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New York Rangers: Five potential trades involving Kevin Hayes

By John Williams

NEWARK, NJ - APRIL 03: New York Rangers center Kevin Hayes (13) skates during the second period of the National Hockey League Game between the New Jersey Devils and the New York Rangers on April 3, 2018, at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
NEWARK, NJ - APRIL 03: New York Rangers center Kevin Hayes (13) skates during the second period of the National Hockey League Game between the New Jersey Devils and the New York Rangers on April 3, 2018, at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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VANCOUVER, BC – FEBRUARY 28: New York Rangers Center Kevin Hayes (13) waits for a face-off during their NHL game against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on February 28, 2018 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. New York won 6-5. (Photo by Derek Cain/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
VANCOUVER, BC – FEBRUARY 28: New York Rangers Center Kevin Hayes (13) waits for a face-off during their NHL game against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on February 28, 2018 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. New York won 6-5. (Photo by Derek Cain/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

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.

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