5 forwards to stay away from at the deadline

The New York Rangers are expected to be buyers at the trade deadline as they look for reinforcements at center, the right wing and on defense.  How aggressive Rangers GM Chris Drury will be remains to be seen and a lot depends on how well the team does over the next two month. If they are still one of the best teams in the NHL by March 21, Drury may look to add the final pieces to a team that could contend for a Stanley Cup.

Drury has the assets to trade, but the temptation to overpay will be great, a road we have all been down before. With that in mind, there are a few forwards that the Rangers should avoid at all costs.  Here are the top five.

#1 Phil Kessel, Arizona Coyotes Right Wing

Phil Kessel is a lock to be traded.  The 34-year-old is in the last year of an eight-year, $64 million contract that he signed a lifetime ago with the Toronto Maple Leafs.  He is still an iron man and is a productive player but it’s how his production has changed that makes him a “must avoid” for the Blueshirts.

Kessel has topped 20 goals for 12 of the last 13 seasons and has scored as many as 37 goals twice in his career.  The issue is that the Rangers need even strength scoring from the right wing and Kessel has turned into an assist man. This season he has only five goals, but has piled up 22 assists.

Kessel’s durability and playoff experience make him a tempting target as a short term rental, but his days as a game changer are over.  The word is that the Coyotes will be looking a couple high draft picks in return for Kessel and would probably want a prospect as well if they were to retain some of his $8 million cap hit.  At that price, Kessel isn’t worth it.

#2 Claude Giroux, Philadelphia Flyers Center

On the surface, Claude Giroux is a perfect late season pickup for the Blueshirts. At 34 years old, he is a very productive forward with 15 goals and 34 points in 40 games for the disastrous Flyers. He is having the best faceoff year of his career, winning over 60 percent of his draws.

With a salary with an Average Annual Value (AAV) of over $8 million a year he is purely a rental, but he checks off some of the biggest needs for the Rangers.  In fact, if the Rangers could get Giroux, they could consider trading Ryan Strome at the deadline and get a return for their own pending free agent.

The problem is what the Flyers would want in exchange. As an archrival in the Metropolitan Division, Philadelphia would demand a ransom of young prospects as they rebuild. That’s why in 35 years, the Rangers and Flyers have made one major trade, the Eric Lindros deal.  That deal was a non starter for both teams, though the Flyers got more out of defenseman Kim Johnsson who played eight more years in the NHL after the Blueshirts gave him up in the trade compared to the two and a half seasons they got out of Lindros.

There’s also the issue of Giroux’s full No Movement Clause that he would have to waive. The Avalanche have been mentioned as a potential trade partner and that may be a much more attractive option for Giroux.

And if Giroux was willing to come to New York, would the Rangers want to rent him for one playoff run and then have to face a Kravtsov or Jones tormenting them for years to come?

#3 Dylan Strome , Chicago Blackhawks Center

Do the Rangers really want another Strome at center, especially the brother who has achieved less than Ryan?  True, he is going to be an arbitration eligible restricted free agent after the season and he did score 20 goals in 2018-19, but the former third overall pick has been trending downward.

He’s still only 24 years old and is having the second best year of his career on faceoffs (56.7%), but he won’t come cheap and he really doesn’t solve any problems for the Blueshirts.  Over an 82- game schedule his numbers this year project to 13 goals and 30 points.

He’s coming off a contract with an AAV of $3 million and won’t be looking for a pay cut.  Perhaps he and Ryan would accept a contract package deal from the Blueshirts next season in order to play together.  That’s not going to happen so a second Strome on the Rangers is not going to work.

#4 Max Domi, Columbus Blue Jackets left wing/center

Though Max Domi still oozes untapped potential, he comes with a number of red flags.  He’s a big hitter who fulfills the “hard to play against” criteria, but there is no way the Jackets would take him in a trade even up for Josh Anderson today.   Currently playing left wing, he has spent a lot of time at center and that’s where he was playing when he has his best season (28 goals, 72 points) for the Montreal Canadiens.

Hampered by injuries this season, Domi has been productive with eight goals and 17 points in 30 games.  He’s another reclamation project who is a UFA next season.  For his production, his $5.3 million AAV is much too high and that would make him strictly a rental for the Rangers.  John Davidson knows the Rangers organization well and you can be sure he would try to fleece the Blueshirts out of a top prospect.  Pass.

#5 Artturi Lehkonen, Montreal Canadiens left/right wing

This one is a little tougher and the Rangers have been linked to Lehkonen by a number of hockey writers. It’s all a matter of unfulfilled potential. He scored 18 goals as a rookie in 2016-17 and has not come close to that number in the five years since. He had the same production in the Habs run to the Stanley Cup Final last season with three goals in 17 games.

While his natural position is left wing, he has played right wing so that is not an issue.  The question is what the Habs would want and how much of an improvement he would be over the players the Rangers currently have.  If the Blueshirts think he is a reclamation project, you could see them trying to pry him loose from the Canadiens.  He is an arbitration eligible RFA after this season with a contract with an AAV of $2.3 million so this wouldn’t be a rental.

If the Rangers could mend their relationship with Vitali Kravtsov, is the Russian a better option than a player like Lehkonen who would cost the Blueshirts a solid prospect or more?

Two more names

Blue Line Station’s Matthew Tricomi did a nice job warning the Rangers away from Jake DeBrusk. You can read his take on that here.

The other name that is out there that gives fans the willies is Evander Kane.  Kane still sits in limbo, looking for a team to give him a chance to rebuild his reputation.  The Rangers would be wise to steer clear of Kane and all of the baggage he brings.  It’s tempting.  He’s a power forward with size who is in his prime.  Someone is going to take the risk and sign him for the rest of the season and the playoffs, why not the Rangers?

The only reason why he is someone worth signing is that he would cost nothing except money.  He’s a free agent and could hook up with any NHL team except the San Jose Sharks.  If he plays anywhere near his capabilities, he could be a difference maker in a playoff run.

The Rangers, with their core of young players, would be wise to stay away.  They need role models,  not controversy.

Potential targets

So that’s a list of player the Rangers should stay away from.  There are still a lot of names out there for the Blueshirts to pursue and we’ll have  a more detailed look at that list soon.

Here’s an very incomplete list of forwards who have been mentioned as potential trade bait for the Rangers:

• Travis Boyd, Arizona Coyotes center
• Kevin Fiala, Minnesota Wild winger
• Tomas Hertl, San Jose Sharks center
• Calle Jarnkrok, Seattle Kraken center
• J.T. Miller, Vancouver Canucks center
• Reilly Smith, Vegas Golden Knights right winger
• Vladimir Tarasenko, St. Louis Blues right winger
• Tyler Toffoli, Montreal Canadiens center

This is all a moving target and we are still seven weeks away from the trade deadline and a lot can happen in that time.  Names will pop up on the list and names will be dropped.  As for now, it’s all speculation.

We also didn’t add to the trade bait list the most fascinating possibility, Patrick Kane of the Blackhawks.   We’ll save that for another story.

Agree?  Disagree?  Do you think any of the five should be worth  roll of the dice?  Feel free to weigh in below.