If you were Rangers General Manager for a day

No one could have predicted the global haywire called 2020. The Mayans were clearly off by about eight years. However, as the world quickly catches fire, the NHL and the New York Rangers return to the ice!

Did any of us predict a worldwide pandemic for 2020? Maybe Elon Musk. But for the rest of us -not in a million years. None of us expected a ‘March Madnessesque’ 24-team tournament to cap off the season. The New York Rangers were essentially gifted a slot in the postseason. Had the season carried on there was a chance the boys in blue wouldn’t have earned a wild card slot.

Going into the trade deadline the Rangers had some of the most coveted players,  but instead of dealing away the likes of Chris Kreider, Jesper Fast and others, they opted to double-down for a potential postseason birth. But heck, the February trade deadline seems almost irrelevant at this point.  Had we known what we know now the roster would more than likely would look a bit different today. No one could have planned or prepared for such an unusual turn of events.

But… what if we knew all of this was going to happen?

Drinking talk

I love a good hypothetical as much as the next guy…

What if the Rangers traded Alexandar Georgiev at the deadline? What if the Rangers drafted anyone else instead of Hugh Jessiman back in 2003? What if we never traded Marian Gaborik away and he instead played for the New York Rangers during the Stanley Cup finals instead of Los Angeles? Would the Rangers still have even made it to the Finals had they not made that trade?

While drinking with a buddy via Zoom – because that is normal, right? – he and I began playing a classic game of “What if!”

WHAT IF we all knew that the world would hit that giant pause button in the sky and we knew that there was going to be a 24-team playoff from the very beginning? Would you have traded any of our players then?

WHAT IF the NHL decided to allow the trade deadline to be waved and trading could commence for the next two weeks? And –

WHAT IF you were the General Manager for one day and were permitted to make one trade and one trade only? Who would you trade for?

So let’s play now.

What if we all knew this was going to happen and what if you were allowed to make one trade for the New York Rangers before the playoffs? What would you do?

Possible targets

As a fan and critic, I’ve said it more than once here at Blue Line Station – The New York Rangers need help down the middle. Not one center on the roster is above 50% in the face off circle. That and that fact Brendan Smith is still getting playing time are the most blatant fallacies in the lneup. So here are my top choices for potential trade candidates if I were General Manager.

Erik Haula

Erik Haula was recently traded from Carolina to Florida as part of the Vincent Trocheck trade and is no stranger to being traded. Haula was selected in the Vegas expansion draft from the Minnesota Wild and scored 29 goals in his first season.  A knee injury in his second year with the Golden Knights limited him to only 15 games and he was shipped to the Canes last summer.  He played 41 games for Carolina before they flipped him to the Panthers.

He’s on his last year of his contract and if the Rangers could commit to signing him long-term he could potentially find rhythm in Manhattan. This season he’s won over 54% of 704 total faceoffs and 24 points in 48 games played. He also has more than 2:1 takeaway to giveaway ratio. Haula could comfortably play 3rd or 2nd line and would be a nice addition to an already lethal Power Play and struggling Penalty Kill.

This is an obvious overpay as Haula is on an expiring contract, but Haula has already established himself in the league as a quality center. Howden does have tremendous upside, but has struggled to find a definitive role in the lineup. The Rangers may not want to wait another season or two for him to develop, especially since they’ve signed Panarin and Kreider to such lucrative deals. The Rangers could deal for Haula if they feel they have a legitimate chance this offseason.

But why would Florida do this deal? They’re in the exact same position that the Rangers are in and Haula fills a need at center on the second line for Florida. The thought process is this – Haula may inform the front office that he’s planning on testing his value in the offseason and the Panthers could pull the trigger on a trade if they feel that 1) they don’t realistically believe they have a chance at winning the tournament and 2) have the opportunity to capitalize on Haula’s immediate trade value.

Erik Haula has been a journeyman thus far having played for four franchises in four years. If the Rangers offer him a three or four year deal at around $3.5 million, I don’t see him looking for a payday elsewhere. And at that price point, the Rangers should roll the dice on him, especially considering how much cheaper he’ll be compared to Ryan Strome.

