New York Rangers: Grading 5 trades that shaped Rangers lineup
Over the years, it is safe to say that the New York Rangers were one of those teams that would spend large sums of money on free agents. The Rangers were ALWAYS somehow in the hunt for all of the big named free agents. The offseason and free agency was how the Rangers were known for building their roster. That has changed over recent years…
The New York Rangers current roster is surprisingly comprised of players from trades and homegrown talent. If you went back to the early 2000’s, the big names were mainly brought in through free agency.
The Rangers have acquired some key players on their roster from past trades through out the years. They have also dealt some former key pieces from their roster in hopes of clearing cap space and getting younger.
I have graded five trades that have shaped the current roster, for better or worse, of the New York Rangers.
Rick Nash Trade –
On July 23, 2012, the New York Rangers acquired forward Rick Nash in a package deal. The Columbus Blue Jackets traded Rick Nash, Steven Delisle and a conditional third-round selection in the 2013 NHL Draft (Pavel Buchnevich) in exchange for forwards Brandon Dubinsky and Artem Anisimov, defenseman Tim Erixon, and the Rangers’ first-round selection in the 2013 Draft (Kerby Rychel).
At the time, some would argue that the Rangers gave up too much for Nash. Others thought it was the right move and that Nash would put the Rangers as favorites to hoist the Stanley Cup. It has now been over five years since this trade occurred and when it’s all said and done, I think the Rangers did well with this move.
Nash has 134 goals and 103 assists in 340 games played as a New York Ranger. Delisle was sent back to Columbus in the Marian Gaborik trade. The fact that the Rangers turned that conditional pick into Pavel Buchnevich might end up being the steal of the trade. Buchnevich is now in the starting lineup and producing excellent numbers given his limited time on the ice. Buchnevich has the potential to be a star for years to come on Broadway.
Grade: A
Derek Stepan & Antti Raanta Trade –
On June 23, 2017 the New York Rangers traded away long time Ranger, Derek Stepan and backup goaltender Antti Raanta. The Rangers sent both of them in a package deal to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for defenseman Anthony DeAngelo and the seventh pick in the 2017 NHL Draft (Lias Andersson).
At the time, Stepan was playing as the Rangers first-line center and was a key component to the Rangers roster. With the acquisition of Mika Zibanejad, the Rangers front office felt like Stepan was expendable. The Rangers need heading into the offseason was improving their defense and by acquiring DeAngelo they thought they’d be doing that.
The Rangers have high hopes that DeAngelo could be a main stay on the main roster but that ended up not being the case, at least as of now. DeAngelo has played most of the season in the AHL, where he currently has three assists in 11 games. He played eight games with the Rangers and was able to just contribute one assist.
As for Andersson, the Rangers sent him back to Sweden in hopes for him to develop his game over there for this season with Frölunda Hockey Club.
With DeAngelo underperforming and Andersson over in Sweden, the Rangers currently have no one on the main roster stemming from this trade. Not to mention, the Rangers needed to go out and sign Ondrej Pavelec to replace Raanta. This trade will all depend on how well Andersson and DeAngelo develop but for now…
Grade: D-
Mika Zibanejad Trade –
After being eliminated in the first-round of the playoffs by the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Rangers were looking to shake up their roster. They did just that on July 19, 2016. The team acquired centerman Mika Zibanejad and a 2018 second-round draft pick in exchange for Derick Brassard and a 2018 seventh-round pick.
Brassard finished his tenure as a Ranger with 69 goals and 105 assists in 254 regular season games. The Rangers were looking to get younger and cheaper with this move and they did just that. Zibanejad is six years younger than Brassard and was under a much more affordable at the time.
Zibanejad suffered a broken leg last season that limited him to only 56 regular season games. He ended up producing 14 goals and 23 assists during the regular season. After the Rangers traded away Derek Stepan last summer, the Rangers put all their eggs into Zibanejad becoming their first-line center.
Since the beginning of the season, Zibanejad has proven that he has what it takes to be the Rangers first-line center. In 24 games, he has 11 goals and 11 assists. However, Zibanejad recently suffered a concussion, potentially the 5th of his career, which is a bit worrisome for the Rangers organization. If he can stay healthy, the Rangers found their top-line center for years to come.
Grade: A+
Carl Hagelin Trade –
On June 27, 2015, the New York Rangers sent forward Carl Hagelin, and the 59th (Julius Nattinen) and 179th (Garrett Metcalf) picks of the 2015 NHL Draft to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Emerson Etem and the 41st overall pick (Ryan Gropp) in the same draft.
At the time, this moved seemed to have some hope. Hagelin was a restricted free agent that was ready to get a bigger contract and the Rangers needed to make some decisions. Etem was a young forward with some potential which didn’t pan out. The Rangers ended up moving Etem to the Vancouver Canucks for Nick Jensen.
Gropp is still playing in the Rangers organization with Hartford as of now but hasn’t been playing to his full potential. On the bright side, the Rangers needed to go out and fill the role that Hagelin was playing and they did so with Michael Grabner.
The Rangers signed Grabner as a free agent and he has since performed quite well with the Rangers. He has 37 goals and 15 assists in 101 games played with the Rangers and continues to produce points on the fourth line.
However, since Grabner wasn’t involved in this trade, he was just an addition because of it, the grade is…
Grade: F
Ryan McDonagh Trade –
On June 30, 2009, the New York Rangers arguably made one of the biggest trades in the franchises history. The Rangers sent Scott Gomez and his hefty contract that still had five years and more than $30 million left on it, Tom Pyatt and Mike Busto to Montreal. In exchange, the Rangers received Ryan McDonagh, Chris Higgins, Pavel Valentenko and the rights to Doug Janik.
The only players in the deal that are still playing in the National Hockey League are Ryan McDonagh (Rangers current captain) and Tom Pyatt who plays for the Ottawa Senators. Not only did this trade bring in the current Rangers captain but it freed up all of the cap space that Scott Gomez was eating.
Next: Five Decisions That Are Coming Back To Haunt NYR
McDonagh is in his eighth season with the Rangers and has been a key member ever since he arrived. Over his career, he is averaging 23:31 of on-ice time. He is shutting down opposing teams top lines night in and night out. This is a move that will haunt Montreal Canadiens fans for the rest of their lives.