New York Rangers fans are watching teams across the NHL make huge trades before the NHL Draft on Friday. First, Brady Tkachuk was traded from the Ottawa Senators to the Florida Panthers on Sunday. Then, as part of a hectic Tuesday, the Senators acquired winger William Eklund from the San Jose Sharks for the ninth-overall pick and the Washington Capitals acquired winger Jordan Kyrou from the St. Louis Blues for Connor McMichael, the 16th overall pick and prospect Milton Gastrin. But neither of those Tuesday trades broke the collective minds of the NHL world more than the Buffalo Sabres' deal with the Chicago Blackhawks.
The Blackhawks acquired defenseman Bowen Byram from the Sabres in exchange for the fourth-overall pick. That's right, for the first time since 2008, a top five draft pick was traded away. As it turns out, the Blackhawks were the only team in serious talks with the Sabres for Byram.
During an appearance on Sportsnet's "The FAN Hockey Show," NHL insider Elliotte Friedman revealed that the Rangers "were in big on Byram."
Rangers 'were in big' on Bowen Byram trade
"I think the price that Chicago paid last night, the more I've had the opportunity to kind of look at it. I think Buffalo had the Rangers and I think the Sharks," said Friedman. "I thought [Jarmo Kekalainen], he must have been sitting there saying, 'all right, what can I throw another log onto the fire, guys?' I think that's why that happened last night. I think he had three teams and all of them, like the Sharks had the [ninth pick] after they traded for it. and Rangers have got what, [the fifth pick]? And Chicago's there with them. I think they just sat there and did what a team is supposed to do today. They played them all off each other and got the best pick he could."
This is not to say that Byram is a bad player. He is a good defenseman who is blocked in Buffalo due in part to the number of good defenseman they already have on the roster. Plus, he is due for a new contract next summer. So if the Rangers were to, say, surrender the fifth-overall pick to the Sabres for Byram while locking him into a huge contract, the fanbase would have been riled up, to say the least.
Byram is projected to earn a seven-year contract with an annual salary around $9.5 million. That's a lucrative deal the Rangers would be dishing out to another defenseman. Byram is coming off of a career-year with the Sabres, putting up 42 points (11 goals, 31 assists) and a plus-15 plus/minus rating while averaging 22:20 of ice time through 82 games.
President and General manager Chris Drury has said he is looking to "retool" the roster, not rebuild it. But given the lack of options in free agency, there are no easy fixes for them. But that's not to say that Drury hasn't been looking to bring in a difference maker.
Reports indicate that the Rangers reached out about acquiring Tkachuk from the Senators and Dylan Larkin from the Detroit Red Wings, but they were not on either of their trade wishlists. So, the Rangers do have work to do to turn them back into a desirable landing spot for top stars across the league.
The Rangers still have other work to do. Recent reporting indicates that trade talks for center Vincent Trocheck picked up on Wednesday, with the team looking for a big return in exchange. Given how much players have gone for in the trade market so far, one has to wonder if there is a team willing to make a huge offer for Trocheck. Then, there's the chance the Rangers deal defenseman Braden Schneider, who is due for a new contract this summer.
If this latest intel on Byram means anything, it's that Drury is eyeing a big move for the Rangers. Butfans are going to be wondering just how much they would be giving up for a player that interests them.
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