Blue Line Station
Fansided

Some centers for the Rangers to pursue

By Steve Paulus

Jack Eichel #9 of the Buffalo Sabres skates against Kaapo Kakko #24 of the New York Rangers (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Jack Eichel #9 of the Buffalo Sabres skates against Kaapo Kakko #24 of the New York Rangers (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 5
Next
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MARCH 05: Evgeny Kuznetsov #92 of the Washington Capitals pushes a glove at Brett Howden #21 of the New York Rangers during the first period at Madison Square Garden on March 05, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MARCH 05: Evgeny Kuznetsov #92 of the Washington Capitals pushes a glove at Brett Howden #21 of the New York Rangers during the first period at Madison Square Garden on March 05, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

Evgeny Kuznetsov

The year the Capitals won the Stanley Cup,  the idea of trading Evgeny Kuznetsov was a pure fantasy.  Now, Washington appears to be fed up with him and after a first round playoff ouster, they look to be ready to make a deal.  It’s an intriguing opportunity for the Rangers and would be a pure risk/reward play.

Pros

  • He’s a center
  • He’s 29 years old and is under contract for another four years at a reasonable AAV of $7.8 million.  He has a Modified No Trade Clause allowing a deal to some teams.
  • Imagine a line of Panarin-Kuznetsov-Kravtsov.  That could be goal scoring magic.
  • He is a proven playoff performer with his 32 playoff points in 2018 one of the highest totals in NHL history.
  • In his first four years in the NHL he was almost a point-a-game player as Washington’s number one center.
  • His defensive play is underrated and he has been a contender for the Selke Trophy in the past.
  • He would be an upgrade over Ryan Strome if Strome is looking for a raise after next season.
  • His bird celly would rival Panarin’s leg kick.

Cons

  • His numbers have dropped substantially over the last three years.  That includes scoring and analytics.  He had the lowest ice time of this career this season.
  • He tested positive for cocaine a year ago and was suspended by the NHL and banned from international play.
  • He violated the NHL COVID-19 protocols, tested positive twice and sat out a number of key games.
  • The drug use and violating the NHL pandemic protocols indicate a deeper problem.
  • He stinks on faceoffs with a lifetime 43.5% winning percentage
  • It’s a trade with a Metropolitan Division rival and that is a scary proposition.

The verdict

Don’t rule it out.  When his head is on straight, Kuznetsov is one of the best players in the league and the idea of him teaming with Panarin is very intriguing.   He’s cost controlled and his term would coincide with that of Panarin, Kreider and Trouba.  If a return to playoff contention is what they are looking for, he’s an immediate answer.

That said, his lack of discipline (drug use and COVID violations) could be pointing to a bigger problem that the team doesn’t need. Also, the asking price for Kuznetsov would be very high and sending young talent down I-95 could haunt the Rangers for years.  Ask any Rangers fan about trading Mike Ridley and Kelly Miller for Bobby Carpenter.

Home/Analysis