New York Rangers Need to Capitalize on Trade Market, Deal Klein Now

The value that the Hurricanes got for trading defenseman Ron Hainsey should entice the New York Rangers to test the market for Kevin Klein.

There was a trade made earlier today that had a lot of people in the hockey universe very confused.

The 35-year-old Ron Hainsey is on the last year of his contract. He is old, slow, and really doesn’t do anything too great. The fact that he garnered a second round pick is insane. It tells you all you need to know about what the trade market is like for a defenseman.

While the Rangers need defensemen to help them improve by the trade deadline, which is less than a week away now, if mid-tier rentals cost that much, then maybe the Rangers should wait to get a defenseman till the offseason and maybe ship out a few blueliners of their own.

One guy who they could potentially move is a guy like Kevin Klein.

The Case for Klein

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Klein, who has not played up to expectations so far this season, is a guy who has a positive rep around the league. He is known as a great locker room guy. Also, after scoring eight goals in back to back seasons, has ended up with a reputation of being a two-way defender.

With Klein’s inflated perception around the league being what it is, and his contract having another year at $2.9 million left, he has a lot of qualities that teams are looking for.

If a guy like Hainsey, a third pair defender at best, can acquire a second rounder on an expiring contract and at 35 years old, then a guy like Klein who is three years younger, has virtually the same numbers and is under contract for another year might be able to bring back a coup for the Rangers.

Can Soften the Blow of a Shattenkirk Trade

There have been multiple reports surfacing on Twitter that the Blues are eager to ship out Kevin Shattenkirk at the deadline. If you have read this or any other Rangers blog for any period of time, you would know that Shattenkirk would be the perfect fit for the team going forward.

If the Rangers were to give up a lot of assets in a trade for Shattenkirk, a move that I do not suggest they do, trading Klein and acquiring a second and maybe a 5th for him would go a long way in recouping some of the lost assets to a point where maybe a trade is worth making.

Not the Only One

And if the trade market is the way it was for Hainsey, maybe trading a guy like Nick Holden who has exceeded the wildest expectations this year may be a move worth considering. This is the perfect market to be a seller so the Rangers need to explore this.

Obviously with the way Holden has played this year trading him shouldn’t be the priority The Rangers should at least see what his market is.

Next: Rangers' Trade Deadline Will Determine Dan Girardi's Future

Regardless of any other moves the Rangers make at the March 1st deadline, though, trading Kevin Klein in this trade market could be huge for them in their quest to recoup assets. There are plenty of teams that would take him in with open arms. It’s Jeff Gorton’s job now to find them. Time will tell.