Ranking the trade-ability of the New York Rangers roster

With the NHL Trade Deadline a little over a month away, we still don’t know if the New York Rangers will be buyers or sellers.  With the likelihood that the team will be looking to deal at the deadline, let’s check out the trade-ability of all of the players on the team.

When looking at the 2019-20 New York Rangers, there are players who absolutely won’t be traded, players they would like to deal and players who are definitely going to be gone by the end of next month.  Let’s take them one by one.  Factors to consider include term  of contracts, cap hits, no trade clauses and intangibles.

No way

Artemi Panarin – The best player on Broadway has a seven year deal with a full No Movement Clause.  He is going nowhere.

Mika Zibanejad – The best all around player on Broadway has two more years after this one on his deal with a full No Movement Clause.  Not only is the 26 year old not going anywhere, the Rangers should be working on an extension.

Adam Fox – He is under control for years to come and refused to play anywhere except for the Rangers.  He is not going to be traded and will be a Ranger for life.  Take that to the bank.

Kaapo Kakko – Still on his Entry Level Contract, he is having a fine rookie season and will only get better.  If anyone inquires about Kakko’s availability, Gorton should and will just hang up the phone.  Then again, for Connor McDavid……

Doubtful

Jacob Trouba – Trouba is in the first year of a seven year contract for $8 million a year. It’s a contract that is probably too rich for anyone to take on and there is no reason to believe that the Blueshirts are unhappy with him.  He is playing heavy minutes and is contributing in all situations.  There is no way he is moved unless someone offers the earth and the moon and then the Rangers would make the deal only to clear cap space.

Marc Staal – Staal has one more year on his contract after this one and has a full No Movement Clause.  Would he waive it for the right deal?  The Hurricanes have lost Dougie Hamilton for the season.  Would a reunion with his little brother make some sense if the Rangers were willing to retain some dollars on the contract?  A Cup contender could  see the value of adding a solid defense veteran….so it’s not impossible, but doubtful.

Henrik Lundqvist – The King has a full No Movement Clause and one year left on his deal.  He has always maintained that he wants to finish his career as a Ranger, but that was before he was relegated to third man on the totem pole in the three-goalie circus.  He may be reconsidering that stance and a trade to a contender with some salary retained could be a win-win for all involved.  Watch the injury reports carefully.  If a contender loses their number one goalie, Lundqvist could be in play. If Lundqvist changes his mind and says he would waive the no-trade clause, the likelihood of a deal goes up substantially, but it would have to be a retained contract arrangement.

Brendan Smith – Smith has one more year on his $4.35 million contract  after this one and a Modified No Trade Clause in his contract.   Again, a versatile and physical defenseman who can play forward could be useful for a contender down the stretch run, especially if the Blueshirts were willing to eat some of the contract.  It’s just that final year of he contract is pretty pricey.  The odds of Smith going anywhere are slim to none.

Filip Chytil – The young Czech center is finally coming into his own and it is very unlikely that he will be going anyway.  He is as close to being on the no trade list as anyone on the team.  Factor in that he is on an Entry Level Contract and will be an RFA for years after that and he is going nowhere.

Igor Shesterkin – Suppose a team throws an offer at the Blueshirts for Shesterkin that they cannot pass up.  Moving forward with a Georgiev/Lundqvist tandem is not the worst thing in the world, but Jeff Gorton doesn’t want to be the guy who traded a Vezina Trophy winner away.  Considering Shesterkin’s small sample size, it’s unlikely that anyone will offer enough to entice the Rangers into a deal anyway.

In the next category, there are a number of players who could be used as trade bait,  but the return would have to be worth it.