The New York Rangers know the feeling. With Henrik Lundqvist in net, New York often tried to push themselves over the edge with misguided transactions in March. With new General Manager Jeff Gorton at the helm, this off-season must be about exploiting the teams desperate for the correct splashes. The Edmonton Oilers fit that bill.
For the New York Rangers, this Trade Deadline is hopefully the first step in changing the roster for the long term. This offseason, Jeff Gorton fixed the forward corps. Gone went possession void and useless player Tanner Glass, in came savvy pickups and depth scorers. The changes are visible each and every game, and the Rangers offense is clicking on all cylinders.
The defense, however, is not. We covered the Rangers’ defensive woes from every angle, to the point in which I honestly wrote an article writing “The Rangers defense is bad” repeatedly until my hands went numb. The evidence:
I wasn’t kidding.
While we presented some solutions on how to fix the Rangers defense, we have not yet discussed the simplest way to solve a problem in the NHL. See, the NHL is filled with teams with misguided understandings of how hockey works and who is or isn’t capable of contributing to success.
With that, there are plenty of organizations that make mind-boggling moves each year. In the past it was the Rangers, acquiring Ryane Clowe or Eric Staal for legitimate assets. Now the Rangers can be on the winning side. All they have to do is find the right team to deal with.
Perhaps a team that recently traded Taylor Hall for Adam Larsson and signed Milan Lucic to a mega-deal? Sounds about right.
More from Blue Line Station
- Blake Wheeler’s Broadway Calling: Why He Chose the Rangers
- Rangers’ Playoff Redemption Recipe: Grit and Fresh Hopes
- Rangers’ Roster Chatter: Who’s Making the Cut and Who’s in the Penalty Box?
- Jacque Plante Trade Tree Between the Rangers and Canadiens
- These Rangers must learn Peter Laviolette’s ropes before they can fly
The Edmonton Oilers are the perfect team to trade with this deadline. Not only are the Oilers looking to make the postseason for the first time since 2006, but they have shown a misunderstanding of who contributes on the blueline.
New York can look to swap a problem for a solution. Kevin Klein is having an awful season, but to a team that doesn’t know any better he’s a playoff experienced, cheap defenseman that is coming off back to back 9-goal seasons. Eric Gryba is a cheap, bottom pair defenseman, that has not won the trust of Todd McLellan.
For the Oilers the idea would be trading an uncertainty in Gryba for a certainty in Klein. Misguided, but practical considering their recent history. For the Rangers, the team would shed Klein’s contract, and create a competition for the sixth defenseman spot between Adam Clendening and Gryba (and hopefully Dan Girardi).
Gryba’s one year contract expires at the end of the season, so the money helps for next year as well. Considering Gryba’s 53.4 Corsi For Percentage, he would be an improvement over Klein.
The move would be labeled a win-now move for the Oilers, but the team benefiting from it would actually be the Rangers. It would be a reversal of roles for New York, one that’s desperately needed.
Next: New York Rangers Must be Open to Selling at the Trade Deadline
Many deals can be considered between the Rangers and the Oilers, but using the Oilers win-now mentality against them is key. New York owns plenty of assets and plenty of mistakes to move, and the Oilers are the team to exploit.
Stay tuned in the coming days for additional Trade Deadline coverage.