New York Rangers: Trading within the division is a reality in today’s league
The New York Rangers are expected to be as active at the draft as they were at the trade deadline. The front office should not be afraid to make a trade within the division.
There are certain unwritten rules in the NHL. Let two enforcers settle a beef instead of superstars, do not make an offer sheet to a restricted free agent and do not trade within the division. The logic for some of the rules makes sense in a vacuum. The conventional wisdom being that if you trade a player within the division, he will come up more.
This past Tuesday, the Ottawa Senators traded forward Mike Hoffman due to an off the ice incident. According to multiple reports, Hoffman’s fiancé, Monika Caryk, engaged in a pattern of targeted harassment against teammate Erik Karlsson’s wife, Melinda. After letting the toxic situation brew for the remainder of the season, the Senators finally pulled the trigger.
The team received the declining forward Mikkel Boedker, defenseman Julius Bergman and a 2020 sixth-round draft pick. In essence, this was the Sharks making a salary dump for a quality player. However, the Sharks promptly dealt Hoffman to the Florida Panthers less than an hour after acquiring him. The Sharks got a much better return on the forward, they received a second, fourth and fifth round pick in this year’s draft.
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Later that day, Senators G.M Pierre Dorion admitted that he had been told to not trade Hoffman within the division.
The context
The Rangers situation is vastly different from that of the cesspool that is cultivating in Ottawa. The Senators ownership effectively handicapped Dorion’s ability to trade with such an edict. When ownership meddles in personnel decisions, it lingers in a G.M’s mind. The Rangers need only to look at their co-tenant at Madison Square Garden, the New York Knicks.
In contrast to owner James Dolan’s hands off approach to the Rangers, he is directly involved with the Knicks. Dolan was the driving force behind the Knicks gutting their team to trade for Carmelo Anthony instead of waiting for free agency. Although the sport is different, the concept remains. Ownership being involved with personnel is a bad call.
The idea of not trading Hoffman within the division might seem to make sense. However, going below face value, it is clear to see Ottawa missed out on a better deal. Reportedly, the Panthers had been in talks with the Senators during the week for Hoffman, but the asking price was too high. Instead of meeting that price, the Sharks served as a laundering third party.
The Rangers situation
Just this past season, the Rangers made a smart decision. They broke one of the unwritten rules and made a trade with the New Jersey Devils. For the first time in the history of the two organizations, they made a trade. (The Rangers had previously made a trade with the Colorado Rockies, the pre-cursor to the Devils organization.)
In fact, the Rangers made an outstanding trade. The team dealt the expiring contract of Michael Grabner for a second round pick and defensive prospect Yegor Rykov. Ranger’s G.M Jeff Gorton got a great return on a player that was never going to be the same. Grabner was a product of head coach Alain Vigneault’s system. In this system, a player with breakneck speed like Grabner would get two or three breakaways every game.
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The Rangers have already proven they are willing to trade within the division. Gorton should be willing to listen to deals on any player from any organization. Limiting the pool may inhibit the ability to get the best offer.