New York Rangers: Is Vladislav Namestnikov a keeper?

The New York Rangers dealt their captain Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller and brought Vladislav Namestnikov and some other players to the team.

The reality behind one of the most integral trades for the Rangers this year is that Vladislav Namestnikov may not be making a return in 18-19.

In the last three months since the Rangers announced the rebuild, there has been a fair deal of movement. The acquisition of Ryan Spooner puts Namestnikov in quite a strange state of limbo. A center depth core of Mika Zibanejad, Kevin Hayes, Spooner, Lias Andersson, Filip Chytil and whoever the Rangers may sign or draft has Namestnikov in a bad spot.

The cases for keeping Namestnikov surely outnumber the cases against keeping however, it should be discussed that the Rangers have a large amount of re-signings to take care of this summer.

Cases for Namestnikov

Vladislav Namestnikov is a player that possesses a really strong offensive and defensive game. Namestnikov has earned a title as a excellent two-way forward. Do not forget his defensive game is also quite reliable. This trait is supplemented well by his very skilled puck movement.

On top of Namestikov and his perks as a player, he is also still only 25 years old. It would be in a great interest for the Rangers to keep Namestnikov around based purely on his age. This is before even thinking about the potential arrival of Ilya Kovalchuk, and what that could do to make Namestnikov better.

Adding to the potential of an appearance from Ilya Kovalchuk, an all-Russian forward line would be a sight to see. The creative play styles of both Pavel Buchnevich and Namestnikov with the scoring of Ilya Kovalchuk would wow the crowds.

However the cost of bridging Namestnikov may be substantial, it may be seen as wasteful to have moved the former captain in McDonagh and J.T. Miller for prospects. Namestnikov could surely help the Rangers roster at a fair cost and term.

Cases against Namestnikov

As mentioned previously, the cases against Namestnikov focus mostly on the cost of his contract to come and the potential slot he will take. The lineup will need to be tweaked to accommodate him depending on how the summer turns out. Another issue that plays against Namestnikov here is the depth of the center position for the Rangers, going down to Lias Andersson in the AHL. Of course Namestnikov can play in place of the many young players and new acquisitions. However, are the Rangers willing to sacrifice the super youth for Namestnikov?

Another potentially dangerous area lies in the head coach field. Unfortunately, in the NHL, there are coaches who see players from different countries as different types of players. Common stereotypes in the NHL are typically that Americans play a gritty and tough game. Russians, on the other hand, play a highly offensive, lazy game. The stereotypes go on and so forth.

Next: Last five players selected at #9 overall

The struggle to decide what to do with Namestnikov will certainly depend on what the Rangers do in the draft, whether it involves moving up to a top three pick or otherwise. Namestnikov and his future are bright, but is it with the New York Rangers?