New York Rangers trade rumors: Team ready to sell at the deadline?

Could the New York Rangers be sellers at the NHL trade deadline for the first time in over a decade?

The New York Rangers are a team stuck in neutral. On one hand, they have guys like Henrik Lundqvist who are ageing. Naturally, this makes them contenders. But if you look at their recent moves (most notably the Derek Stepan trade), the team is sort of rebuilding. According to Elliotte Friedman, they’re willing to at least listen on several players.

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Despite their record, which looks good on paper, the Rangers are a flawed team. Probably too flawed to do anything meaningful in the postseason. So this is very good news for Rangers fans. It makes little sense to be buyers at the trade deadline, even in a relatively wide-open Eastern Conference. The Rangers could invent the time machine, go back in time, bring back prime Bobby Orr, and this still wouldn’t make them serious Stanley Cup contenders.

Related Story: Why The Rangers Should Sell At The Trade Deadline

Friedman notes the team will likely start with their unrestricted free agents. Rick Nash and Michael Grabner could both fetch nice returns. It’s worth noting the Rangers aren’t retaining salary on any players, meaning they can do so with Nash if it helps them get a better return. Nick Holden and David Desharnais could also be tempting options, especially with their respective low cap hits.

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Interestingly, Friedman notes the Rangers could also be open to moving some of their other players. Specifically, he mentions team captain Ryan McDonagh and fan favorite winger Mats Zuccarello. Both have one year remaining on their contracts after this season.

McDonagh has a limited no-trade clause and is having one of his worst seasons. That said, he’s still highly thought of around the NHL. So the Rangers should set a very high price for McDonagh and force teams to match it. Zuccarello is a bit interesting because this is the third consecutive season he has led the team in points.

The Rangers have just over a month to make a decision on their deadline strategy. If Saturday’s loss to the New York Islanders is a sign of things to come, there could be some major changes on Broadway. The Rangers’ decline from their 2013-14 Stanley Cup Finals appearance has been gradual. Rebuilding before they hit rock bottom would be a wise decision.

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