New York Rangers: If it’s a re-tool, Gustav Nyquist should be a trade target
The New York Rangers may be starting a rebuild, but the temptation of elite talent should not be resisted. Gustav Nyquist is a player who may be available for pennies on the dollar.
The New York Rangers are starting a rebuild this offseason. The team stacked up on prospects and draft picks at the trade deadline. However, there are veteran players across the league that could be picked up for cheap.
After a certain point, a player’s talent development eventually plateaus. There simply comes a points where a player shifts from prospect to professional and their production tapers off. Typically this comes around age 25 in the NHL. When a player has played three or more seasons in the NHL after age 21, the player’s stats tend to find an average.
While this may seem a little a little outside the box, hear me out. Gustav Nyquist is a player who could be acquired for a lower-than-usual price close to the draft or start of free agency for a few different reasons.
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The Rangers could add a fringe top six forward for little more than a draft pick or a low end prospect. For a team that is likely at least one year away from competing, a player like Nyquist could help fill out the roster.
Recent Seasons
The 28-year-old forward has been inconsistent in his production over the past four seasons. He played all 82 in three of the four, but his point production hit a career low in seasons with more than 25 games played.
Nyquist really burst onto the scene in the 2013-2014 season, when he scored 28 goals and 20 assists in 57 games. He followed that up with a strong 54 point season. Nyquist has been up and down since then, producing 43, 48, and 40 point seasons respectively.
Detroit’s Cap Troubles
The Detroit Red Wings are a team in flux, much like the Rangers. The Red Wings have a ton of young talent with a solid mix of veteran players. However, this is also coming to bite them.
Detroit has three of the NHL’s best young players as restricted free agents this offseason. Dylan Larkin, who won the NHL’s fastest skater event in 2016, Anthony Mantha, and Andreas Athanasiou are all in line for hefty raises. They are all under the age of 24 and all broke out within the last three seasons.
The only way that Detroit could get around doling out large, long-term contracts is if they decide to offer bridge deals to the three. That being said, Detroit has not set much of a precedent leading me to believe that they will bridge the trio. Take Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg for example. He was signed to long-term contracts and still has three years on a 12 year contract.
Nyquist’s Contract
Nyquist is in a solid position to be moved right now. He only has one year left on his contract and hits unrestricted free agency following this season. He carries a $4.75 million cap hit for this coming year. This would allow the Rangers to utilize a common tactic of the NBA. Acquiring an expiring contract as an asset for the future.
Typically, when a team is rebuilding in the NBA it is a multiyear process. This means that a team will not have much use for cap space because they simply cannot put a competitive team on the court. So, a team will trade for expiring contracts in hopes of using the team’s marquee draft picks in hopes of securing cap space in the near future. This allows the organization to field a mix of entry level contracts and hopefully land a highly paid veteran.
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There is one major issue regarding his contract, however. Nyquist has a full no trade clause, which means he will have to waive the clause for Detroit to move him. Detroit has made no indication that they need to or want to move Nyquist. But he is an example of a way the Rangers could improve while continuing the rebuild.