The trade deadline is getting closer and closer. Many fans are wondering if New York Rangers outcast David Desharnais will be dealt. If he is traded, what could the return look like?
On Tuesday, the New York Rangers (finally) traded Nick Holden. They received a third-round pick in this year’s NHL Entry Draft and defenseman Rob O’ Gara in exchange for the 30-year-old.
As the trade deadline nears, this definitely could be a sign that the team is ready to start trading away many more players. One of the roster members potentially leaving could be David Desharnais.
When he first joined the team, he was seen as an improvement to the Rangers’ center depth. The departure of Derek Stepan hit them hard. Just eleven days later, they picked up Desharnais.
While he hasn’t been a liability, the forward also hasn’t stood out much. Let’s take a look back at what he’s done so far, and how the Rangers could benefit from trading him.
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Career thus far
In 2011, David Desharnais began his first full season in the NHL. He recorded 60 points (16 goals and 44 assists) as a member of the Montreal Canadiens. The next year, he played 33 fewer games, but still notched 28 points (10 goals and 18 assists).
He then went on to spend the next three seasons with Montreal. The center put up 52 (16 goals and 36 assists), 48 (14 goals and 34 assists) and 29 points (11 goals and 18 assists) over those seasons, respectively. He began the 2016-2017 season in Montreal as well, scoring 10 points (four goals and six assists) in 31 games.
During the frenzy of the days leading up to the trade deadline, he was traded to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for defenseman Brandon Davidson. However, that didn’t exactly work for him either.
Desharnais only put up four points (two goals and two assists) in 18 games as an Oiler. He became a free agent at the end of that season, which was when he was signed by the New York Rangers. So far this season, the 31-year-old has 25 points (six goals and 19 assists) in 57 games.
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Similar players involved in trades
In order to determine what a return for Desharnais could look like, we looked at players who have been involved in recent transactions and found a few with similar contracts and skill levels. Here are two of the comparisons that we made.
The first player similar to Desharnais is Patrick Eaves. Eaves has moved around a bit more than Desharnais, and his point totals tend to be a bit more streaky. But, as of late, his play has solidified a bit.
Since joining the Dallas Stars, the right-wing has consistently had satisfactory point totals despite not playing a huge amount of games. According to CapFriendly, the two most recent contracts signed by Eaves are 90.7% and 89.5% similar to the contract that Desharnais has now.
He’s also just two years older than Desharnais. Last year during trade deadline week, he was swapped for a 2018 conditional second-round pick, sending him to Anaheim.
Another player with similarities to David Desharnais is Kris Versteeg. Like Eaves, he is a little streakier than Desharnais but still is able to put up high point totals like the New York Ranger. Versteeg is the same age as Desharnais, and their contracts are 91.5% similar, according to CapFriendly.
When packaged with Joakim Nordstrom and a 2017 third-round selection, Versteeg was given the same value as Dennis Robertson, Jake Massie, and a 2017 fifth-round pick. This trade happened in September of 2015 and sent Versteeg to the Carolina Hurricanes from the Chicago Blackhawks.
In late February of 2016, Versteeg was sent to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for Valentin Zykov and a conditional fifth-round pick.
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What could a trade look like?
From looking at these two examples, we see what kind of value David Desharnais might have. On his own, he may only be worth a draft pick or AHL player.
At his best, he might be able to bring in a mid-round pick or a mid-tier AHL prospect. At his worst, the 31-year-old could bring in a late draft pick.
If he were to be packaged with a solid AHL player, he could probably summon both a decent draft selection as well as a prospect. One thing is for sure, though; the New York Rangers will need to get moving and fast.
The trade deadline gets closer and closer with every hour that passes. This means that the amount of time left to move David Desharnais, or any player, is decreasing rapidly.
It also means that the amount of time left to try to get better for the future, or even one last push for this season, is dwindling down.
Next: Boston Bruins trade assets
So, Rangers; you’re on the clock. Make something good come out of what has been a disappointment of a season, thus far.