New York Rangers roundtable: Best trade of the Lundqvist era

John Williams- The St. Louis trade

The Ryan Callahan for Martin St. Louis deal was a trade that was great for both teams. Some would argue that the Ryan McDonagh trade was the best the Rangers made in the era (foreshadowing).

However, the ultimate goal of a franchise is to win a Cup, and this deal set the team up well to have a few years to push for that accomplishment.

The Rangers acquired a player who was still at the top of his game at age 38, which was an incredible feat on its own. St. Louis didn’t score too much at the end of the regular season — he only had a goal and seven assists in 19 games — but you could tell that the team was a lot better with him around.

The playoffs came and St. Louis gave Rangers fans some of the greatest memories they will ever experience. I’m talking about the Mothers Day goal and, my personal favorite, the overtime goal in game four against the Canadiens.

St. Louis would play with the Blueshirts for one more season and one more trip to the Eastern Conference Finals. They wouldn’t end up winning the Cup, but they came damn close.

The most underrated part of the deal was the fact that they traded Callahan in his walk year.

Callahan was going to get paid in a big way and the Rangers dealt him before they could give him the big contract. He was a great Ranger, but it was clear that his body would begin to break down because of his physical style of play. The Lightning ended up extending him and are hurting right now because of it.

Yes, it hurt to give up two first round picks in the deal, but it’s something you can afford to do when the window to win a championship is wide open.

Nick Zararis- The Nash trade (to the Rangers)

Before you run and grab your pitchfork, hear me out.

I’m amongst the most intense of Rick Nash’s critics for his time with the Rangers. But the fact of the matter is the veteran forward was ultimately a steal considering what the Rangers gave up.

At the time, giving up both Brandon Dubinsky and Artem Anisimov seemed like a lot. However, the Rangers were never going to be able to afford to keep both of these forwards. In addition, adding Nash gave the team a bonafide top six forward, something neither Dubinsky or Anisimov ever were or ever would be.

With the benefit of hindsight, it is clear that the Rangers made the right decision.

The team got nearly seven years out of Nash to the tune of 148 goals and 258 points. On the other hand, the Blue Jackets healthy scratched Dubinsky during the playoffs and traded Anisimov two years ago.

On top of that, the third round pick the Rangers got from Columbus was used to select Pavel Buchnevich. So, Nash and Buchnevich for Dubinsky and Anisimov is a deal that will continue to pay dividends for years to come.

Joseph Ostapluk- Zibanejad trade

The New York Rangers have been involved in trades to enhance an already-established team in an attempt to reach the paramount goal of a Stanley Cup. However, the Rangers’ best trade of the Lundqvist era is far more recent.

On July 18, 2016, the Rangers made a major move, trading Derick Brassard and a seventh-round pick for Mika Zibanejad and a second-round pick.

The Rangers had always had a problem with center depth, having two fringe-first-line-centers in Brassard and Stepan. As a result, the team made a move for Zibanejad.

The Rangers managed to both upgrade their center position and get a younger, more skilled player to fill the void.

While Zibanejad has been hampered by injuries, his upside is tremendous. He scored 27 goals en route to one of the most productive seasons of his career in 2018-19.

Now, with David Quinn behind the bench, Zibanejad has the potential to become a true number-one center.

While Brassard has been respectable in his seasons since the trade, he hasn’t surpassed a 46-point season in the past three years. Even though the ex-Ranger Brassard scored 60 points in 2014-2015, the team knew that Zibanejad’s potential far surpasses Brassard’s abilities.

Moreover, Zibanejad is almost six years younger than Brassard, giving the Rangers options at center for years to come.

Jack Milewski- The Jagr trade

The biggest trade of the Henrik Lundqvist era happened just before Lundqvist even became a household name in New York. In fact, it happened even before Lundqvist won the starting job.

Thanks to the NHL lockout in 2004-2005 we will still consider this trade as part of the Lundqvist era due to the fact that the player traded for barely played for New York before Lundqvist’s first season (it’s a stretch, we know, but deal with it).

That player is Jaromir Jagr.

The trade — which still amazes me to this day– was Anson Carter for Jagr, straight up. It was the Larsson for Hall trade of the time period, to give you perspective.

By sending Carter away, the Rangers got the second most influential Ranger of the last 15 years. The Rangers wouldn’t have had the success they had without Lundqvist, but Jagr is almost as important.

The Czech led an offensive resurgence in New York, posting impressive numbers in four straight years. He set the Rangers single season points and goals mark while almost topping the league in those categories that same year.

Jagr started to bring the Rangers back to prominence and by the time he left, New York was a playoff regular. The trade was an absolute steal, no matter what way you look at it.

Though Jagr didn’t stay on the Rangers incredibly long after the trade, without him, it may have taken years to rebuild the offense. Jagr, along with Martin Straka and Michael Nylander, did it almost over night.

King Henrik’s reign began in 2005-2006. As important as that year is to Rangers fans for that reason, it is equally important for what Jagr did. The transformation from bottom-dweller to contender began anew that season, thanks to Jaromir Jagr.

Kyle Wentworth- McDonagh trade (to the Rangers)

In looking at all the deals made from the beginning of Henrik Lundqvist’s time in New York, I was stuck.

