Some centers for the Rangers to pursue

If the New York Rangers are in a “win now” mode under new General Manager Chris Drury, egged on by owner James Dolan, the trade options are increasing as the playoff picture clears up for the contenders and pretenders.   Teams that didn’t make the playoffs and teams eliminated in the first round are looking at their options and as a result, some names are surfacing on the available list.

There are questions surrounding all of the options.  The question for the Rangers is how far Drury is willing to go to get to a playoff competitiveness.

Jack Eichel

We’ve been down this road before, numerous times.  While a marriage between Eichel and the Rangers seemed to be a match made in heaven as recently as mid-season, his recent physical woes makes a trade far less likely.

Pros

• He’s a center.
• He’s virtually declared that he wants out of Buffalo.
• He’s young and locked into a long term contract.
• He’s still considered to be one of the finest young players in the NHL. No matter how you look at it, he is a lock to be a 30 goal scorer and a point-a-game player.
• He wants to win and has the competitive fire you are looking for in a player.
• He’s a Massachusetts guy and can relate to Chris Drury.

Cons

• He’s got a neck injury and that is  scary.  He wants to undergo a surgery that has never been done on a hockey player before.
• He’s had a history of some nagging injuries including a high ankle sprain that cost him two months in 2016.
• He’s locked into another five years of a contract that has an average annual value (AAV) of $10 million including a full no movement clause.  That takes a big chunk out of the salary cap for the Rangers.
• He’s just okay on faceoffs.
• He’s been unable to make the Sabres into a winner and has yet to prove that it is in his DNA.  Then again, Taylor Hall couldn’t do squat in Buffalo and look at him surrounded by a decent cast in Boston.

The verdict

Pass.  Unless it’s a fire sale, the Rangers should stay away.  While Eichel wants out of Buffalo, he has no leverage and a spinal disc herniation is nothing to mess around with.  It’s far more likely that if he is traded it  will be to a team on the west coast and out of the Eastern Conference.