New York Rangers Fail to Trade for Kevin Shattenkirk--For Now

News broke tonight of a deal between the Washington Capitals and the St. Louis Blues to bring Kevin Shattenkirk to Washington. Let’s break down what happens next.

Kevin Shattenkirk will be playing in New York on Tuesday night. He will not be wearing New York Rangers’ colors, however. Shattenkirk landed with the Washington Capitals in a surprise deal tonight. Washington sent a first round pick, a conditional second round pick, and Zach Sanford to the Blues in exchange for the pending unrestricted free agent.

While everyone wanted to see Shattenkirk on the Rangers as soon as possible, there are so many angles to cover here.

The Price-

The Rangers could have matched the Capitals’ price for Shattenkirk, but not doing so was the right move. New York is devoid of prospects, and moving two draft picks for a player they likely can sign in a few months would not be strong asset management.

Compared to the Rangers’ price tag for Eric Staal last season, what the Capitals sent for Shattenkirk is cheap. But deals happen with different prices for different reasons. New York saying “well we paid this much for Staal!” would be a ridiculous line of thinking. That’s not how this works.

Regardless, the Capitals had reason to give up future assets for Shattenkirk. Washington is set to lose valuable players this off-season due to restricted free agents demanding new deals. This is the last year with their full core and full depth, thus making it the right time to go all-in. Which leads us to our next point….

The Timing-

The New York Rangers are not winning the Stanley Cup this season. Perhaps with Shattenkirk they could have contended, but the Capitals and Penguins would still both boast better rosters. The correct move for the Rangers this off-season was always to make cosmetic changes, reaching the playoffs and hoping Henrik Lundqvist could put the team on his back. (Not literally, that would be painful)

A division rival going all-in is not reason enough for the Rangers to go all-in. The Capitals’ roster does not change the roster the Rangers have. Whether the Capitals have Shattenkirk or not, the Rangers still have Dan Girardi, Nick Holden, Kevin Klein, and Marc Staal filling four of their six defensive spots. If Shattenkirk was brought on, that would fix one of those spots.

Attempting to fix a defense at the Trade Deadline is a task begging to surrender far too many assets. Jeff Gorton was wise refusing to pay the price for Shattenkirk, as this simply isn’t the Rangers’ year. Next year, however….

The Future of Shattenkirk-

It’s essential to understand that Shattenkirk going to specifically Washington is almost certainly positive news for the Rangers in the long run. Washington’s cap crunch means this is a pure rental, making Shattenkirk a free agent in the off-season.

Had Shattenkirk landed with the Toronto Maple Leafs or Boston Bruins, there would be the fear of their using their cap space to re-sign him after he enjoyed a run with the team. Unless the Capitals make various complex maneuvers, Shattenkirk will be a goner in the off-season.

Enter New York, the destination on Shattenkirk’s mind since day one. As stated previously, unless the Capitals make a series of surprising moves, he won’t be going back there. Playing for Washington the rest of the season means Shattenkirk can’t fall in love with a new organization and re-sign, meaning New York is still the favorite to sign him.

Patience is key with this one, and New York being patient is a welcomed change from the days of going all-in for misfits. However, there is still time left this Trade Deadline….

The Future of the Rangers

Now that Shattenkirk is on the Capitals, the Rangers must treat this like a lost season. That doesn’t mean selling off players left and right, but it does mean fielding offers for anyone that has value in a potential trade.

Selling off the dead weight of the roster such as Kevin Klein and Brandon Pirri for whatever assets or cap space that can be had is vital for the team’s future. Giving Pavel Buchnevich extended playing time (possibly through trading Rick Nash, for example) must be prioritized.

This isn’t to say the Rangers should throw in the towel, but they must approach the Trade Deadline differently now. No rentals, no big splashes unless it’s a young defenseman that can be a piece for the 2017-18 season and beyond. Only minor moves to better the future of the team, knowing that Kevin Shattenkirk is likely right around the corner.

Next: Six Questions With ESPN's Linda Cohn

Final Thoughts

The belief here is that the Rangers have no shot at the Stanley Cup now. There’s no way the Rangers are getting past the Capitals and the Penguins.
It’s okay for this to be a “see what kind of run the team can make with the current roster even though it’s likely all for nothing” kind of season. Having low expectations but high future hopes is a new thing for the Rangers. It could be a lot of fun.
Jeff Gorton runs this team. Glen Sather would have topped the Capitals’ proposal for Shattenkirk.
The absolute worst thing the Rangers can do now is overreact and overpay to try to hang with the Capitals. If the Rangers do that, they never learned from the Eric Staal debacle. It’s vital the team understands where they stand today.
Yes this may end up being a lost season, but that doesn’t mean it’s all for naught. So many young players developing into stars, so many options this off-season. The Capitals lost assets and the Rangers didn’t. If this is the Capitals’ year, fine. Next year can be the Rangers’ year.

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New York Rangers Fail to Acquire Kevin Shattenkirk–For Now