New York Rangers: Should the Rangers have been in on the Duchene trade?
The New York Rangers are still going without a strong middle six center. Earlier in the season, the Ottawa Senators, Nashville Predators, and Colorado Avalanche completed a blockbuster trade. The Rangers were right to not have splurged and avoided that trade.
The New York Rangers are missing a key piece of the puzzle. The Rangers are stacked at the wing but are severely lacking at center. The top line is securely centered by Mika Zibanejad, but the quality changes from there.
Kevin Hayes has grown quick this year, proving himself as a dependable two-way center. J.T. Miller has been playing center, even after spending most of his NHL career on the wing. After those two, the Rangers have journeyman David Desharnais and the home-grown Cristoval “Boo” Nieves. Simply put, the middle six doesn’t have the quality needed to make a serious push for the Stanley Cup.
In early November, dominoes finally fell, and a blockbuster trade came was made. The Colorado Avalanche, Ottawa Senators and Nashville Predators pieced together a trade that sent proven centers both ways. Matt Duchene ended up in Ottawa, and Kyle Turris landed in Nashville. The Avalanche got a king’s ransom in picks and prospects. To truly tell whether the Rangers should have been in on the trade, we need to break down the moving parts.
To Nashville: Kyle Turris
The Nashville Predators picked up top line center Kyle Turris in the trade. Since moving south of the Canadian border, Turris has been on fire. After leaving the Senators, Turris has scored four goals and 13 assists in only 18 games.
The 6’1″ righty has spent the previous six seasons in Ottawa after beginning his career in Arizona. Turris was in a contract year and promptly re-signed for a six-year, $36 million contract with Nashville days after the trade. While his play has been better with Nashville, Nashville is a much better team than Ottawa.
Turris would be a perfect fit for the Rangers. He is well-known for his mix of skill, vision, and high hockey IQ. In even a second line role, Turris’ mix of skills would be a good change of pace from J.T. Miller, who is still getting a feel for playing center.
To Ottawa: Matt Duchene
The Ottawa Senators swapped center Kyle Turris for Colorado Avalanche standout Matt Duchene. However, Duchene has had the opposite swing in play. Since moving to Ottawa, Duchene has scored only two goals and three assists in the same amount of games.
Unlike Kyle Turris, Duchene is not currently in a contract year. Duchene has another year on his contract at $6 million against the cap. He hasn’t decided to re-sign in Ottawa yet and would hit the open market next July. Ottawa isn’t as good as Nashville, or New York for that matter, so that needs to be kept in mind when evaluating Duchene’s performance.
Duchene would be a good fit for the Rangers, but I’m not sure how it would work out long-term. The 26-year-old is already making $6 million and hasn’t been worth that up so far in Ottawa. On the other hand, his physical tools and play style would make the Rangers’ offense even more potent.
To Colorado: F Shane Bowers, G Andrew Hammond, first round pick, third round pick (from Ottawa); D Samuel Girard, F Vladislav Kamenev, second round pick (from Nashville)
Wow. All I can say is wow. The Avalanche got a package right there. Picking up two young forwards, a young defenseman, a goalie with some NHL experience, and three high round draft picks for Matt Duchene is highway robbery.
Bowers is an 18-year-old center with a high offensive ceiling, Kamenev is a winger already producing at the AHL level, Girard is currently playing with the Avalanche, and Hammond has shown he can cut it at the NHL level. Those draft picks just sweeten the deal. That said, I don’t know who the Rangers throw in.
The Rangers’ current lineup features plenty of young talent, but the only young player that seems available is Jimmy Vesey, and he doesn’t have the same offensive ceiling as either Kamenev or Bowers. In the system, the Rangers have talent in their most recent first rounders, Lias Andersson and Filip Chytil, and college standout, Vinni Lettieri. When it comes to goaltenders, the Rangers have another untouchable in Igor Shestyorkin, who has dominated in the KHL for the past two seasons.
Next: New York Rangers: Revisiting the possibility of a Tyler Bozak trade
Overall, the Rangers were right to not have gotten involved in this trade. While either Turris or Duchene would help the team’s center woes, the cost to get them was too high. Under general manager Jeff Gorton, the organization seems more dedicated to building a team the right way. Gutting the Wolf Pack yet again would be a step in the wrong direction for a team oriented around youth.