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New York Rangers: What’s missing from the rebuild

By Steve Paulus

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - SEPTEMBER 17: Lias Andersson #50 of the New York Rangers skates against the New Jersey Devils during a preseason game at the Prudential Center on September 17, 2018 in Newark, New Jersey. The Rangers defeated the Devils 4-3 in overtime. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - SEPTEMBER 17: Lias Andersson #50 of the New York Rangers skates against the New Jersey Devils during a preseason game at the Prudential Center on September 17, 2018 in Newark, New Jersey. The Rangers defeated the Devils 4-3 in overtime. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 19: Conor Sheary #43 of the Pittsburgh Penguins is checked by Ryan McDonagh #27 of the New York Rangers during the third period in Game Three of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2016 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at at Madison Square Garden on April 19, 2016 in New York City. The Penguins defeated the Rangers 3-1. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 19: Conor Sheary #43 of the Pittsburgh Penguins is checked by Ryan McDonagh #27 of the New York Rangers during the third period in Game Three of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2016 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at at Madison Square Garden on April 19, 2016 in New York City. The Penguins defeated the Rangers 3-1. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

The big mistake

In the spring of 2018 the Rangers had two shots at finding that missing ingredient. The first was the trade deadline and they failed. There was one stud defenseman on a contending team that could have been had at the deadline.  That was Mikhail Sergachev of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

There is no way that the Rangers should have done the Ryan McDonagh trade with Tampa without getting  Sergachev in return. While Libor Hajek may become a decent NHL defenseman and Brett Howden may become a solid third line center, Sergachev has the potential to be a top tier defenseman.  The Rangers simply cannot give quality assets away without getting that top tier talent in return.

Their second miss was no fault of their own.  Both the Carolina Hurricanes and Montreal Canadiens had all the luck as they moved up substantially in the lottery and came away with two top picks that can become game breakers. That the Rangers actually moved down in the draft made it even worse.

In 2017, the Rangers jump-started the rebuild by trading Derek Stepan and Antti Raanta in exchange for the seventh overall pick and Tony DeAngelo. The jury is out on that deal as Lias Andersson is only 19  and DeAngelo faces what looks like a final chance for NHL success. If neither turns into an NHL regular, Gorton will have a serious blemish on his track record.

In 2018, the return the team got for Ryan McDonagh, J.T. Miller, Rick Nash, Michael Grabner and Nick Holden was substantial.  Six draft picks and five prospects along with Vladislav Namestnikov, Ryan Spooner and Matt Beleskey.   However, the highest draft pick was  #26 overall and all of the prospects are solid, but not great. They really needed to get Sergachev who has top five pick talent.

There is a reason that the Lightning were willing to trade Howden and Hajek instead of Sergachev or Brayden Point. It is clear that Tampa Bay saw Howden and Hajek as expendable in the name of trying to win the Stanley Cup immediately. Former Lightning G.M. Steve Yzerman was a master of pushing teams into a corner and making them take less than what they should have.

 

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