Grading the trades that made this team what it is
The trade deadline deals of February 2018 are looking better and better for the New York Rangers. In just six days, the Rangers became a new team. Let’s update the scorecard.
February 2018 was a momentous time for the New York Rangers. They acknowledged to their fans that the team was going nowhere and they needed to rebuild. It was a dramatic statement for Glen Sather and Jeff Gorton to make and within weeks, they proved that they were serious by trading some key players.
Trades cannot be judged the day they are made and sometimes it will take years to see who actually “won” a deal. The results of the February 2018 trades are becoming more and more clear for the Rangers and the picture is a good one.
The Rangers’ 4-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning Tuesday is just one example of the long term benefits of those trades. Three players acquired in those deals played an important role in the win and all indications are that there are more to come.
Trade #1 – February 20, 2018
Nick Holden played 18 games for the Bruins and two games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with one goal and two assists. He signed with the Vegas Golden Knights as a free agent that summer.
Rob O’Gara had a cup of coffee with the Blueshirts that season, played last season in Hartford and was let go this summer. He is currently on the roster of the San Antonio Rampage of the AHL. With the draft pick, the Rangers selected defenseman Joey Keane who signed his Entry Level Contract this year and is playing really well in the AHL, leading all rookie defensemen in goals.
If Keane becomes a regular on defense in the future, this deal will be a total home run for New York.
Trade day grade: C+
Hindsight trade grade: B
Potential trade grade: A+
Trade #2 – February 22, 2018
Michael Grabner played 21 games for the Devils with two goals and three assists. He was a scratch in three of the five playoff games for New Jersey that spring. He signed that summer as a free agent with the Arizona Coyote.
Yegor Rykov signed his Entry Level Contract this season and is currently on the injured reserve list after being hurt in a game in the Traverse City tournament. The Rangers flipped the second round pick to Ottawa as they traded up in the first round to pick K’Andre Miller. Miller is the Rangers top defense prospect in his second year at the University of Wisconsin.
If Miller lives up to his promise and Rykov makes it as an NHLer, this could be one of the most one sided trade deadline deals in Rangers history.
Trade day grade: B
Hindsight trade grade: A
Potential trade grade: A+
Trade #3 -February 25, 2018
When the Bruins traded for Rick Nash they thought they were getting the final piece of a Stanley Cup puzzle. Instead, he played only 11 games in the regular season and added 12 in the playoffs, hampered by injuries and a concussion that forced him into retirement that summer.
Ryan Lindgren was a University of Minnesota defenseman who made his Rangers debut last season and was just promoted to the NHL this week. He’s a tough, gritty blueliner with a mean streak who has shown steady improvement since turning pro.
Matt Beleskey was nothing more than a cap relief piece of the deal while Ryan Spooner had an excellent month wit the Rangers and was awarded with a two year contract. After a slow start last season, Jeff Gorton cut bait and swapped him to Edmonton for Ryan Strome, one of the most one-sided trades last season.
The Rangers flipped the first round pick along with the second round pick they got from New Jersey to Ottawa to move up in the draft so that they could select K’Andre Miller.
On draft day in 2018, they swapped the seventh round pick from Boston for Carolina’s seventh round pick in 2018 so they could draft Riley Hughes, a forward who is playing his first season at Northeastern University.
Though Nash had been a long time Ranger, he was headed to free agency and re-signing him was doubtful. In Lindgren, the Rangers got a player who could be manning their blueline for many years to come. Ryan Strome has revived his career in New York and is playing top minutes. We’ve talked about K’Andre Miller’s potential and if Riley Hughes can make it to the NHL some day, this trade will be an overwhelming win for the Blueshirts.
Trade day grade: B
Hindsight trade grade: A
Potential trade grade: A+
Trade #4 – February 26, 2018
This is one that has backfired on the Blueshirts. Graves has become a regular on the Avalanche blueline. He has become a valuable third pair shutdown defenseman. Possessing one of the hardest shots in the AHL, Graves never really got a chance with the Rangers and at the time, it was a simple swap of two minor leaguers.
