New York Rangers: Five teams that New York could trade with on draft day
After the NHL trade deadline, the NHL draft is the most active day in the entire hockey season. With so many assets flying around, there will be every opportunity for the New York Rangers to improve.
The NHL draft symbolizes hope. As the life’s blood of the league, the draft is where every great story begins. Even for those players who do not hear their name called, their path begins with the commissioner walking to the podium to announce the pick. For the first time in a long time, the Rangers are a team without a direction. Outside of Henrik Lundqvist, there really is no clear vision as to what New York will be next season.
However, being that the Rangers currently hold eight draft picks in the first three rounds of the draft. On top of the picks, the team also has several players that could be used to acquire further draft capital. The logic simply being, the best teams are assembled through the draft and developed over time. Plugging in holes for the roster through free agency or trades works, but it does not make a team.
When the Rangers were at their best during the Lundqvist era, it was through homegrown talent. The draft presents an opportunity for New York to restock their empty prospect pool. The team’s success was subsidized through trades to improve the quality of the team. All of those trades added up over time and set New York back.
General Manager Jeff Gorton holds the fate of the Rangers in the balance. At the draft, the general manager can speed up the rebuild or set the team back.
Number five: Oscar Klefbom
The Edmonton Oilers have themselves quite the problem. They currently have control over the best player in the entire league for the next ten years. Outside of wonder kid Connor McDavid though, the Oilers have few quality players. In addition to needing more parts, Edmonton is always an active team during the offseason. The past two years, the team made some of the biggest moves that affected the entire league. That one for one Taylor Hall and Adam Larsson trade ranks amongst the worst in recent memory.
The Rangers and Oilers both have parts that would match up well with other. New York has talented scoring forwards that can supplement McDavid. As for what the Oilers have, there are several avenues of approach. New York could target Edmonton’s draft picks or roster players. Either would make sense for the Rangers. A straight up Mats Zuccarello for the Oilers first round pick trade would not be unreasonable.
There is also the possibility of New York taking on an expiring Oilers’ contract in return for an asset. The Rangers could conceivably get a high round draft pick in exchange for taking on Milan Lucic’s contract. There are multiple trades that could be made between the two teams. The Rangers and Oilers are in similar situations where there is serious roster overhaul needed.
Number four: Carolina Hurricanes
Any two teams trading within the division is not always a straight forward science. Occasionally there are factors at play outside of what is being moved between the two teams. However, the Carolina Hurricanes present an interesting trade partner for the Rangers. With the entire organization in a state of flux, it is suspected that the Hurricanes are open for business.
Being that the Rangers need help at both forward and at defenseman, Carolina could serve as a one stop shop. The obvious and frankly stereotypical Rangers move to make would be trading for Jeff Skinner. The forward is a perennial 30 goal scorer on the last year of an expiring contract that will likely not be extended. In addition to Skinner, the Hurricanes also have several defensive prospects log jammed on the depth chart. The Rangers could swap a forward or pick for blue line help.
Making a trade happen with the Hurricanes would not be difficult. Carolina is a team on the cusp of breaking through and making the postseason for the first time in twelve years. The Rangers have players like Ryan Spooner, Vladislav Namestnikov or Zuccarello that could put the Hurricanes into the playoffs. In return, New York can add depth to a thin roster. Skinner would immediately slide into the Rangers top six and set the team up for success.
Number three: San Jose Sharks
For a team caught in the soggy middle, the draft presents an opportunity to get out of that dreaded middle. The draft is the easiest place to acquire high end talent and at a low price. For a team like the San Jose Sharks, the Rangers are an ideal trading partner. New York holds nearly $30 million in cap space which can make bad contracts disappear. That means San Jose can buildup their own cap space and go after a big free agent like John Tavares or John Carlson and New York can get an extra first round draft pick.
Outside of burying a contract, the Rangers could also target a roster player. New York could turn one of its restricted free agent centers, Spooner or Namestnikov into a winger like Timo Meier or Kevin Lebanc. For the Rangers to have a successful offseason, the team must eliminate some of its roster redundancy. That is why moving one of the restricted free agent centers must be a priority.
Of course, there is also the possibility of adding an aging veteran that San Jose does not want to pay anymore. To supplement the Rangers young talent, they could bring in Logan Courture. Just because New York is trying to get younger does not mean the team cannot also add serious talent. If Gorton can manage to juggle getting better while not giving away the farm, the Rangers will be in good shape.
Number two: Montreal Canadiens
Building a franchise means prioritizing certain position groups over others. In most cases, a team picks two of the three groups and tries to just get by with the third. The Montreal Canadiens bet on their goaltending and it has hamstrung the entire organization. Carey Price’s inability to stay healthy has the organization on poor footing. Paying a player as if he were the best player on the roster but cannot stay on the ice will stunt the growth of the franchise.
The Canadiens had a poor season this year after getting bounced in the first round last year. The team is in desperate need of a face lift and holds little in terms of value. With a contract that expires after this season, Max Pacioretty is the emergency eject button the organization needs. Starting over from square one requires cap space and draft picks, neither of which the Canadiens hold a serious amount of.
New York can add an impact player and help the Canadiens start their rebuild over. The Rangers would be acquiring a facsimile Chris Kreider on an expiring contract. With lots of cap space, New York could extend Pacioretty and sure up the team’s top six.
Number one: Ottawa Senators
An organization’s health is only as good as an owner wants it to be. If a team’s owner has little interest in managing the hockey side of things, the team will struggle. The Ottawa Senators are amongst the most dysfunctional organizations in all of professional sports. The team has no hope of extending its marquee player in Erik Karlsson.
In addition to having the biggest fish at this year’s draft, the Senators also have to make bad contracts disappear. For Ottawa to really get going on a roster overhaul they need to get out of the Bobby Ryan, Clarke McArthur and Mike Hoffman contracts. The Rangers could pick up either roster players or draft picks to help bury Ottawa’s bad contracts.
Next: Recent history of the number one center
Picking up bad contracts in return for assets is a common practice in the NBA. It is an underutilized practice in the NHL that presents an opportunity to use cap space as an asset. The Ottawa Senators have an owner that wants to move the team and get money out of the roster. The Rangers can serve as a facilitator and add draft picks for little cost. New York will not likely field a competitive team next season, so cap space is just there.