Should the Rangers pursue Kaprizov even if it means missing the Connor McDavid sweepstakes?

Imagine you're a car collector. A pretty good one at that. You've got a classic Mustang here, a new Range Rover there, but everyone knows you're true passion. Exotics. The rarer the better and you've already got an impressive core. A LaFerrari Aperta, one of those awesome new Cadillac Celestiq models, and of course your prized, mint condition Maybach Exelero. They just don't make 'em like that anymore. One day, you get word through the grapevine that you may soon be presented with a monumental choice:

1) A 50% chance at procuring a Pagani Utopia. It'll cost you some liquid assets and maybe that Bugatti Veyron you secretly bent the rear axel of a few years back. All-in-all, an offer you couldn't refuse. Unless...

2) Just a few months later, you get about a 15-20% chance at buying the Rolls-Royce La Rose Noire Droptail. Straight up. Cash money.

The 'one in a million' vs. the 'one of one'

Now, sure, the Pagani Utopia is a true status symbol and undoubtedly raises the ceiling of your collection by a lot, but other Utopias exist. You've witnessed them come and go with varying degrees of performance. All great performances, mind you, but sometimes not truly excellent.

Here's the thing. There's only one La Rose Noire. There will only ever be one La Rose Noire. Even if the rest of your collection was suddenly snatched up by those retched car tycoons in Tampa and Miami, if you still had the La Rose Noire, you would always be taken seriously.

So, what do you do? You've got some time to mull it over, but do you really need to? Like, really? No, you don't. When push comes to shove, you go with the "one-of-one," and while Kirill Kaprizov is certainly part of a very select group of ultra-talented hockey players, there is only one Connor McDavid. Let's quickly break it down a bit further.

Make no mistake, Kaprizov is an S-Tier talent with room to grow

Kaprizov is special. There's no denying that. In just his sophomore season in the NHL, he scored 47 goals on his way to 108 points in 81 games. At the end of that 2021-22 season, only four skaters finished with a higher offensive points share than Kaprizov: Auston Matthews, Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Johnny Gaudreau. The 28-year-old Russian has since struggled to stay on the ice but when he does lace up, he's automatic, averaging well over a point-per-game in four out of five seasons (save only his rookie campaign). Injuries and location (Minnesota) have allowed him to fly under the radar a la Panarin in Columbus, but landing Kaprizov might be an even bigger deal for New York than his Russian compatriot was. It's all in the realm of rumor, right now, but those rumors are picking up steam.

Kaprizov has deflected questions about his stalled extension negotiations the same way someone avoids talking about the future with their high school partner before heading off to college. Then you've got the friendly relationship between Wild GM Bill Guerin and Rangers President and GM Chris Drury, who might have some time to chat during this season's Olympic break. A time when Kaprizov might be paling around with folks like Panarin and Igor Shesterkin. Who cares where the smoke came from as long as fire follows, right?

(Pictured above: Bill Guerin)

Any shot at Connor McDavid is worth forgoing your shot at Kirill Kaprizov

Despite all that, the ongoing saga surrounding another stalled contract negotiation trumps any talk of adding a superstar for New York. Connor McDavid's future is very much in flux as the league's top talent begins preseason play with the Edmonton Oilers without a contract extension. You don't have to read the tea leaves to deduce the other 28-year-old in this debate is having second thoughts about sticking with a franchise that seems like it might've already had its best shot at a Stanley Cup. As far as this concerns the Rangers, that's about all the information we have to go on. There's no telling what McDavid might do if he hits free agency. Maybe he works it out with Edmonton. Maybe he tries to return home to Toronto. There's no indication he'd be partial to New York City, and yet it doesn't matter. McDavid is the closest the league has come to seeing another player sniff the "Gretzky-Lemieux" Tier of Two.

If you're an NHL general manager with the opportunity to enter next summer with the resources necessary to land the world's top supercar, there's no justification for emptying the rest of the piggy bank for another fast toy, no matter how cool.