New York Rangers' Derek Stepan blunder amplified once again

Somehow, the Derek Stepan trade looks even worse.

The Colorado Avalanche, Nashville Predators, and Ottawa Senators teamed up to send shockwaves throughout the NHL last night. The three teams agreed on a massive trade that sent centers left and right, and a whole lot of prospects to the Colorado Avalanche. This is a New York Rangers blog, though, so you may wonder why this is relevant to you.

Well, the Rangers traded their own top center this offseason, moving Derek Stepan to the Arizona Coyotes. Combining Stepan with goaltender Antti Raanta, the Rangers brought back Anthony DeAngelo and the 7th pick in the NHL Draft.

I blasted the deal at the time, and continue to do so every time I get the chance. New York sold Stepan for pennies on the dollar, getting a minimal return for their top line center.

So, how does the deal look after the Avalanche and Senators both traded top line centers?

Somehow, even worse.

The Matt Duchene Part

Let’s start with Matt Duchene moving from the Colorado Avalanche to the Ottawa Senators. Breaking down only that part of the trade, the Avalanche dealt Duchene and brought back Samuel, Girard, Vladislav Kamenev, Shane Bowers, Andrew Hammond, a 1st (OTT), a 2nd (NASH) and a 3rd (OTT).

So, we have one center going for Samuel, Girard, Vladislav Kamenev, Shane Bowers, Andrew Hammond, a 1st (OTT), a 2nd (NASH) and a 3rd (OTT), and another center going for the 7th overall pick in the NHL Draft and Anthony DeAngelo.

Hardly seems even, does it?

Now you may think Matt Duchene is a much better player than Derek Stepan. However, Duchene averages 0.73 points per game in his career, while Stepan averages 0.69. Duchene’s career CF% sits at 48.5, compared to Stepan’s 50.6. Duchene plays a stronger offensive game, while Stepan is stronger in his own zone.

Does that sound like enough of a difference to bring in two additional prospects, a 2nd round pick, and a third round pick? Sure doesn’t to me.

The Kyle Turris Part:

How about the Ottawa Senators trading Kyle Turris? Ottawa lost Turris, Shane Bowers, Andrew Hammond, and a first round pick to get Matt Duchene. The trade is completely strange for the Senators, as the difference between Turris (0.59 points per game, 50.7 CF%) and Duchene is not too large.

What this shows in relation to the Stepan deal is how much teams can give up when they’re looking for a top line center. Ottawa sent the stars and the moon for a marginal upgrade, thinking they finally cured their center woes.

Sure, Derek Stepan’s value was not at its highest when he was moved. Yes, he had a no-movement clause about to kick in. But Derek Stepan has been a productive player for years. There were no signs of that no longer being the case. If his value was low, Stepan easily could have rebuilt it. Top line centers are hard to come by.

There’s good reason the Arizona Coyotes desperately wanted Derek Stepan, but no good reason for the Rangers selling low on him. As the Avalanche showed last night, centers can bring in a major bounty. As the Senators showed last night, teams can become desperate when looking for centers. But as Jeff Gorton showed in June, the Rangers are an impatient franchise. So they lost a tremendously important deal for the franchise.

Next: Five thoughts through 15 games

But hey, maybe they can try and get that Derek Stepan guy from Arizona.

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