Trade-deadline primer for New York Rangers

trade-deadline primer for new york rangers

New York Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette.

With the All-Star break in the rearview, the trade deadline looms large and is now just a month away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the New York Rangers.

The New York Rangers have once again found themselves in a rare position atop the standings, while still having the cap space to make a splash at the trade deadline. They clearly enjoyed this position last season, making seven different trades between the start of February and the March 3 deadline. That included their acquisitions of Vladimir Tarasenko, Tyler Motte and Patrick Kane. But their building didn’t lead to much, with New York losing in the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Their busy deadline last season has limited the assets they have to work with this year, but the Rangers are still undeniable favorites to add to their roster once again.

Record

37-16-3, first in the Metropolitan Division.

Deadline status

Buyers

Deadline cap space

$4.383M on deadline day, 0/3 retention slots used, 45/50 contracts used, per CapFriendly.

Upcoming draft picks

2024: NYR 1st, NYR 2nd, NYR 4th, NYR 5th, NYR 6th

2025: NYR 1st, DAL 4th, NYR 5th, MIN 5th, NYR 6th, NYR 7th

Trade chips

Despite the Rangers undergoing a dramatic coaching change this summer, they’re on pace to score just two fewer goals and allow 10 more goals than they did last year. And they’re achieving that scoring in a very similar manner — through dominate performances from Artemi Panarin and his top-line co-leads being offset by productive second-liners and a strong defense. Their outlook for the playoffs is largely similar to what it was this time last season, and thus the Rangers need to be prepared to leverage draft capital as their main bargaining piece once again. First-round draft picks have been the starting point in a lot of trade rumors, as well as both the Elias Lindholm and Sean Monahan deals, and that’s certainly where teams will start talks with the Rangers, who still have their top selections in each of the upcoming three draft classes. New York will need to be ready to part with at least one of those selections at the deadline.

If they’re steadfast on keeping first-round picks, the Rangers’ trade negotiations will have to start with their prospect pool. New York has plenty of promising defensive prospects, including hard-hitting, two-way defenders in Matthew Robertson and Brandon Scanlin. Neither player has scored much this season — boasting 19 and 14 points respectively — but they’ve each earned NHL attention thanks to their long reach and ability to shut down play in their own zone. They are each awaiting their NHL debut as well, which could entice other teams looking to bank on unrealized potential. The Rangers also boast a trio of highly-discussed forward prospects in Brett Berard, Ryder Korczak and Adam Sýkora. Berard likely offers the most value of this group, largely thanks to his 16 goals and 31 points in 47 games as an AHL rookie this season, but the less-productive rookies  Sykora and Korczak could serve as secondary options in negotiations. New York could also dangle 6-foot-8 forward Adam Edstrom who, unlike the aforementioned trio, has already made his NHL debut. Regardless of how they go about it, future capital will be the focus of any Rangers deal.

Team needs

1) Prioritize depth first – The Rangers threw off the chemistry of their top-six last season, bringing in two high-end wingers in Kane and Tarasenko that each demanded their own ice time. They should be hesitant to make that mistake again this year, with Vincent Trocheck and Alexis Lafrenière serving well as supports to the team’s stars. It’s depth scoring that will really turn the tides for the Rangers, who don’t currently have a bottom-six forward with 20 or more points. Bringing in proven talents like Scott Laughton or Adam Henrique to fill the role left open by Filip Chytil would provide New York with a much-needed punch down their lineup, while also lifting up low-scoring bottom-six pieces like Kaapo Kakko or William Cuylle. Both Henrique and Laughton also offer leadership qualities that would go a long way towards blending the lineup ahead of playoffs, rather than eating away at the ice time of top producers. Both players fit within New York’s cap space, with Henrique making $5.825M and on an expiring contract, while Laughton makes $3M through the end of the 2025-26 season.

2) Don’t be afraid to make a splash – A focus on adding cohesive depth shouldn’t distract the Rangers from shooting for the stars. Former-Ranger Pavel Buchnevich is reportedly available for the right return, which could be as much as two first-round picks. That’s a steep price to pay for a 28-year-old player set to become a free agent in 2025 but Buchnevich’s point-per-game scoring and familiarity with Madison Square Garden may make it worth it. There is a vacant spot on New York’s productive second-line, currently being manned by Jimmy Vesey, who has just 18 points in 54 games this season. Replacing his spot with Buchnevich would fill the Rangers’ top-six with dangerous scorers, without overcommitting to too many stars like the team did last season. It would also give the Rangers much more room to rotate different talents into their bottom-six, able to feature efficient forwards like Jonny Brodsinski or Cuylle or focus on heavy-hitting and grit through the likes of Matt Rempe and Adam Edstrom. Depth has proven to be the X-factor to countless Stanley Cup winners, and earning this degree of flexibility on top of adding a high-end scorer would add tremendous value to the Rangers lineup. Buchnevich is set to make $5.8M through the end of next season, meaning the Rangers would likely have to part with a lineup piece in order to remain cap-compliant. Acquiring Buchnevich could also eat away at the short list of assets New York is prepared to trade. But the potential rewards of bringing in such a potent winger could be too great to ignore for a Rangers team sat on the cusp of greatness.

Want more articles like this? Follow Pro Hockey Rumors on MSN to see more of our exclusive NHL content.

More must-reads:

    Trending slideshow: Who has the most hat tricks for every NHL franchise? (Provided by Yardbarker)

    News Related

    OTHER NEWS

    Disrupt Burrup protesters searched and phones seized

    Disrupt Burrup Hub group say police have issued move-on notices prohibiting access to the WA site. A group of climate activists and filmmakers say their phones have been seized during ... Read more »

    The generation driving a ‘megatrend’ of poor mental health in Australia

    As individuals, we have unique experiences that affect our mental health and wellbeing, but what about the collective experiences that influence each generation? The mental health of Australians has been ... Read more »

    Geraldton meatworks set to reopen after five years in bid to meet chilled meat demand from Asia, Middle East

    Syed Ghazaly wants to see the Geraldton abattoir reopen early next year to process 1,000 sheep a day. (ABC Mid West Wheatbelt: Chris Lewis) The new owners of a mothballed ... Read more »

    Blues seek ‘growth’ as pre-season begins; new Hawk aims to be AFL’s serial pest

    Carlton coach Michael Voss says he and his players understand there are heightened expectations on them, but insists the Blues are ready to develop individually and in their game plan. ... Read more »

    Bulldogs continue signing frenzy with swap deal

    The Bulldogs’ off-season signing frenzy is set to continue with the club reportedly set to land Cronnor Tracey in a swap deal. The Sydney Morning Herald reports Tracey is expected ... Read more »

    Customers to weigh in as Optus disruption comes under microscope

    Consumers and impacted businesses are being urged to have their say on the Optus outage, with the federal government laying out the terms of reference for its review into the ... Read more »

    Released detainee unable to be contacted by authorities

    It has been revealed a released immigration detainee is unable to be contacted by authorities. Border Force has referred the matter to the Federal Police as authorities are attempting to ... Read more »
    Top List in the World