Blue Line Station
Fansided

Five potential trade targets for the New York Rangers

By Nicholas Zararis

OTTAWA, ON - APRIL 02: Ottawa Senators Defenceman Erik Karlsson (65) passes the puck along the blue line during second period National Hockey League action between the Winnipeg Jets and Ottawa Senators on April 2, 2018, at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, ON, Canada. (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
OTTAWA, ON - APRIL 02: Ottawa Senators Defenceman Erik Karlsson (65) passes the puck along the blue line during second period National Hockey League action between the Winnipeg Jets and Ottawa Senators on April 2, 2018, at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, ON, Canada. (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 6
Next
PITTSBURGH, PA – MAY 07: Phil Kessel #81 of the Pittsburgh Penguins skates against the Washington Capitals in Game Six of the Eastern Conference Second Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG Paints Arena on May 7, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – MAY 07: Phil Kessel #81 of the Pittsburgh Penguins skates against the Washington Capitals in Game Six of the Eastern Conference Second Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG Paints Arena on May 7, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) /

5. Phil Kessel

For a team that won the last two Stanley Cups, everything is not all sunshine and rainbows in Pittsburgh. After the Washington Capitals beat the Penguins for the first time ever in a playoff series, things got interesting. Of course, Pittsburgh wants to tweak their roster and try to find a way to return to the Cup Final again. However, the team is right up against the salary cap and making any serious move will require more money.

Combine this desire for a roster tweak with the rumors surrounding Phil Kessel and head coach Mike Sullivan’s disagreements and you have a simmering pot of activity. Apparently, Kessel was unhappy with his line mates during the postseason run. Instead of getting time with Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin he was playing with Derick Brassard or Riley Sheehan.

Now, the Rangers and Penguins may seem like unlikely trade partners. Teams rarely trade within their own division, especially quality players like Kessel. However, the Rangers did recently pull off a trade with the New Jersey Devils for the first time in history. So, if New York wants to go hard at a roster overhaul, they could easily find a way to make this work.

The Rangers have the cap space for Kessel’s $8 million cap hit so making the money match is not an issue. Organizing a package that would interest Pittsburgh may be tricky, but the Rangers have players that would help round out their lineup. Ryan Spooner, Vladislav Namestnikov, and yes even Mats Zuccarello would bolster their bottom six.

Home/Analysis