Three Former New York Rangers the team could bring back before the NHL Trade Deadline
As the New York Rangers approach the NHL trade deadline on March 8th, they will have a difficult decision to make regarding their situation on the right wing. They know it has not been good enough over the years, and with the squad also needing help down the middle, it could be a difficult choice between the two positions of need. There are a couple of things that need to fall in the right way for that to happen.
For one, the Rangers are likely to be stuck in a situation where they are forced to move money out to make deals work. They have to find a way to move players like Barclay Goodrow out if they are going to make additions. Creating their own cap space will have to be a feature of this deadline for the Rangers, but that is not the point. Who can they add at the right wing to make the team better?
With the Rangers desperate for help at the right-wing position, there are a lot of former Blueshirts scattered around the corners of the NHL who could come home to the Big Apple to help the Rangers reach the heights of the 1994 team. We know the city and fanbase are desperate for another championship from the Rangers, so perhaps the answer could lie in the past, and members who have already donned the Blueshirt.
Moving forward, there have been a lot of names out there. Some are familiar, and some are a little newer to those in the Rangers realm. Whether the organization opts to bring back old friends or go to the well again for new faces, it's going to be an interesting time between now and the March 8th deadline. Players will be flying in and out of teams all around the league, and we know the Rangers love to be in the mix.
Frank Vatrano
We will start with a familiar face and someone that a lot of people want to bring back to the bright lights of Broadway. Frank Vatrano of the Anaheim Ducks is the first name we get to. Having an incredible season out in Orange County, the Ducks forward has been rumored to have a lot of teams questioning his availability. It's been a few years since he was a Ranger, but Vatrano left a good impression on the Blueshirt faithful.
Moving into his tenure as a Duck when he joined Ryan Strome as a member of the Anaheim Ducks, he's been a productive team member that has had some issues with putting the puck in the back of the net. Vatrano played in 81 games during his first season as a Duck, throwing up 22 goals and 19 assists for 21 points. 20 goals in that Ducks lineup is quite the achievement, but this year, Vatrano's gone to a new level.
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Through 50 games, Frankie's got 22 goals and 14 helpers for 36 points. He's been a dominant force for Anaheim, even getting himself an all-star game appearance. The flip side of this is that Vatrano has a few issues keeping the puck out of his own net. He was a -29 last year and is currently a -13 this year, despite his scoring. Now, how much of that is because of the Ducks and how much of that is the player is up for debate.
If the Rangers were to put the 2025 first-round pick on the table, the organization might be able to combine it with a package that is large enough to convince the Ducks to part ways with the East Longmeadow, Massachusetts native. He's got another year on his current contract, making just $3.65 million a year, and at the age of 29, it's a pretty safe bet if the Rangers wanted to take the route of a reunion.
Vladimir Tarasenko
At last year's trade deadline, the New York Rangers opted to go for a Russian winger out of the St Louis Blues organization rather than targeting American hockey icon Patrick Kane from Chicago. Kane would eventually join the Rangers anyway, but the Russian is the one I want to focus on right now. I talking about Vladimir Tarasenko obviously, and the Tarasenk-show that he brought to Broadway.
Coming in around this time last season, Tarasenko played in 31 games for the Rangers in the regular season, adding 8 goals and 13 assists for 21 points. He was a fine player for the organization. In the playoffs, when the going gets tough, Senko threw up a casual three goals and a helper for four points as the Rangers were eliminated in seven games by the New Jersey Devils. With that, the Rangers season came to an end, and so did Senko's deal.
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With the cap bind the Rangers were in, they couldn't pay him what he wanted, and he ended up apparently agreeing on a deal with the Carolina Hurricanes before pulling out of that and heading north to Ottawa. With the Senators this season, Tank has collected 13 goals and 20 assists for 33 points in 45 games. It's not bad, but it does show that he isn't the place he was once upon a time back in St Louis.
He's on an expiring deal, but the Senators are nowhere near playoff contention. The issue here is going to be Vlad's no-trade clause. It gives him almost full control over his trade destination. Does he believe in this Rangers group to get past the first round and give him a shot to win a second Stanley Cup Championship over others, or would he rather go to a different team in hopes of winning another ring? Time will tell.
Anthony Duclair
A former child, the Rangers, drafted could come home now as a fully-fledged man. Anthony Duclair was drafted by the New York Rangers in the third round of the 2013 NHL entry draft. As the Point-Claire, Quebec native was a young lad. He was traded to the Arizona Coyotes in the deal that brought Keith Yandle to the Big Apple. Since, he has become a little big of a journeyman bouncing around from team to team.
Not including his debut with the Rangers, Duclair has gone on to play for the Arizona Coyotes, Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Ottawa Senators, and Florida Panthers before eventually landing in San Jose with the Sharks this summer as he continues to try and get over that Achilles injury he suffered last year. He's not had any issues since, thankfully for the player, but it's worth noting.
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With a San Jose Sharks team this year that has been just awful, Duclair's netted nine times, in addition to eight helpers over his 46 games. It's not a great total, but how much of that can be attributed to the offensive struggles the San Jose Sharks have endured as a team, and how much is regression of the player as he gets past his 28th birthday? It's a difficult question.
He's also very much the budget option here. If the Rangers want to throw a mid-round pick at the problem, they have the cap space to take on Duclair's $3 million cap hit without too many troubles. It would make sense too, because the Rangers could play him almost anywhere in the lineup, and his speed would cause trouble for almost any defenseman in the NHL. It's something management has to discuss.