The New York Rangers have made all the right moves and continue to get younger. A move for forward Andre Burakovsky could be another step in the right direction.
The New York Rangers have continued to lock up young pieces of the puzzle throughout this offseason.
Most recently, Kevin Hayes signed a one-year deal. Before that, Brady Skjei signed for six years. The team also has plenty of young talent waiting in the AHL and overseas. The rebuild is real and the Rangers have stayed the course, piling up prospects, draft picks and younger NHL talent.
The team’s depth, at least in a numbers sense, is down the middle of the ice. New York has a plethora of centers in their system. They now have one more with the re signing of Hayes. The team isn’t necessarily weak on the wings, but certainly not as strong as they are down the middle.
There shouldn’t be any panic to add pieces, especially with so much unproven talent yet to play an NHL game. However, there is no reason to not at least think about some of the options.
The Rangers have the pieces and the plan to make a rebuild happen in multiple ways.
If they want to go out and grab a younger NHL player to bring in to the rebuild then they certainly can. Burakovsky fits the mold of what the Rangers are looking for. Young, talented, speedy and room for growth. It wouldn’t be crazy for New York to offer the Capitals a trade for the winger.
As I mentioned above, Burakovsky has a lot of skills and attributes that make him enticing to the Rangers.
The first one being his age. Burakovsky is only 23 and won’t be 24 until after the midpoint of next season. The Rangers certainly would be excited to add a player at that age because it fits right into their rebuild.
The hope would be that if they got Burakovsky he would hit his prime in a few years, right when the Rangers would start to contend if all goes to plan.
The second piece of the puzzle is the talent level that Burakovsky has. Though he has never eclipsed the 40 point mark, the winger has the talent to. You can see it with some of the goals he scores and plays he makes on the ice. Burakovsky just hasn’t been able to put it all together yet.
Still, he was drafted in the first round for a reason. His shot is lethal and his hands are his greatest strength. Burakovsky has the skills to be a 60-point player, he just has to put some things together.
Finally, he fits the mold of the team New York is looking to build as well. Burakovsky is young as I mentioned. He also is a skill player with plus speed. That seems to be the way the league is going and based on who New York has drafted and signed, that is the team they want to build.
Burakovsky would be a good fit for the Rangers and has his best days in the league ahead of him.
The Rangers have two options when it comes to acquiring Burakovsky, trade or signing him to an offer sheet next summer.
A trade is a riskier move for multiple reasons, but would also get Burakovsky in the system earlier. Waiting for free agency is the easier move but also it gives other teams the opportunity to sign Burakovsky, like the Capitals, who could match the proposed salary. Offer sheets are rarely ever signed in the NHL, so this is a very unlikely scenario. .
The Capitals might not ask for as much as you might think. He’s a young winger with upside but if a trade comes along that can push them over the edge in the Metro next season, they may take it.
The Rangers might be able to get Burakovsky for a few of their vets to help Washington’s playoff push. Since the Rangers would have his RFA rights, he wouldn’t be able to walk away just yet.
It’s not a guarantee that the Capitals would be keen on dealing him, but Jeff Gorton should definitely dip his toe in the water just to see what’s up.