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New York Rangers: Grading Jeff Gorton’s trades

By Steve Paulus

NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 15: Referee Brad Watson shakes hands with Mika Zibanejad #93 of the New York Rangers after working his final game at Madison Square Garden following the game against the Carolina Hurricanes on January 15, 2019 in New York City. The New York Rangers won 6-2. (Photo by Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 15: Referee Brad Watson shakes hands with Mika Zibanejad #93 of the New York Rangers after working his final game at Madison Square Garden following the game against the Carolina Hurricanes on January 15, 2019 in New York City. The New York Rangers won 6-2. (Photo by Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 15: Referee Brad Watson shakes hands with Mika Zibanejad #93 of the New York Rangers after working his final game at Madison Square Garden following the game against the Carolina Hurricanes on January 15, 2019 in New York City. The New York Rangers won 6-2. (Photo by Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 15: Referee Brad Watson shakes hands with Mika Zibanejad #93 of the New York Rangers after working his final game at Madison Square Garden following the game against the Carolina Hurricanes on January 15, 2019 in New York City. The New York Rangers won 6-2. (Photo by Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Grade A

July 18, 2016  – Mika Zibanejad and 2018 2nd round pick to Ottawa for Derick Brassard and 2018 7th round pick
Trade Day Grade B:   Trending UP

As time passes, this deal is looking better and better for the Rangers. In Zibanejad the Blueshirtrs got a number one center who is a point-a-game player this season.  Brassard was a disappointment in Ottawa and was traded to the Penguins.  A clutch playoff performer, Brassard played well against the Rangers in their 2017 playoff series, but Zibanejad will be a Ranger for a  long time.  The draft picks could end up haunting the Blueshirts.  Ottawa selected a Minnesota high school player,. but on the negative side, the Rangers traded the Ottawa pick to Detroit in the Brendan Smith deal. That pick turned out to be the 33rd overall after the Senators’s collapse.

February 25, 2018 – Ryan Spooner, Matt Beleskey, Ryan Lindgren, 2018 1st round pick and 2019 7th round pick from Boston for Rick Nash
Trade Day Grade A:  Trending UP

Jeff Gorton pulled off quite a deal, acquiring five warm bodies for a concussion prone Rick Nash.  He has since turned Spooner into a productive Ryan Strome and Ryan Lindgren has made his Broadway debut.  Matt Beleskey was a salary dump and doesn’t really fit into the Rangers’ future. The Rangers flipped the Bruins’ first round pick to Ottawa to move up and draft K’Andre Miller.  The bottom line is that Gorton made out like a bandit with his old team.

February 20, 2018 – Rob O’Gara and 2018 3rd round pick from Boston for Nick Holden
Trade Day Grade A:  Trending UP

This deal is nothing but a winner for the Rangers.  Holden was an impending UFA and was not going to be re-signed.  The Rangers got a prospect in Rob O’Gara who is playing regularly in Hartford after appearing in 22 games for New York last season.  His NHL upside is iffy, as the Rangers are deep in defensive prospects.  With the 3rd round pick, the Rangers selected defenseman Joey Keane who was invited to the Team USA WJC camp and is having an excellent season in the OHL.  He is rising on the Rangers prospect depth chart.   This was an outstanding trade deadline deal and a solid draft selection.

February 22, 2018 – Yegor Rykov and a 2018 2nd round pick from New Jersey for Michael Grabner
Trade Day Grade A:   Trending Up

Another deadline deal with no downside.  Grabner was going to be a UFA (he signed with Arizona) and the Rangers were able to parlay his rental into a solid prospect in Rykov and the 2nd round pick.  The Rangers flipped the second round pick to Ottawa to trade up so they could draft K’Andre Miller.  If Rykov comes to North America after his KHL contract expires this spring and Miller develops as predicted, this could be a huge deal for the Rangers.

November 16, 2018 – Ryan Strome from Edmonton for Ryan Spooner 
Trade Day Grade C:   Trending UP

There wasn’t much chatter when this deal was announced.  Many felt it was a trade of players with similar salaries and statistics.  Gorton knew something as Spooner has been waived to the minor leagues by the Oilers and Strome has become a regular for New York.  The Spooner deal was cited by many as one of the deals that led to the firing of Peter Chiarelli.  Strome is under contract for another season and has been getting more and more comfortable in his role for the Ranger.  It remains to be seen if he has a future in New York, but this deal is a win-win for Gorton.

June 20, 2016 – 2016 6th round pick &  2017 4th round pick from  Florida for Keith Yandle
Trade Day Grade A:  Trending UP

This is known as getting something for nothing.  Florida wanted the first crack at impending free agent Keith Yandle so they gave the Rangers two draft picks for his rights.   The strategy worked out for the Panthers.   The Rangers selected goalie Tyler Wall with the 2016 pick and they flipped the 2017 pick for two picks (Brandon Crawley and Morgan Barron).  All three prospects are still in the Rangers’ system.

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