Chris Bigras was the 32nd overall pick in the 2013 draft by Colorado. He had two brief stints with the Avalanche and the Rangers were hoping a change of scenery would turn around his career. it didn’t happen and this summer, he signed with the Flyers as a free agent and is playing in the AHL with Lehigh Valley.
With Bigras gone and Graves playing regularly, this trade is already a loser. If Graves continues to grow and develops into a longtime NHL regular it will be end up even worse.
Trade day grade: C
Hindsight trade grade: D
Potential trade grade: F
Trade #5 – February 26, 2018
This was the blockbuster, the most controversial trade of the deadline. Ryan McDonagh had a full year left on his contract and J.T. Miller was headed to RFA status. McDonagh was the Rangers’ captain and top defenseman and Miller was an inconsistent, but physical forward who had success with the Blueshirts.
McDonagh has been a stalwart on defense for the Lightning for a season and a half. He’s been especially valuable when Victor Hedman has gone down with injuries and he signed a massive seven-year, $47 million contract beginning this season. Considering that he will be 36 in the final year of the deal and he has had a history of injures, that contract could haunt the Lightning.
Miller had a fantastic finish to the 2017-18 season with Tampa, playing on their top line. Last season he really regressed, finishing with 13 goals after signing a five-year, $26 million contract. The cap-strapped Lightning traded him to Vancouver this summer for a first and third round draft pick, a decent return for Tampa.
As for the Rangers, Brett Howden and LIbor Hajek are valuable starters for the Rangers, though both are still only 21 years old.
Vlad Namestnikov played one full season in New York, but never was able to break out offensively and was traded to Ottawa in a deal mostly to get the Rangers cap relief. The Rangers got minor league defenseman Nick Ebert and a fourth round draft pick in the exchange.
The Rangers used the 2018 first round pick to select Nils Lundkvist who is having an excellent season with Lulea of the Swedish Hockey League. He looks to be ready to move to North American next season.
The Rangers drafted Swedish center Karl Henriksson with the 2019 second round pick and he is one of the leading scorers in the SuperElit league in Sweden. This week, he was loaned to Södertälje SK. a team in the Allsvenskan League, one level below the Swedish Hockey League, probably the Swedish equivalent of the AHL.
While the trade of McDonagh and Miller was controversial, the fact is that the Rangers got two young players with tremendous upside already playing in the NHL along with two draft picks who could turn out to be outstanding contributors. The LIghting still have McDonagh to show for the deal and whatever return they got for Miller in terms of the prospects that they will draft.
Trade day grade: C
Hindsight trade grade: B+
Potential trade grade: A+
Summary
21 months after this series of deals, they are looking better and better for Jeff Gorton and the New York Rangers. Here’s what the teams involved in these deals have to show for the trades:
Boston: Nothing
Colorado: Defenseman Ryan Graves
New Jersey: Nothing
Tampa: Defenseman Ryan McDonagh, Goalie Hugo Alnefelt , (Vancouver’s 2019 3rd round pick) , Vancouver’s 2020 first round pick (conditional). goalie Marek Mazanec currently playing in the Czech Republic.
So, two NHL players, one prospect, one draft pick and a goalie playing in Europe. That’s what’s left from these trades. How about the Rangers?
New York Rangers: Libor Hajek, Brett Howden, Ryan Strome, Yegor Rykov, Joey Keane (Hartford), Nick Ebert (Hartford), Matt Beleskey (Hartford), Nils Lundkvist (Sweden), Karl Henriksson (Sweden), K’Andre Miller (NCAA), Riley Hughes (NCAA), Ottawa’s 2020 4th round draft pick.
Three NHL regulars and at least six prospects with a shot at making it to the big leagues. That’s pretty one sided in favor of the Blueshirts. Kudos to Jeff Gorton, he deserves it.