New York Rangers: Should the Rangers trade with the Hurricanes?

The New York Rangers are looking to improve on defense and the Carolina Hurricanes are open for business to trade defensemen. Could this be the perfect recipe for a deal?

The Carolina Hurricanes are reportedly open for business as we are about a month away from the NHL trade deadline. The Hurricanes have a surplus of right-handed defenseman, a highly sought after asset.

Among the defenseman reportedly available is recently-acquired Dougie Hamilton. Hamilton joined the Hurricanes from Calgary as part of the Lindholm/Hanifin trade.

But the Hurricanes will listen to offers for any of their defensemen (the only exception is Jaccob Slavin). The other two right handed defensemen that could be moved are Justin Faulk and Brett Pesce.

So what does this mean for the Rangers?

Well the Rangers have not been shy about the willingness to trade almost anyone. The Rangers blueline is also arguably their greatest weakness, with Adam McQuaid and Frederik Claesson as a UFA and RFA respectively in July.

There’s also the looming question of what to do with Tony DeAngelo, another RFA in July. He has struggled greatly under both head coaches Alain Vigneault and David Quinn in his short time in New York.

The Hurricanes have one of the highest shot rates in the league. Many of those shots are generated by the d-corps. Dougie Hamilton is the team leader in shots (151) and Justin Faulk is third (138).

Mika Zibanejad leads the Rangers in shots with 139, and the Rangers have significantly less total shots than Carolina.

Now quality of shots does matter just as much, if not more than, quantity. But it can’t be denied that if you get more pucks to the net, you are more likely to score. In addition, offensive contribution from the defense will always be a boost to your team.

This looks like the recipe for a match made in heaven. The Hurricanes have defensemen to sell, and the Rangers may have the assets to buy. It all depends on what the price is.

The Hurricanes are in need of scoring. The loss of both Jeff Skinner and Elias Lindholm over the summer through trades is starting to show in the team’s lack of offensive production despite their extremely high shot totals.

Carolina recently acquired Nino Niederreiter from the Wild in exchange for Victor Rask, who had been struggling as of late after returning from a nearly devastating injury to his hand.

Niederreiter has already made an impact in scoring, but the Hurricanes are still in a bind.

Micheal Ferland, who came to Carolina in the Lindholm/Hanifin trade, is a pending free agent and is reportedly looking for a Tom Wilson-level deal. The Hurricanes don’t seem to be willing to make that deal, and will most likely trade him.

Ferland is currently on the Hurricanes’ top line with Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen. Losing him will leave a large gap in the lineup. The Hurricanes also missed out on William Nylander, who they were reportedly trying to trade for with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

This is where the Rangers can come in. Kevin Hayes was shut down through the All-Star break due to an injury. But it wouldn’t be farfetched to say that Hayes could be on the sidelines to prevent any injury in case of a trade.

Mats Zuccarello has also been the subject of numerous trade rumors and is currently on a hot streak offensively. This is good for the Rangers right now, but also for trade value in the future.

For Carolina’s needs, Hayes is more fitting. Especially in the absence of Jordan Staal, the Hurricanes are particularly weak at the center position.

Aside from Aho the Hurricanes’ three other centers are Lucas Wallmark, Greg McKegg and Saku Maenalanen. Having Hayes in the lineup would be a significant upgrade.

Looking at the numbers, a one-for-one trade is plausible or something close to that. Kevin Hayes is on a one year, $5.175 million deal. Brett Pesce is in the first year of a six-year deal with a $4.025 million AAV. Faulk is on the second to last year of a deal with a $4.8 million AAV.

One limitation with Faulk is his modified-NTC. The Rangers would have to be on the list he submitted to the Hurricanes in order to be traded.

So let’s discuss options with Pesce first.

It’s worth noting that Pesce is also a Tarrytown, New York native and he grew up watching the Rangers with his family. If Kevin Shattenkirk is any indication, factors like that have an impact.

With about a million dollar difference in salary between Pesce and Hayes, there would most likely need to be more pieces added as opposed to a simple one-for-one trade. Especially since Pesce just started a six-year deal and Hayes is a pending UFA.

This is where a conditional draft pick could come in. If the Hurricanes give the Rangers Brett Pesce and, let’s say, a conditional second-round pick, it could be upgraded if Hayes signs an extension with Carolina.

If not a conditional pick, there could be a combination of lower round draft picks and/or a prospect in the deal. Overall, the deal could remain pretty even or could turn out to be one-for-one.

Pesce could benefit from a change in scenery and a more consistent role on defense, and the Rangers could offer both of those things.

Now let’s say Justin Faulk listed the Rangers as one of his teams as part of his NTC. The former Olympian could fare well in New York as well.

Just looking at salaries and length of the contracts, a trade involving Faulk and Hayes could very likely be one-for-one. The Rangers would get one and a half seasons (or more) with Faulk in the lineup and the Hurricanes get Hayes for the second half of this year and there is the possibility of a long-term extension.

Faulk and Hayes also happen to be the same age (26), and there’s only around $300,000 difference in salary.

Either Pesce or Faulk would have an immediate impact on the Rangers’ defense. The impact will be even greater if Adam McQuaid is traded and vacates a RHD slot in the lineup.

Pesce is a younger option and has a longer contract, which are important factors when it comes to the rebuild. But Faulk is still young himself, and there is always the possibility of re-signing him after next season.

The question on Carolina’s side is; why trade for Hayes, who could be a rental in a non-playoff year?

As previously mentioned, Hayes can provide much needed depth at center. As of right now, Jordan Staal’s timeline to return to the lineup is uncertain and even with him in the lineup the Hurricane’s center depth is weak.

The Hurricanes traded away pending UFA Jeff Skinner over the summer and are looking to do the same with Micheal Ferland. Even with a new owner, Carolina is known for being somewhat stingy when it comes to paying players.

But Skinner and Ferland are wingers. Though they bring a lot to the table with their skill sets, Hayes is a particularly important commodity at the coveted center position. If the Hurricanes were to take a risk and do a trade-and-sign deal with anyone, Hayes would be a great fit.

Also the Hurricanes’ surplus at defense, particularly on the right side, is an issue that needs to be addressed. A lot of salary is going into the defense and freeing up space by trading Faulk and/or Pesce leaves room to keep Dougie Hamilton and bring another top-six forward on board.

Carolina’s trade track record as of late has not been stellar. But Nino Niederreiter projects to be a successful addition and the Hurricanes can use that momentum to make the offense even better.

There will most likely be many offers on the table, but a deal with the Rangers could be simple and give the Hurricanes exactly what they need. It’s just a matter of taking the risk and paying Hayes.

Teuvo Teravainen just signed an extension and Sebastian Aho could be close up next. Getting their contracts out of the way now can allow the Hurricanes to assess cap space and make the necessary adjustments to trade for and sign a player like Hayes.

Whichever defenseman the Rangers pursue, a deal between these two teams just makes sense. Rangers fans may still be scarred after the Eric Staal trade, but this deal would greatly benefit both sides.

The Hurricanes have made it clear they’re open for business, and the Rangers should take advantage of the opportunity.