New York Rangers: Five potential trades involving Kevin Hayes
The New York Rangers will be forced to trade their veteran center since a long-term deal wasn’t in the cards. What are some trade scenarios that may work?
The New York Rangers are in an awkward position.
With two days to come to an agreement on a long-term extension, the Rangers and Kevin Hayes could only agree to a one-year deal that’ll take him to free agency at the end of the year.
Now, the next task for Jeff Gorton and Co. is to find Hayes a new landing spot off Broadway so they don’t lose him for nothing in free agency.
It’s a shame because Hayes has been a staple on Broadway over the last four years and is just 26 years old. He would be a fine piece to keep on for the rebuild, but that might not be something he wants to do.
After all, the team will likely want to take him off center and place him on the wing, something that he definitely doesn’t want, value wise. He also may not wanna commit to a rebuilding team during his prime. So as much as the fans want to blame the front office, this could be Hayes’ doing, for all we know.
It’s unfortunate that it’s come to this but the business is what it is.
Who are some teams that could entice the Rangers with a package for Hayes?
Winnipeg Jets
The offer: Kevin Hayes, Sean Day, Neal Pionk, Tampa Bay’s conditional pick for Jacob Trouba
The Jets have been oddly stingy about money and term over the past few years in Jacob Trouba-centered contract talks. Trouba has been a workhorse defender for them, averaging about 22 minutes a night in Manitoba this past season.
At only 24 years of age, Trouba is only going to get better. He has an offensive arsenal that has only scratched the surface and an already elite-tier defensive game. Why would the Jets not give him the bag? Your guess is as good as his.
While the Jets might be able to survive with the center depth they have, the loss of Paul Stastny is going to hurt them a bit.
That’s where the Rangers come in.
Hayes would be a perfect fit in Winnipeg, a team built around big bodies and speed. The price to pay should be pretty steep, but who knows? The way the Jets value him is obviously wrong to begin with.
A deal sending Hayes with two upcoming defensive prospects who, especially in Pionk’s case, could thrive in Winnipeg’s system, along with the Lightning’s pick this year, is a hefty price for a rental. But if the Rangers can make this into a sign and trade, it would be well worth it.
Calgary Flames
The offer: Kevin Hayes, 2019 fifth round pick for Juuso ValimakI, 2019 third round pick
The Flames don’t have many NHL roster players that the Rangers would covet at this time outside of Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan and Noah Hanifin, all players that the Flames won’t be moving any time soon. Their best trade chip, at least in the Rangers’ case, is not in the NHL yet.
Defenseman Juuso ValimakI was the 16th overall pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. He’s spent his last few years with the WHL’s Tri-City Americans, where he’s tore the league up offensively. His 6-foot-2 frame has caused problems for those defending him, and forwards trying to get the puck past him, Valimaki is great at using his size and speed to his advantage.
Valimaki is the Flames’ most NHL ready prospect, too, and could suit up for the team as early as opening night.
The Rangers certainly would be asking for too much if they requested the Finn and a first round pick from the Flames. However, if they were to swap a mid-round pick for a third round pick here, maybe a deal could be worked out.
The Flames have said they’re in the market for a dynamic top-six center. Hayes would probably push them to contender status in the west. Is he worth giving up a blue-chip prospect for? Maybe we’ll find out.
Carolina Hurricanes
The offer: Kevin Hayes for Justin Faulk
In a classic one-for-one “hockey trade,” the Rangers may be able to pry Faulk out of the Hurricanes’ hands.
New general manager Don Waddell has proven to be pretty ballsy so far in his new position, adding Dougie Hamilton and highly touted prospect Adam Fox in a deal with Calgary for Elias Lindholm and Noah Hanifin. The team also went out and signed one of the best UFA defenders on the market in Calvin de Hann, as well.
The fact of the matter is, the ‘Canes have four defensemen locked up for the next three seasons or more. When Justin Faulk is a free agent after the 2019-20 season, they likely won’t re-up him, choosing to spend that money on a different position.
Carolina certainly needs center depth right now as Jordan Staal and Victor Rask are the only pivots on the active roster, according to Cap Friendly.
Even though the Rangers are looking to add younger players, at the very least, the Rangers can see how their timeline progresses this season and if they think Faulk is best served as a trade asset, then they could deal him at the deadline in 2019-20 and get a haul for him. Goal-scoring right-handed defensemen don’t grow on trees.
The Rangers may need to throw in a sweetener here, perhaps a Brandon Crawley or Chris Bigras, to acquire Faulk in this scenario. Regardless, it would be worth the while of both teams involved.
Vegas Golden Knights
The offer: Kevin Hayes for David Clarkson’s contract, 2019 Knights first and third round picks, 2019 Blue Jackets second round pick
While the Golden Knights do have some valuable prospects at their disposal like Cody Glass and Erik Brännström, their most viable trade chips are their draft picks, especially in 2019. The Knights will have 10 picks in the 2019 draft if nothing changes, and could deal those picks to get their team back to the Stanley Cup Final for the second year in a row.
The Knights also have a ton of salary cap space, so they could take back Hayes’ contract without needing to send a contract the other way. With that said, the Rangers could take David Clarkson’s outrageous IR-bound contract off their hands for the next two years, saving Golden Knights ownership just shy of $11 million.
We saw the Knights give up this same package at the trade deadline for Tomas Tartar, so there is a bit of a track record here, too.
The Rangers would love this offer because it would boost their number of top 62 picks to five, three of which would be first rounders if Tampa Bay wins the Stanley Cup.
Ottawa Senators via Tampa Bay Lightning
The offer: Tampa gets Erik Karlsson, Ottawa gets Kevin Hayes, Cal Foote, Slater Koekkoek, Sean Day, Tampa Bay’s 2020 first rounder. Rangers get Ryan Callahan, Bobby Ryan (50 percent retained salary), conditional first becomes automatic first, Anthony Cirelli, Lightning 2019 third round pick Ryan Dzingel, Penguins 2019 third round pick
This would be an absolute blockbuster trade, one of the craziest in NHL history. It’s so crazy that it just might work. Here’s a breakdown of what each team is giving up.
Senators trade
Erik Karlsson
Bobby Ryan (50 percent retained salary)
Ryan Dzingel
Penguins third round pick
Tampa Bay Trades
Cal Foote
Anthony Cirelli
Slater Koekkoek
Ryan Callahan
2020 first rounder
Remove conditional status from 2019 first rounder
2019 third round pick
Rangers trade
Kevin Hayes
Sean Day
The Rangers end up with a pretty nice haul including three picks, a solid prospect in Cirelli, an interesting winger coming into his prime in Dzingel and the bad contracts of Bobby Ryan and Ryan Callahan. The team would still have about $4 million in cap space to play with during the season after the deal.
The Senators get Hayes, the Lightning’s top prospect in Foote, two wild card young defenders in Day and Koekkoek and a first round pick in 2020 when the Lightning are going to be under a tight cap-crunch.
Next. An early look at the Rangers' depth chart at center. dark
The Lightning are giving up a lot here, but they’d be getting the top defenseman in the game while giving up one of the league’s worst contracts in the process. If they want a chance at the Stanley Cup, doing this deal could get them there in no-time.