Three players the New York Rangers could move before the deadline to create cap space

This has been a largely successful season for the New York Rangers. Currently presiding at the top of the Metropolitan standings, the Blueshirts have been one of the best teams in the NHL this season. There's no denying that the Rangers have had extreme amounts of success this season, and that they are probably going to be looking to load up at the deadline. Looking at the rest of the league, this is the Rangers best shot to win the Stanley Cup with this core.

There's just one problem about trying to load up at this deadline. Due to the extreme amount of injuries the Rangers have sustained, it's not entirely viable for the Rangers to expect to go out and pick up the cream of the crop at this deadline due to the limited amount of cap space available to the organization. You cannot accrue cap space while in LTIR relief, and the injuries to Kaapo Kakko and Filip Chytil have left the Rangers in said relief.

It means that if the Rangers are going to go out and try to load up at the deadline, they will need to create their own cap space by moving out internal deals to try and make it work. This will mean amputating parts of the current roster to try and improve it for the playoffs. If you are questioning whether that is a good idea or not, you are not alone. There will be a ton of people wondering if changes are indeed needed to make this team better for the more meaningful hockey of the playoffs.

However, New York Rangers ownner James Dolan is not exactly known for his stance of "stand pat at the deadline". This is a man that likes his teams to make the big splash whenever they can. Whether or not the Rangers will depends on the space they can leverage. So, what parts of the current roster could be moved out to make room for the reinforcements that might be en route ahead of the trade deadline?

Barclay Goodrow

This is the cop out answer but he absolutely has to feature on this list. Barclay Goodrow has played in 34 games this season and has a single goal and three helpers for four points. That is not good enough for a Rangers player. His money could be better used on making space for reinforcements at the trade deadline. This isn't to say Goodrow is a bad player, in fact I think he's somewhat underrated by the general fan base because he does the little things well.

Where the issue comes with Goodrow is that he makes $3,641,667 per year against the cap. He's got three years after this season remaining on that deal. This man has four points on the season, for more than $3.5 million. It's not good enough for a team that wants to win the Stanley Cup. While he'll probably find his scoring touch once again when he gets to a new home, the Rangers are desperate for room under the salary cap.

Goodrow has a 15 team no trade list implemented in his deal as well, just to ensure that Rangers are unable to move him. Trying to find a team willing to take him that isn't on that list, or that is on the list that may take him is going to be difficult. Perhaps the Rangers could even find a team that wants his services and could find someone to take him at his current cap hit, albeit that is unlikely. He did win back to back Stanley Cups as a key member of the Tampa Bay Lightning core.

I've seen ideas about sending him back to the San Jose Sharks, where he broke into the league. It's not the worst idea, since the Sharks are enduring a rebuild. They may even be able to get another first round pick for him after they got one from Tampa Bay a few years ago. Although, he was yougner and cheaper at the time, weird things tend to happen in this league.

Ryan Lindgren

You might be looking at this completely bemused, and I agree this one is probably the most unlikely to move. However, there are a few reasons where moving Ryan Lindgren actually makes sense. I promise you, I'm not completely insane, and there is a method to my madness. I've not completely lost my mind yet, although after the Hurricanes game, it might be going soon.

Lindgren has been a defensive stalwart for the Rangers over the years, and he's partnered Adam Fox for all but the ten games Fox was hurt. But he's struggled a lot more this season than usual. In 35 games, Lindgren has all of two goals and four assists for six points. Playing alongside Adam Fox, you would expect that production to be much higher for the $3 million he makes against the salary cap, so it is concerning. It's a reason to be a little worried about the Burnsville, Minnesota native,

You could argue Lindgren isn't someone that should be producing points. He's a defensive defenseman after all. I'd listen to that argument, if he wasn't on pace to set a new high in penalty minutes, shot attempts against, as well as enduring his worst shot attempts for percentage of his career. He's having a down year, and you can see it when you watch the games as well as when you look at the stats.

Now, a down year Ryan Lindgren is still a very good defenseman. But he's also an RFA at the end of the year with arbitration eligibility. That has the potential to get very ugly if the player and team don't agree. This is not me saying that Lindgren should be moved before the deadline. However, if there was a defensive reinforcement coming in, Schneider, Jones and Gustafsson don't make enough to mean anything. Trouba has a no-move clause. Fox isn't going anywhere, and Miller's better than Lindgren right now,