I was very close to writing about the Martin St. Louis trade that gave the Rangers a jolt and a berth in the Stanley Cup finals in 2014. But then I really thought about it; while that trade was great, the positive results were short lived.

So, I dug deeper and I couldn’t believe I overlooked one.

In 2009 the New York Rangers needed to find a trade partner to dump the contract of Scott Gomez. Finding that partner in Montreal, the prize in the deal was Chris Higgins and the removal of Gomez’s contract. Ryan McDonagh, a young defenseman Montreal had drafted recently, was considered a throw in.

A player that just hadn’t developed offensively, Montreal gave up on McDonagh and included him in the deal for Scott Gomez. Knowing what happened afterward, its safe to say Montreal gave up on him much too quickly.

In his time in New York, Ryan McDonagh was a top pair defenseman and leader of a perennially contending team. He was a consummate professional and everything you’d want in a face of the franchise.

Without him, I’m sure the Rangers don’t come close to the success that the Lundqvist era brought New York. The guy was an absolute anchor to the defensive unit and a key cog in a pretty long run.

Sam Prevot- Zibanejad trade

Many deals came to mind when I thought about the best trade of the Lundqvist Era. However when I thought about the current roster, the deal that immediately came to mind was the Derick Brassard for Mika Zibanejad trade.

At the time, this trade was heartbreaking for me. I was losing one of my favorite Rangers players for some player from Ottawa. But once my anger faded, I saw why the trade was necessary and actually made the team much better.

In the two years since the trade, Brassard has 85 points in 153 games. Zibanejad has 84 points in 128 games. So purely in terms of offensive production, the Rangers upgraded with this trade.

Brassard is also five years older than Zibanejad, which is beneficial especially with the rebuild now in full effect. If the Rangers didn’t trade Brassard when they did, it would have come back to bite them now.

Zibanejad fits much better into the current Rangers system and will be able to stick around through the rebuilding process. The chemistry he found this season with Chris Kreider and Pavel Buchnevich says it all.

This trade was just what the Rangers needed at the time and it is more apparent now than ever. Zibanejad is a young offensive talent that can help lead in the rebuild. He can be a veteran presence for the young players and rookies that will fill the Rangers lineup.

It is always heartbreaking to see a fan favorite leave in a trade, but now Zibanejad is a part of the foundation for the next generation of Rangers teams.

Dan Carrozzi- The McDonagh trade (to the Rangers)

Back in 2007, the Rangers were up to their old tricks by throwing money at marquee free agents despite the salary cap. That off-season, one of the deals the team gave was a seven year, $51.5 million contract to former New Jersey Devil Scott Gomez.

Although Gomez had one productive season in New York, his production dropped off the next season. Looking to jettison his salary, the Rangers were able to find trading partners in the Canadiens.

During the 2009 off-season then-Montreal General Manager Bob Gainey traded his 2007 (12^th overall) first round pick, defenseman Ryan McDonagh along with Chris Higgins, Pavel Valentenko and Doug Janik for Scott Gomez, Michael Busto and Tom Pyatt.

For Montreal, Gomez was the only piece of consequence and his play rapidly declined until he was bought out by the team in 2013.

For the Rangers, only McDonagh panned out. However, the team got a bona fide number one defenseman on one of the league’s best contracts and eventually their captain. To add insult to injury, McDonagh led Rangers teams prevailed over the Canadiens twice in the playoffs during his tenure with the team in 2014 and 2017.

Canadiens fans can only dream of what a blueline consisting of McDonagh next to PK Subban in front of Carey Price could have done. Considering the anchors he was shackled to in New York, McDonagh probably wonders what could have been as well.

Peter Reichert- The McDonagh trade (to the Rangers)

On June 30, 2009, former general manager Glen Sather made one of the best trades in franchise history. He sent high-priced and underwhelming center Scott Gomez, along with Tom Pyatt and Michael Busto, to Montreal for Chris Higgins, Pavel Valentenko, and prospect Ryan McDonagh. The trade was originally meant to be a salary dump, clearing Gomez’s cap hit.

While Sather did accomplish that goal, he also unknowingly accomplished something far greater: he landed a bona fide number one defenseman. While McDonagh was originally a throw-in in the deal, he turned into something far more.

McDonagh made his NHL debut on January 7th, 2011, and earned his first career point, an assist, on January 20th. A few months later, on April 9th, he scored the first goal of his career, against the New Jersey Devils.

Fast forward a few years, to the 2014 Eastern Conference Finals. McDonagh had just had the best statistical season of his career, posting 14 goals and 43 points on the season. However, he really made some noise in that Conference Finals, posting 10 points in six games as the Rangers advanced to their first Stanley Cup Final since 1994.

The next season, McDonagh was named captain, the 27th in franchise history. Pretty impressive for a throw-in, huh? While McDonagh was traded to the Tampa Bay Lighting back in February, he had a fantastic career on Broadway, filled with some memorable moments.

Next: Five best prospects who will play overseas in 18-19

The Ryan McDonagh trade is the best trade that the Rangers have made in the Lundqvist era. They acquired a future number one defenseman for basically nothing, and were able to use the money saved to sign sniper Marian Gaborik. Not bad, Sather. Not bad at all.