New York Rangers: Who should they trade for Nylander?

The news is out that the Maple Leafs are ready to field offers for William Nylander if they cannot sign him.  The New York Rangers will undoubtedly join the teams vying for his services.  What is he worth?

Three days ago Elliotte Friedman tweeted this out.

With the William Nylander saga getting to the point of no return, that tweet sent the hockey world into a tizzy  The Rangers SHOULD be interested, the question is what an offer for the Swede would look like. Complicating matters is the Blueshirt’s excellent start.  Does the team want to break up what is becoming a “feel good” story this season in exchange for a top talent?  A lot depends on whether Jeff Gorton and his management team really believe that this team is a contender or if they think that this outstanding run will come crashing to a halt and the team will be in line for a sell-off come deadline day.

Who is William Nylander?

22-year old William Nylander has Ranger roots.  His father is Michael Nylander who spent two glorious seasons in New York, centering for Jaromir Jagr. As a nine  year old, William undoubtedly spent time in the Ranger lockerroom and at practices.

He was selected eighth overall in the 2014 Entry Draft, a particularly strong one. After parts of two excellent seasons in the SHL, the Maple Leafs took the right development path as he played 75 games in the AHL before making his NHL debut in 2016. In two full seasons, the center has been durable, scoring 22 and 20 goals and 61 points both years. His possession stats have been solid and he can play the wing as well as center. His three year entry level contract expired after last season and he has been mired in a contract dispute as a RFA.

The Sporting News ranked him 16th in their list of top talent under 25.   Corey Pronman of The Athletic rated him 25th.  Is he a “generational” talent.  No. But he is a pretty good hockey player, a player who can legitimately be called “elite.” His 122 points over the last two years are 11 more than Mats Zuccarello, the Rangers’ best.  His 42 goals are two less than Chris Kreider’s 44.  His points per game (0.73) and Corsi percentage (52.6)  are better than Zibanejad, Kreider and Zuccarello.  And he did this before he turned 22-years old.   He would automatically take his place as one of  the best Ranger forwards.

What would it take to get him?

The Maple Leafs are in that proverbial Stanley Cup window. They are in second place in the Atlantic Division and have the fourth best record in the NHL.  Getting out of the Division in the playoffs will be tough as they likely will have to go through Boston or Tampa. With the acquisition of John Tavares, the team is ready to win, but there are some weaknesses.

The team is thin at center without Nylander, despite having Auston Matthews, Tavares and Nazem Kadri.  On defense, Morgan Rielly is leading the team in scoring, but he is sharing top minutes with 37-year old Ron Hainsey. On the rest of the defense Jake Gardiner is solid, but there are holes.

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So, what could the Rangers offer?  The speculation is that Brady Skjei is the name that is being bantered about.  Kevin Hayes would be a very solid acquisition for the Leafs with his ability to play center or wing.  Would a top four defenseman and a center bound for free agency  be enough to pry Nylander loose?  Is the return enough for New York?

Losing Brady Skjei, arguably the Rangers top defenseman. would be a blow. A lot depends on what the Rangers think of Tony DeAngelo, Neal Pionk, Libor Hajek, Ryan Lindgren and Ygor Rykov.  DeAngelo has opened some eyes with his play recently and  Pionk has solidified his role on the team while Hajek and Lindgren are honing their skills in Hartford.  If Skjei is dealt, Ranger fans could be seeing a lot of Marc Staal, Fredrik Claesson and Adam McQuaid.

Face it, Kevin Hayes is most likely a goner at the deadline. While he can be a dominant player, he is headed for a season similar to last year and it’s clear that Gorton doesn’t believe that he is worth more than the $5 million he is making this season.  Could be bring anything close to a Nylander return in a deadline deal?  Don’t forget, #1 draft picks from contenders tend to be late first round, nowhere near the elite level of a top ten pick.

The reality

The Maple Leafs do not want to lose William Nylander. They also want him to play this season. If that looks impossible then they WILL trade him for assets that will help them this season.  As for the Rangers, despite their success this season, they are still in rebuild/retool mode and an elite talent like Nylander will be hard to pass up.  Could they substitute Kevin Shattenkirk for Skjei?  Would a player under contract like Vlad Namestnikov  be more attractive to Toronto than Hayes?  Could they get the Leafs to throw in one of their depth defensemen or a solid prospect with a higher upside than  Rob O’Gara?

Nylander needs to sign by December 1 if he wants to play in the NHL this season. The speculation will only continue to ramp up as we get closer to deadline day.