Chris Tierney

Tierney is not as skilled as Erik Haula, but certainly more durable. Tierney was the most prominent name outside of Erik Karlsson in the aforementioned trade back in 2018. Tierney has the ability to play center or wing and has won 51% of 1000 plus face offs this season, which isn’t amazing, but it’s by far better than anyone else on the team. Tierney is a proven and versatile forward who can comfortably play second or third line minutes as well as special teams. He had four shorthanded goals on the season.

This trade resolves two major needs. 1) The Rangers gain a young, but experienced player who has a pass first play-style. 2) The Rangers alleviate some of the pressure in net. Shesterkin can become the official starter and Henrik Lundqvist will mentor him as his backup. Is it what Lundqvist wants? Probably not, but it’s what the fans want.

*Like Erik Haula, Chris Tierney is on an expiring contract. If Tierney doesn’t resign with the Rangers the pick becomes the New York Islander’s second-round pick that Ottawa received in the Jean-Gabriel Pageau trade.

Jason Spezza

At first glance this is a vintage New York Rangers trade: older player past his prime who comes to New York to simply eat up playing time from our youth. Sound familiar?

However, Jason Spezza is a bit different. He’s 37 years old sure, but he’s still producing on the scoreboard. He has 25 points in 58 games and has won over 54% of 400 plus face offs. What’s more impressive is that he’s done all of this on Toronto’s fourth line averaging only 10:50 TOI. Carrying a cap hit of only $700,000, Jason Spezza provides a needed veteran presence in the locker room while still efficiently contributing. Think of this trade as a less costly Martin St. Louis acquisition.

It should be acknowledged that Spezza has a NTC. He’s from Toronto and has stated publicly that he wants to help the Maple Leafs take home the cup. However, he may be willing to waive the NTC after how former coach, Mike Babcock, and the Leafs front office has treated him. Spezza is still a second line talent, but has been stuck playing a role that he didn’t sign up for.

The basis for this deal is the Patrick Marleau trade between San Jose and Pittsburgh. Both on their last legs, both are making $700,000, and both still have enough in the tank to chase down the hardware that has alluded them both.

If I were the GM for the day is this the trade I’d like to be known for? Absolutely not. I’d love to be the General Manager that somehow pried Jack Eichel away from a perpetually struggling Buffalo Sabres franchise or the General Manager that built the Stanley Cup winner and pulled the New York Rangers out of playoff purgatory.

However… I see the immediate value in this deal and unless that third-round pick pans out to become a bonafide stud there aren’t any long-term ramifications. This deal simply makes the New York Rangers better before the playoffs and the Maple Leafs can then play Ilya Mikheyev or Andreas Johnsson – who will be coming off the IR.

Patrik Nemeth

There’s not a worst team in the league than the Detroit Red Wings, but you really can’t put too  much blame on Patrik Nemeth’s shoulders. While no team has allowed more goals this season, Nemeth has managed to only be a minus-10 on the season. Though that’s not usually a positive statistic, Nemeth is averaging 22:02 minutes of ice time. When your team has allowed 267 goals and only scored 145 and you play as much as he has per night, that’s mildly impressive.

Nemeth is reliable stay at home defenseman who could pair well with our offensive threats on the backend. Tony DeAngelo, for all of his strengths, is still a liability. Don’t forget,  the Rangers are still the eighth worst team in the league in terms of goals allowed. With another year on his deal at $3 million, Nemeth falls within what the Rangers consider affordable.

Marco Scandella was traded from Montreal to St. Louis for a second-round pick and a conditional fourth at the trade deadline. Nemeth and Scandella showcase similar numbers with Scandella putting up a few more points and Nemeth playing a few more minutes. Nemeth is two years younger and on a more forgiving contract. Throwing in a definitive fourth into the deal feels fair.

The Red Wings clear up cap and accrue more assets and the Rangers can now regulate Brendan Smith to the press box.

Post your trades below

Cheers to hockey coming back! I for one can’t wait to see what a socially-distanced bench looks like!

Thank you for playing this game of “What If.”  Crack a cold one with your fellow Blueshirts fans and then propose your trades below. Then come back and up vote your favorites!