Way too early trade deadline targets for the New York Rangers

The trade deadline seems like it is a long way off for the New York Rangers. With the not knowing right now if they will be buyers or sellers when the time comes, it seems kind of dumb to wonder who the Rangers might try to add at the trade deadline. However, I’ve been told on more than one occasion that I am not the brightest bulb so doing something dumb like this sounds fun to me.

For the purposes of this, let us assume that the Rangers are going to be buyers. I will do another one for sellers soon this is assuming the best and the Blueshirts will eventually figure out what is creating the problems the Rangers have been enduring. It’s still a long way away from becoming a major problem but when was the last time anything was certain in the sporting world?

If New York is in a strong position to buy, they will do it. With the team needing depth down the right wing and some aid to the bottom six, there are obvious criteria to go out and fulfill if the price is right for that kind of asset. New York is a team that set its sights on the Stanley Cup before the season started. Like most contenders, the deadline is the ideal time to pick up some additional help in those areas.

For New York, there is one glaring problem when the team approaches the market. Cap space. According to CapFriendly, the Rangers have a projected $765,552 in cap space at the trade deadline. This is not entirely true because the Rangers carry a 23-man roster. If New York assigns one of its extra forwards to Hartford in the AHL, they will gain a minimum of an extra $750,000 which can make a lot of difference when discussing the trade targets.