NHL Trade Rumors: 5 Best Fits For Ryan McDonagh

The latest NHL Trade Rumors suggest the New York Rangers aren’t actively shopping captain Ryan McDonagh, but they’re listening to offers. Here are the five best fits for him. 

The New York Rangers are stuck in neutral. While they aren’t far out of the playoff picture, a deeper look suggests they are trending downwards. Even a best-case scenario has them losing in the first round to a much better team. The Rangers are open for business, and according to the latest NHL trade rumors, that includes captain Ryan McDonagh.

If they play their cards right, the blue shirts could retool very quickly and become contenders as soon as next season. Granted, the Rangers would require several things to go their way and they’d have to nail every trade they make by the trade deadline. But considering who they are shopping, a quick retool is plausible.

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A Ryan McDonagh trade, however, would signify a huge change. The Rangers would be trading their captain and a guy who has been their best defenseman for the better part of the last six or seven seasons. It’s stressful to handle being a captain in a media jungle like New York, but McDonagh has handled the role well.

While it can’t be confirmed what the Rangers are asking for, it’s safe to say it’s going to be a lot. The Keith Yandle trade in 2014 is the closest comparable trade. At the time, he had a year left on his deal. So will McDonagh. The Rangers traded a first-round pick, a promising young forward, a young defenseman, and a second-round pick for Yandle.

So which teams would be the best fit for him? First of all, no team is trading for McDonagh unless they’re contenders (or they are mighty confident they can re-sign him). Secondly, any team who trades for him is looking for defense. Thirdly, while the Rangers could retain salary, that would just drive the price up even more. So we’ll stick to teams who can afford his $4.7 million cap hit for next season.

Here’s a look at the five best fits for McDonagh, in order of the likelihood of him being traded to them.

For updated NHL trade rumors, check out our Rumors page.