had a first-round pick since 2012 when they selected Skjei and they know they can’t afford to trade anymore with the lack of top prospects in Hartford/Juniors.
If they want a puck-moving, right-handed defenseman, They will need to trade one of their young forwards.
The Poll
On Wednesday, out of curiosity, I put a poll up on Twitter asking my followers– follow me on Twitter at @JaW1224–and our website’s followers–follow us on Twitter @BlueLineStation–which one of the team’s young forwards are you most willing to trade.
Out of curiosity, if #NYR had to trade one of their young forwards for a young offensive defenseman, who would you move? @BlueLineStation
— John Williams (@JaW1224) January 4, 2017
Oddly enough, I expected these results.
But I disagree.
I will have an article sometime early next week on why it would be a bad move to trade J.T. Miller, and I’ll get to that a little later on. But if the Rangers had to move one of them, they should move Jimmy Vesey.
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This has very little to do with what Vesey has done on the ice this season. Vesey has had a very impressive start to his rookie season. He has 11 goals and a total of 19 points through his first 40 NHL games after starting red hot out of the gate.
At the end of the day, though, the Rangers have to look at their situation from every angle.
Why Vesey?
Starting with the other players in the poll, J.T. Miller is the type of player that can give you something even when he is not scoring goals. He has turned himself into one of the team’s top penalty killers, always using his body whether it be by making a hit or blocking a shot, while also creating offensive opportunities when the team is down a man. He’s a swiss-army knife for the Rangers and they need to hold on to him.
Kevin Hayes got the second most votes and I don’t understand that either. The game he had against Philadelphia on Wednesday night showed exactly why the Rangers would be foolish to move him. Hayes is so skilled that he has the ability to take over games. Once he can find some consistency, the former first round pick is going to be a force in the Rangers’ lineup. It is also worth noting that Hayes is a center, a position the Rangers are very thin at after Derek Stepan and Mika Zibanejad.
I was a bit surprised that Buchnevich received the least votes. The Russian rookie has 8 points in his 10 NHL games. He has been out since late October with back problems, which is a little problematic. Still, though, Buchnevichh probably has the most potential out of any of the Rangers young forwards. He can shoot, pass and play a great two-way game.
Vesey definitely has the lowest ceiling out of all of the above-mentioned players. He could and should thought of as a solid top-six forward in the future, but Hayes and Buchnevich have first line potential, while Miller has more potential for a two-way game, an important piece for any team to have.
Trade Value is Key
I think one of the reasons that fans have taken issue with discussing the prospects of a Vesey deal is the value of his name. The whole “Vesey Sweepstakes” in the offseason undoubtedly inflated his value, so that’s understandable. With that said, because he has that name, he might bring back more in trade value than any of the other three.
Buchnevich has been hurt all year, so the Rangers won’t get nearly the value for him then they should get. Miller won’t be viewed as a sure-fire top-six player like Vesey–although he should be– and Kevin Hayes will have a lot of value as well, but he is not on his rookie contract anymore.
The Negatives
With every tough decision, you need to weigh the pros and cons of a move. The cons of trading Vesey all pretty much pertain to the team’s image to onlooking college free agents.
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When a high profile college free agent like Vesey leaves school or graduates, they meet with a bunch of different teams who pitch what the future could bring for them in their organization. If the Rangers deal Vesey in the same year that they signed him, it can be a bad image for the next college free agent that they sign, showing them that everything that was promised to them was for naught. Luckily for the Rangers, they have another high profiled former college free agent in Hayes, so maybe he can salvage the day in that regard.
Of course, some players and their agents can look at this as a case by case basis, which they should. But just having that optic out there can worry a team like the Rangers with a weak prospect pipeline, and for good reason.
Once again, I don’t want this article to sound like the Rangers need to trade Vesey. I don’t want it to sound like I think Vesey is a bad player because he is not.
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But at the end of the day, the Rangers need a puck moving defenseman. That is for sure. But unfortunately for them, puck-moving defenseman don’t grow on trees. They are going to have to give up something of value to acquire one. Vesey may stand to be the best piece that they can give without crippling themselves in the future.