New York Rangers: Ryan McDonagh and Rick Nash more valuable in separate trades

As the 2018 trade deadline rapidly approaches, many current New York Rangers will be on their way out of town. While some teams might offer a more lucrative package for multiple players, the team would be better served avoiding this.

The New York Rangers will be sellers for the first time in a long time this trade deadline. Chief among the players likely to be moved in the next few days is Rick Nash. Additionally, Captain Ryan McDonagh is expected to be traded either at the deadline, or at the NHL draft.

Trade rumors and speculation are flying around as is common for this time of year. One of these bits of speculation came from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman who thinks the Tampa Bay Lightning could offer a package of assets to acquire both Nash and McDonagh.

"That said, if he [Tampa Bay Lightning General Manager Steve Yzerman] wanted to, I could see a package of players, prospects and picks that could tempt the Rangers for both Nash and Ryan McDonagh."

Trading both Nash and McDonagh to the same team would yield a greater return than either one would individually. However, this is a case where the whole is not greater than the sum of its parts.

When 1+1 does not equal 3

The asking price for Rick Nash has been set by General Manager Jeff Gorton at a first round draft pick, a top prospect and a lesser prospect. A realistic return probably is a first round pick and a lesser prospect or a top prospect and a few lower draft picks.

The asking price for McDonagh has not been made known yet. However, the Keith Yandle trade has been used as a relatively close comparison. More or less this means: a first round pick, second round pick, top prospect and a depth roster player.

In theory, the price for both a top-six winger and a first pairing defenseman should be at least equal to their separate prices. Unfortunately, in a salary cap league, I don’t see many scenarios where any team trades away multiple first-round picks and top prospects in the same deal.

So, what would a potential return for Nash and McDonagh look like?

Let’s make a deal

The Rangers would love to acquire young defenseman Mikhail Sergachev as a starting point. However, I would be very surprised if he was moved from Tampa anytime soon. Instead, the Rangers could ask about someone like Slater Koekkoek, their first-round selection in 2012.

The Rangers likely also prefer including a young roster player like Brayden Point. Again, it is difficult to see Tampa moving any young established player.

After that, at least one first round pick, likely the only one available in such a trade, would be required. The rest of the package would need lesser prospects and/or roster players and/or picks. Fortunately, at Blue Line Station, we’ve taken a look at what options might available from the Lightning.

Given what could be had by trading each player in individual deals, a package of both is less appealing for a team looking to rebuild. Separate trades still makes the most sense, even if each are less than the Rangers initial asking price.

On one hand, the Rangers may theoretically be able to compete sooner if a package deal can land them established players. However, the loss of McDonagh makes the team unlikely to be competitive in the next few seasons, so an eye on the future would be more prudent.

The state of the market

It would be one thing if packaging McDonagh and Nash was essential to moving both of them. However, this is not the case.

As mentioned, Tampa Bay is very interested in Ryan McDonagh, but so are the Boston Bruins. Being in the same division creates an appetizing scenario for the Rangers where the two Atlantic Division rivals enter a bidding war for McDonagh.

There is also quite the market for Nash, per the aforementioned Friedman article:

"Nashville definitely is all in on Rick Nash. The question is if they can outbid a large field."

That field he is alluding to includes the like of the Dallas Stars, and Nash’s former team, the Columbus Blue Jackets. In reality, pretty much every team in the playoff hunt will be inquiring about Nash.

Even though I advocated trading Ryan McDonagh over Mats Zuccarello, it is imperative that the Rangers only move the Captain if they have the right deal. Many Rangers fans are understandably still bitter over how Brian Leetch left town. The organization can ill afford making the same kind of mistake twice. Packaging him with Rick Nash for an underwhelming return is not that right deal.

To further complicate matters, McDonagh has been fighting lingering injuries all season long. The team, being infamously tight-lipped, has not disclosed the extent of those injuries.

Next: Ranking the success of the Rangers' past five trade deadlines

These injuries may be a blessing in disguise because McDonagh might not be able to pass a physical if traded. The Rangers are then required to hold onto McDonagh until the NHL draft where a more appealing move can be made.

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