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How the New York Rangers choked this trade deadline

By Daniel Blanda

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 17: Chris Kreider #20 of the New York Rangers celebrates his second period goal against the Chicago Blackhawks at Madison Square Garden on January 17, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 17: Chris Kreider #20 of the New York Rangers celebrates his second period goal against the Chicago Blackhawks at Madison Square Garden on January 17, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA – FEBRUARY 25: Brady Skjei #76 of the Carolina Hurricanes looks to the scoreboard during the second period against the Dallas Stars at PNC Arena on February 25, 2020 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA – FEBRUARY 25: Brady Skjei #76 of the Carolina Hurricanes looks to the scoreboard during the second period against the Dallas Stars at PNC Arena on February 25, 2020 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

Brady Skjei you later

As previously stated, Skjei would have been treated a lot differently if he weren’t playing alongside Jacob Trouba, Tony DeAngelo, Ryan Lindgren and Adam Fox. His $5.25 million over six-years felt cumbersome considering he had yet to put a season together that rivaled his rookie campaign.

The New York Rangers have a plethora of prospects on the blueline and New York needed to clear some cap somewhere if they hoped to retain any of the players who are uncertain of their next contract this offseason. Outside of somehow moving Henrik Lundqvist, this made the most sense. Is it all the money the Rangers need? No. Is it a step in the right direction? Yes.

There’s no ill-will between the New York Rangers fanbase and Brady Skjei. If anything, fans are hoping the 25-year old bounces back in Carolina. He was someone fans had hoped the Blueshirts could build around, but that experiment didn’t pan out. A first-round draft pick and a salary dump is more than a fair return on Skjei despite the Hurricanes knowing that the Rangers’ hands were tied.

Perhaps the biggest ‘L’ in trading Brady Skjei isn’t necessarily hockey related. Former-NHLer and current Spittin’ Chiclets podcast host, Ryan Whitney pointed out, “You’re losing maybe the hottest guy in hockey too, so tough loss in the man rocket department for the Rangers.”

That wasn’t my initial reaction to the trade, but perhaps Ryan Whitney brings up a strong reason for this trade. Perhaps there was some in-house jealousy amongst the Blueshirts? Maybe? Probably not.

(Un)restricted free agents

Jesper Fast, Ryan Strome, Tony DeAngelo, Alexandar Georgiev, Brendan Lemieux and Chris Kreider were all on expiring contracts going into the trade deadline. Chris Kreider is now the exception (to be continued…), but the rest are still uncertain of their futures with the club.

What’s frustrating is that they all had tremendous trade value. Brendan Lemieux and Ryan Strome were more than likely not getting moved, but Fast, DeAngelo, Georgiev and Kreider were all expected to garner valuable returns that would help the Rangers prepare for the 2021-2022 season, which is when they are expected to be at their most competitive.

Instead the only trade made was involving Brady Skjei. Trading away Skjei essentially ensures that the Rangers will be able to bring back at least some of these players, but that’s still not a given. Ryan Strome might turn around and ask for a contract that’s similar to that of J.T. Miller or Kevin Hayes. There’s no denying that Artemi Panarin and he have a strong working relationship and he might use that as leverage in the off-season.

Will the Rangers trade Georgiev’s rights in the off-season? Will they trade Strome’s if he’s seeking too pricey a payday? There are still so many unresolved questions that the Rangers made no real headway in a definitive direction of the franchise.

Buchnevich’s injury threw a temporary wrench into the proceedings sure, but the value for all of these players has never been higher and for the Rangers to not take advantage of that is a mistake.

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