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Fansided

Reviewing the Mark Messier trade tree from NYR to SJ

By Conor Power

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 28: Former New York Rangers player Mark Messier waves to fans during Henrik Lundqvist's jersey retirement ceremony prior to a game between the New York Rangers and Minnesota Wild at Madison Square Garden on January 28, 2022 in New York City. Henrik Lundqvist played all 15 seasons of his NHL career with the Rangers before retiring in 2020. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 28: Former New York Rangers player Mark Messier waves to fans during Henrik Lundqvist's jersey retirement ceremony prior to a game between the New York Rangers and Minnesota Wild at Madison Square Garden on January 28, 2022 in New York City. Henrik Lundqvist played all 15 seasons of his NHL career with the Rangers before retiring in 2020. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – FEBRUARY 04: Ryan Callahan #24 of the New York Rangers salutes the crowd after he was named star of a game against the Colorado Avalanche at Madison Square Garden on February 4, 2014, in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – FEBRUARY 04: Ryan Callahan #24 of the New York Rangers salutes the crowd after he was named star of a game against the Colorado Avalanche at Madison Square Garden on February 4, 2014, in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

2004 4th round pick

Normally, a pick that late in a draft is insignificant. Trading a player like Messier for a mid-round pick is more or less pinning your amateur scouts against your professional scouts. It’s a magic bean, the odds of a 4th round pick becoming anything significant is very rare. When they do become something, they are usually not anything big. Well, in this case, the New York Rangers smashed this out of the park.

With that 2004 4th round pick, the Rangers selected Ryan Callahan. If you just read that and thought about him as the dude in a suit on TV sometimes, you’re a child. Callahan spent 8 years in the Big Apple as the Rochester native would eventually become the captain of the New York Rangers and see the team succeed and falter at different times, he was never able to quite become a dynamic winger.

During his 450 games with the New York Rangers, Callahan tallied 132 goals and 122 assists for 254 points during his 8-year stay. By no means is that a shabby career, and he was revered by many as a good leader during his time in New York. However, he wasn’t that player that could decide games on his own. He could factor in, but he could never take over a game as Messier could.

In March 2014, the Rangers were looking very good. They decided they wanted to go and get a little more in terms of pedigree before they locked into the playoffs. Callahan was traded alongside a 2014 1st, a 2015 1st, and a 2015 7th-round pick to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for a second-round pick in 2015 and a winger that was a lock to go into the Hall of Fame at this point in his career.

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