New York Rangers must target these teams’ young players
The New York Rangers are looking to re-build on the fly, and these teams may be able to help them.
Once the New York Rangers traded Derek Stepan, they sent shockwaves through the league. The New York Rangers, a team that in recent years traded top draft picks and assets for the likes of Martin St. Louis, Keith Yandle, and Eric Staal, were suddenly re-building on the fly.
While it may not seem like the Rangers are truly re-building on the fly, I believe that is Jeff Gorton’s honest intention. In order for the intention to turn into practice, the Rangers will need to make some more moves that bring in youngsters.
Though the Rangers have been on the wrong end of plenty of trades, they have also won their fair share. In the re-build on the fly process, New York must find players and teams to target, then pounce.
In this article you will find not only teams worth targeting, but also players worth looking into.
The Edmonton Oilers
It’s been a long time since Dallas Eakins was the Head Coach of a struggling Edmonton Oilers team. This year the Edmonton Oilers went into the regular season with a new reality….expectations! No longer were they the laughing stocks of the NHL, they were now legitimate Stanley Cup contenders.
Of course, the Oilers had and still have one thing holding them back. The man in charge of their success is none other than Peter Chiarelli. The same Chiarelli that traded the draft pick that became Mathew Barzal The same Chiarelli that turned Taylor Hall into Adam Larsson, and Jordan Eberle into Ryan Strome. Yikes. Don’t get me started on the Tyler Seguin trade in Boston.
As long as the Rangers are looking to get younger, the Oilers should be the first team they call. So, the Oilers are looking for a scorer? How about Rick Nash for Jesse Puljujarvi? So, the Rangers need an extra defenseman? How about Nick Holden for a 2nd round pick?
Edmonton has their fair share of top prospects, and a man behind the helm that will make some strange transactions. It’s time the Rangers exploit that.
Sam Bennett
The Calgary Flames have not shown in any strong way whether they’re a hunter or a team to be hunted. However, they do have a player that would benefit the Rangers. Sam Bennett, the third overall pick in his draft class, has fallen out of favor in Calgary. A natural centerman, Bennett would be the perfect player for the Rangers to bring in and make a contributor out of.
For this potential move, the key is for the Rangers to play the waiting game. Perhaps Calgary becomes desperate enough to move on from Bennett, and his lack of scoring becomes alarming enough to the rest of the league, that the Rangers are able to get him for pennies on the dollar.
Regardless, Bennett can contribute to the Rangers immediately, while also aiding their plans for the future. He should be on New York’s list of targets for now and the future. New York could certainly use the help at center, that’s for sure.
Florida Panthers
No specific players come to mind when I mention the Florida Panthers, but they are an organization worth exploiting right now. The Panthers are playing awful hockey, while the organization is a complete mess. After removing Dale Tallon from the GM role, the Panthers promoted Tom Rowe to GM. Next, the Panthers moved Tom Rowe to Head Coach. After that, the Panthers fired Rowe from both positions, re-hiring Dale Tallon.
Got that?
If there’s any team that would make a deal due to sheer ineptitude and misunderstanding of their own assets, it’s the Florida Panthers. This is a team begging for a restart, but having zero clue how to do so. Perhaps they can be pitched on some veteran help like Nick Holden or even Marc Staal? Or maybe they would buy into the Jimmy Vesey hype and accept him as a headliner for one of their more valuable players?
Either way, the Florida Panthers are due to be on the wrong side of a big trade. New York should try to be that team on the right side.
Las Vegas Golden Knights
The Las Vegas Golden Knights, led by George McPhee, so royally messed up the Vadim Shipachyov situation, they must now be considered a target in a ripoff trade. Of course before Shipachyov came various boneheaded selections in the Expansion Draft, and somehow managing to be in a situation in which Maxim Legace is the starting goalie for a team trying to win hockey games.
One fantastic scenario for the Rangers would be the Golden Knights believing they should be all-in on making the playoffs. Not only would that mean fewer Golden Knights could be sold off to potential contenders, but it could mean the Golden Knights themselves become buyers.
George McPhee as a buyer in the past infamously traded Filip Forsberg for Martin Erat, so anything would be possible. Could you say Rick Nash for Nikita Gusev and more? With George McPhee at the helm, the Rangers could get prime assets from the Golden Knights for expiring contracts. Las Vegas must be watched closely.
Buffalo Sabres Forwards
While it remains to be seen how the new Buffalo Sabres management does at managing their assets, Buffalo still holds the rights to many of the top available forwards. Evander Kane, while not the most appealing of people available, could be a strong addition to New York’s offense.
Sam Reinhart has lost luster in Buffalo, making him a potential trade target. He is the perfect type of player for New York to look to acquire as they move forward. His potential is high, but his standing in his organization is low. A change of scenery could be huge, and he’s only 22 years old.
Additionally, Zemgus Girgensons, age 23, could be a positive piece to add for the Rangers. Another young player with a poor reputation in his own organization, Girgensons could do exactly what Reinhart would do, only cheaper.
Of course we must see what the price tags are, and if Buffalo has improved since hiring new management. But potential players in focus, Buffalo owns a lot of strong possibilities.
The Problem
All of these ideas work in theory, but we must remember one unfortunate truth. While it’s fun to come up with scenarios for the Rangers to exploit other teams’ misunderstandings, the Rangers are often the team targeted by other organizations. The Arizona Coyotes ripped the Rangers off this offseason in the Derek Stepan trade, while the Carolina Hurricanes made a laughingly positive trade with the Rangers at the 2016 Trade Deadline.
In a perfect world, the Rangers realize possibilities to exploit and jump on them. In reality, the Rangers look to do that, while other teams look to do the same to the Rangers.
Next: How an entire team struggles at once
For the re-build on the fly to work, the Rangers must be the hunters, not the hunted. Jeff Gorton must step up his game and look around the league for creative options. Perhaps he can start with the options listed in this article.