New York Rangers: Two possible destinations for Kevin Hayes

Kevin Hayes is shaping up to be the New York Rangers top trade asset this season.  There’s been speculation that he could be re-signed after January 1, but just as much speculation that if the rebuild is to continue he will be dealt by the trade deadline.

Elliotte Friedman’s “31 Thoughts” column for Sportsnet is one of the “bibles” for hockey aficionados.  He’s a hockey writer with a lot of connections and his observations are usually spot on.  Here’s what he wrote about New York Rangers center Kevin Hayes this week:

"“They’ve (the Boston Bruins) also been linked to Kevin Hayes, but will have competition. Another possibility for the Ranger centre? Colorado. He’s exactly what they need.”"

So, that automatically will ramp up the conversation about Hayes and an expected return.  Let’s take a look at what the Rangers could get.

Boston Bruins

The Bruins sit in fourth place in the Atlantic Division, but look to be a safe bet for a playoff position.  They are in a dogfight with Montreal for wild card positioning and are still a possiblity to pass Buffalo for third place.

With Patrice Bergeron out with an injury, the lack of depth for the Bruins at center has been exposed. After David Krejci, the next three centers are Colby Cave, Jacob Forsbacka Karlsson, and Noel Acciari.   Those three have a grand total of seven points so far this season.  The addition of Hayes would be a huge improvement and set the Bruins up for the post-season.  As a Boston native, he would be a natural for the team.

But enough about the current Bruins.  What do they have to offer the Rangers?  First off, they own all of their draft picks for the next few years including the Rangers’ fourth round pick acquired in the Adam McQuaid deal.   So, a first round pick would make sense since it would be a middle to late pick due to the Bruins position in the standings.

The biggest need for the Blueshirts is on defense, so it is worth looking at the top defensive prospects the Bruins have to offer.  Their top three prospects are Jeremy Lauzon (2nd round, 2015), Urho Vaakanainen (1st round, 2017) and Jakub Zboril (1st round, 2015).  Would Boston part with any of them?

Jeremy Lauzon is a 21-year-old lefthanded shot who was projected to be an offensive D-man, but has only scored two goals in 60 AHL games. He has gotten into 15 games with the Bruins this season.

Urho Vaakanainen is a 19-year-old from Finland who is a stay at home defenseman with great skating ability.  He was impressive in the pre-season and was one of the last cuts. He has played two games for Boston this season.  He is currently on injured reserve due to a concussion.

Zboril is a 21-year-old who finally made his debut with the Bruins this fall, played two games and was sent back to Providence.  Projected as a two-way defenseman, the Czech player hasn’t developed as quickly as the Bruins would have hoped so he may be ripe for the picking.

So, the Rangers could go for a first round pick and a lesser prospect or try for one of these defenseman and a second or third round pick.  It’s possible that the Bruins may be losing patience with Zboril and Lauzon as their development has slowed.  One word of caution…both of these young players are in the AHL while ex-Rangers John Moore and Steven Kampfer are playing regularly for the Bruins.  If Boston feels that Kampfer is a better option than Zboril or Lauzon that could be an issue.

Colorado Avalanche

The Avalanche are in a brutal fight for the top spot in the Central Division with Nashville and Winnipeg.  A first place finish will guarantee a first round against an inferior wild card team. Second or third will mean a tough first round against a top Central team.  Today, only four point separate the three teams.

The Avalanche are very dependent on their top line for most of their scoring. Heck, when that line is made up of Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen, small wonder.  But everyone knows that depth is crucial in the playoffs and Kevin Hayes brings all of that and more.  Hayes’ 24 points is more than any Colorado center except for MacKinnon and is a huge improvement over third and fourth line centers J.T. Compher and Colin Wilson.

So, Hayes is clearly a good fit for Colorado.  Colorado has six draft picks in the first three rounds of the 2019 Entry Draft, including a potential lottery pick acquired from Ottawa.  While they likely won’t give up that lottery pick, it’s  a sure bet that their second first rounder could be available. The Rangers could try to get creative and try for the lottery pick possibly making it a protected pick.  They could stipulate that the Avs could keep the pick if they end up with a top five slot and defer the pick to 2020.  It all depends on how desperate Colorado is.

So, let’s focus on defense.  There are two top defensive prospects in the Avalanche system and they should be Jeff Gorton’s targets.  Cale Makar is probably the Avalanche top defensive prospect, even the best prospect in the organization.  He was the fourth pick overall in 2017 Entry Draft and is finishing up his career at U. Mass Amherst.  He’s a stud defenseman and could anchor the Ranger blueline for years.  If there is any way the Rangers could pry him from Colorado, they should go for it, even if it means including a current defenseman or prospect.

The other top option is Conor Timmins.  The defenseman was a second round pick in the same 2017 draft.  He is a powerplay quarterback who is a guaranteed top four defenseman.  After a spectacular career with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds he was injured in the OHL playoffs.  He reported to the Avs training camp, but has been suffering the after effects of the concussion he sustained last season and has yet to appear in a game.  And that’s why Timmins may be available.

All Ranger fans remember the sad case of Michael Sauer, whose career was cut short by concussions.  Timmons has been out for seven months after the injury and there is no timetable for his return. The good news is after being sent home in October, he is back in Colorado, working with the training staff.  Is Timmons a gamble worth taking for the Rangers?  That won’t be an easy call for the Rangers brain trust.

While the Avalanche might be reluctant to trade either of these prospects for a rental, perhaps a sign and trade is possible.  The Avalanche are in decent salary cap position so locking Hayes up for a few years could be a good option.

With over two months to the February 25th trade deadline there will be a lot more speculation to come.  The good news is that Kevin Hayes’ stock is rising.  The more teams interested in him, the higher his value grows and that can only be good for future of the New York Rangers.