New York Rangers: Metropolitan Division Trade Candidates
Blue Line Station is taking a look at possible trade candidates for every team in the NHL. Here is a look at the New York Rangers’ own division trade candidates.
The offseason is a big time for trades around the NHL. The draft, free agency, and this year’s expansion draft are all rapidly approaching. Teams will certainly be looking to shake their roster up a little bit.
The New York Rangers are definitely one of those teams that should be looking to make a change. These playoffs were disappointing and the roster is in a place that could use some adjustments.
Luckily for the New York Rangers they don’t have to look much further than their own division in looking for a trade partner. Here’s a look at who the Rangers could trade for from each team in the division.
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals, like the Rangers, once again left the playoffs disappointed. GM Brian MacLellan has even left the door open to a deal involving Alex Ovechkin.
The Rangers won’t be trading for Ovechkin. He is on a deal that the Rangers can’t afford and they don’t really need his help.
Tom Wilson could be a great fit for the Rangers. He is a restricted free agent next season and only carries a $2.0 million dollar cap hit for this season.
Wilson could fit perfectly into the lineup. He could serve as a great replacement to Tanner Glass as he plays a similar game that offers more production. The right winger had 19 points last season for the Capitals and played in all 82 games. He was a 49.5% Corsi for too, meaning the shots were basically even when he was on the ice.
Jesper Fast’s injury leaves the Rangers with a significant hole in the bottom for the forward group. Plugging that gap with Tanner Glass is high risk. Trading for Tom Wilson is not as high risk as long as they don’t over do it.
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins are loaded with young talent is going to need a pay day within the next two seasons. The trade-off for that dilemma is making two straight Stanley Cup Finals.
However, the dilemma creates a situation where they will need to sell someone or lose them for nothing within the next two years.
Nick Bonino, Chris Kunitz, and Trevor Daley are unrestricted free agents this offseason. Brian Dumoulin, Justin Schultz, and Conor Sheary are restricted free agents.
They have just $12.9 million in projected cap space to fix that situation, yikes.
Bryan Rust, Tom Kuhnhackl, and Scott Wilson are restricted free agents next offseason. Patric Hornqvist and Ian Cole are unrestricted free agents.
Now let’s just say they make it work this offseason with the $12.9 million available to them. Next summer’s projected cap space is just $8.8 million to sign the five guys they have. Even by letting some of them go they will have issues.
That’s where the Rangers come in. They are in dire need of a young defenseman. The Penguins have a couple, and Brian Dumoulin is their guy.
Dumoulin is a ripe 25 years old, plays a solid possession game with over 50% corsi, and has had a positive rating through the past two seasons. He won’t cost them an arm and a leg and the Rangers have plenty of cap space to work with.
This trade makes sense on both ends. It will hurt Pittsburgh to have to play Dumoulin over the years, but the trade could make them better by giving them more room to sign guys like Schultz and Sheary.
Columbus Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets have a lot to like with their roster. It’s young, quick, and primed for a deep run in the next five years.
However, their financial situation will need some attention. It’s not nearly as dire as that of the Pittsburgh Penguins, but the numbers will certainly be tight.
Alexander Wennberg needs a deal this summer and the Blue Jackets only have $2.9 million in cap space. Next season they will want to sign Cam Atkinson and Boone Jenner back who will both want raises.
They could save money by dealing a defenseman to the Rangers. Ryan Murray and David Savard stand out as two guys that could fit in well with the Rangers. Savard has a $4.2 million cap hit and Murray has a $2.8 million cap hit and needs a new deal next summer.
Savard would probably be a better fit for the Rangers and the Blue Jackets. The Blue Jackets get more off the payroll, and the Rangers get a young defenseman locked up for four more seasons.
Savard was great for the Blue Jackets this year. He provided 23 points and an eye-popping +33 rating. He could really help the New York Rangers defense at a price that isn’t too bad.
Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers have all sorts of money lying around, but not a whole lot to show for it. They are likely saving all of their cap space to pay their young guys when it is time.
I assume that any serious hockey deal could be considered by GM Ron Hextall in Philadelphia. The Flyers came up short of the playoffs once again and are looking for answers as to how to compete in the tough Metropolitan.
The Rangers could trade them a forward on the pricier side in return for a young defenseman like Brandon Manning.
Manning carries a cap hit just under $1.0 million and is an unrestricted free agent at the end of next season. He had a nice 51% corsi for last season and could blend well with Brady Skjei.
The Rangers could also find a way to convince Philadelphia to protect Manning in the expansion draft and deal him afterwards. It gives the Rangers an extra protection in a sense.
This could also give the Rangers a chance to offload some cap. It’s hard to decide who they could give away without feeling too bad about it. Jesper Fast is a restricted free agent this summer who won’t be a part of the team until around November due to hip surgery.
The Rangers would save some money here and swap a forward for a defenseman which they desperately need. It’s hard to foresee the New York Rangers sending a big playmaker to Philadelphia as they don’t want to make them too good in a few years.
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes showed a lot of life at the end of last season. They made a decent charge and at the very least, made it interesting for their fans.
Going forward, their forward group will need some help to really contend. They are missing a couple of players to go around their core before they start to make a serious impact in the division.
They have a chance to collaborate with the Rangers for a serious splash this offseason. The Rangers could be interested in trading Derek Stepan and/or Rick Nash. They are expensive and the Hurricanes are swimming in cap space.
The Rangers should make an attempt to go after their prized defenseman, Justin Faulk. They could ask for Noah Hanifin, but he is likely more important to the Hurricanes considering they are looking to being success further in the future. Faulk would be an incredible addition for the Rangers and they could reasonably ask for almost any Rangers forward in return.
Faulk isn’t doing much in Carolina since he is playing on a poor team. His ratings are poor despite a very impressive corsi percentage. He also carries a very affordable $4.8 million cap hit which means a lot more to the Rangers than it does Carolina.
Could you imagine if the New York Rangers landed Shattenkirk and traded for Faulk in the same summer. The rest of the league would certainly have to look out.
New Jersey Devils
The Devils are another team who is just swimming in cap space. There isn’t really much of a future to pay for, so they are likely looking to make a big splash in free agency when the time is right for their core.
However they do have one superstar that currently sits in their possession who is looking to play elsewhere, and New York is on his short list.
Ilya Kovalchuck turned heads this past month when he announced he was looking to make a return to the NHL next year. The Rangers have piqued his interest and the Rangers should be listening.
If Kovalchuck is to return, he would need to sign with the Devils, or the Devils would have to trade his rights. The Rangers could be interested in giving the Devils either Derek Stepan or Rick Nash. The Devils have the money to do it and the Rangers seem to be kicking tires on moving one of the two.
Kovalchuck is exactly what the New York Rangers offense could be missing: a playmaker who can take over a game when you need him to. He could also serve as a mentor to young Russian Pavel Buchnevich.
New York Islanders
Trading with an arch rival is never easily done. It’s hard to get fans to accept swapping any major pieces with a team that plays in the same city.
With that being said, I think if a deal were done between these two it would be fairly low profile.
Considering the needs of the Rangers, Ryan Pulock could be a great target for the Rangers to look at. He is young and doesn’t have much NHL experience, but he shows significant promise.
Pulock has been a force in the AHL. In 55 games this year, he had 46 points and a +10 rating. In 15 NHL games last year, Pulock had four points and a 51% corsi for.
Next: New York Rangers must be willing to trade within Metro Division
The only challenge with this deal will be paying Pulock from the Islanders. He is obviously very valuable to them and the Islanders might demand a hefty return if they want to move him. It’s definitely a risk worth considering if you’re the New York Rangers.