New York Rangers: Understanding the developing trade market

With 26 days to go until the NHL trade deadline, the New York Rangers’ front office is facing the reality that it’s a seller’s market, what does that mean going forward?

For all of the NHL office’s consistent boasting about the parity within the game, there is an underlying reality that often does not get mentioned. Sure, 20 plus of the teams in the league are within a handful of points of a playoff spot. Yet, there are just a handful of teams with a legitimate chance of winning the Stanley Cup. Technically, the New York Rangers are just nine points out of it.

This situation puts many organizations that are on the fence in a real bind. If a team is just a handful of points outside of a playoff spot, the front office must make a decision about either pursuing a rental at the deadline to bolster the existing lineup or to play things conservatively and recuperate value for expiring assets.

With the lingering reality of a top-heavy league, this often pushes small market teams to sell off assets to preserve the future. What’s the sense of a team like the Columbus Blue Jackets holding onto Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky only to get trounced in the second round of the postseason by a significantly better team.

In fact, TSN moved the Russian winger up to number one on the site’s trade bait list on Wednesday afternoon following the announcement from his agent that he [Panarin] would not comment on his contract situation until the Summer.

New York’s assets

On TSN’s trade bait list, three Rangers find themselves inside the top 45. The highest of the three, forward Mats Zuccarello checks in at number five in spite of his lingering foot infection. Following Zuccarello is center Kevin Hayes who is at spot number 15. Coming in further down at #24 is winger Chris Kreider.

The logic behind the trade bait list is the higher up a player is, the more likely they are to be dealt at or before the deadline. Based on the Rangers’ current situation, it would make sense for Zuccarello to be so high up in the rankings. As a 31-year-old forward on an expiring contract, there isn’t a spot on a rebuilding team for the Norwegian forward.

With Hayes checking in at 15, that leads me to believe that TSN’s analysts think there is some chance that the Boston College product could still sign an extension with the Rangers. At 26-years-old, there is the potential for a fruitful extension that both parties could be happy with.

It’s slightly surprising to see Kreider on the list, but with things the way they are, it’s not out of the realm of possibility. With the Rangers seemingly in need of one of everything to genuinely rebuild the team into a contender, Kreider could net a bundle of assets comparable if not more than Rick Nash did at last year’s deadline.

How the wind is blowing

Since there are just a handful of teams (Tampa Bay Lightning, Nashville Predators, Winnipeg Jets) that are in the upper echelon of contenders there will likely be series of sell-offs from teams currently close to a postseason spot.

TSN currently has players from the Blue Jackets, Carolina Hurricanes, Philadelphia Flyers, Ottawa Senators, Detroit Red Wings, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Edmonton Oilers in the top of its trade bait rankings. Granted, the rankings are not an ironclad guarantee that the player will get moved, but are based on chatter between executives and those at the outlet.

With so many teams featuring expiring assets on the trade market, it could potentially drive down the value of individual players. The standard package of a late first round pick and a b level prospect for a rental may prove too rich for a contending team to pay from one team and will, in turn, pursue another player.

The main advantage that the Rangers’ front office has is the value of its assets. Two of them, Kreider and Hayes, are both on pace for career years and could easily improve any contending team’s top six and power play. The main difference being that Kreider has the 2019-2020 season on his deal, giving a potential trade partner two cracks at a playoff run with him in the fold.

As for Zuccarello, the Norwegian’s future was written on the wall for a long time. The Rangers’ front office has slowly over the past 24 months begin to unwind its aging players and transition to a more youthful approach. As long as he is healthy enough to be traded, Zuccarello is an above average player with a knack for performing in big moments.

The problem

For as good assets as the Rangers’ executive have to pursue a trade, the reality is, there are better talents available. Over the past several years, Panarin emerged as one of the premier wingers in the entire NHL, potting 74 and 82 points respectively in the previous two seasons.

Also prominently ranked on the trade bait column is Wayne Simmonds of the Flyers. In terms of comparisons, Simmonds is a more accomplished version of what Kreider does for the Rangers. Both use their large frames to position themselves near or in front of the net.

Simmons registered two 30 goal seasons and was an all-star back during the 2015-2016 season. Granted, the Flyers’ forward has significantly more miles on his body and is only a rental, he won’t cost a contender as much in a trade.

The issue for the Rangers is a run on the trade market. With only a handful of teams legitimately positioned to make deep postseason runs, there are a finite number of trades to be made. It is absolutely imperative that the Rangers do not get caught standing around when the music stops. If not, the team will be forced to take below market value to trade expiring assets.

The clock is ticking for Jeff Gordon and company to make something happen to help sure up the Rangers’ future. It’s important that the executives stay in front of the market and don’t wait too long and get caught like it did last year during the Ryan McDonagh trade