New York Rangers are the most interesting team on trade market

The New York Rangers will play a huge role in determining how the trade market plays out. 

Going into this season, everyone knew the New York Rangers would be an interesting team to watch. This remains the case, as the blue shirts have been a surprisingly competitive team thanks to Henrik Lundqvist and a steadily growing core of young players.

As the season progresses, the Rangers should become an even more interesting team to watch because they should be among the most active on the trade market. For the second straight trade deadline, they could emerge as the biggest winner among sellers.

Last year, the Rangers traded Rick Nash, Michael Grabner, Ryan McDonagh, J.T. Miller, and Nick Holden to jumpstart their rebuild. While they won’t get a haul of that magnitude this year, it should still be a very impressive one.

The Rentals

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Three Rangers players will hit free agency after this season. Two of them are pure rentals. The first is fan favorite forward Mats Zuccarello. While the Rangers could point to the return they got for Nash as the starting point for negotiations, it’s worth noting Zuccarello has been fighting injuries this season. Also, he’s not the goal scorer that Nash was.

That said, there will definitely be a market for a playmaking wing who would be an upgrade to virtually any team’s core of top nine forwards. The Rangers did a phenomenal job creating a market for Grabner and Nash last season. If they do the same with Zuccarello, they could squeeze a first-round pick out of him. But first, he must prove he’s healthy.

Next is defenseman Adam McQuaid. Through 10 games, he has two points and hasn’t really done too much. However, around the deadline, everyone’s looking to add depth defensemen. McQuaid has a reputation as a solid penalty killer and helped the Boston Bruins win the Stanley Cup in 2011. Some team will be willing to part with a late round pick for him.

The Quasi-Rental

Perhaps the most intriguing piece the Rangers have is Kevin Hayes. Though his contract expires after this season, there are teams who might be interested in him as a long-term piece. This could drive up his market and increase the price to obtain Hayes. Going off what similar players have been traded for in recent years, Rangers fans can reasonably expect at least one first-round pick, a good to great prospect, and a conditional draft pick.

More Than Rentals

The Rangers aren’t tanking, so they likely won’t trade anyone who’s nailed down. This doesn’t mean they won’t listen to offers for just about anyone on their roster, though. Chris Kreider has an additional year left on his contract after this year. He’s a big forward who can drive to the net and produce. Teams always covet that prototype around the trade deadline. The Rangers will likely set a very high price for Kreider and challenge teams to meet it.

There are also guys like Vladislav Namestnikov and Ryan Strome, who teams could pursue as depth forwards. While their cap hits aren’t ideal and each still has a year left on their deal after this year, the Rangers have a very wealthy ownership group and a good amount of cap space next season even if you factor in Artemi Panarin. So they could retain salary on Strome and/or Namestnikov and increase the return. Guys like Jimmy Vesey and Jesper Fast falls into this category as well, except their cap hits are more reasonable.

For this same reason, defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk is someone the Rangers could look to trade. His full cap hit of $6.65 million and two years left on his deal (along with his modified no-trade clause and no movement clause) won’t attract teams. Shattenkirk would attract a lot more interest with a $3.325 cap hit, though. If he’s willing to be flexible, the Rangers could clear up even more cap space and roster spots for young players. The same could be said for Brendan Smith.

The Middle Man

Additionally, the Rangers could use their $7.3 million of deadline cap space (which will increase as they make moves) to their advantage. Let’s say the Tampa Bay Lightning to add someone but need to find a way to clear cap space. The Rangers could give them a call and offer to take on Ryan Callahan‘s contract for draft picks and/or prospects.

Among contenders, the Washington Capitals, Anaheim Ducks, Edmonton Oilers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Dallas Stars, and Calgary Flames are among the teams who have a very limited amount of cap space. The Rangers could be the middleman who makes sure things work financially for both sides. Of course, they’d be compensated for doing so.

The Rangers won the trade deadline in 2018. It’s hard to predict how the market will play in 2019, but one thing’s for sure – the Rangers are in a pretty enviable position. Much like in 2018, they could provide an additional spark or two to their rebuild.