We know the Rangers will bring in new players through at least two avenues this summer.
The first is the NHL Draft, which will take place at the Sphere in Las Vegas on Friday and Saturday. The second is free agency, which will open at noon on July 1.
Those events are pinned on the calendar, and Blueshirts team president Chris Drury will surely use both to acquire pieces for the present and future. But there is a third method of player acquisition with a much more fluid timeline and potentially franchise-altering implications.
The exchange market is the great unknown of the low season. General managers will make tons of calls and float all kinds of ideas, but very few materialize into agreed-upon deals.
That makes it difficult to predict. Many teams will go all summer without executing any major trades, but for the Rangers, who have multiple positions they would like to fill and limited cap space to do so, additional creativity may be necessary to fill out their Stanley Cup roster. shape.
Their trade chips are somewhat limited, but the league believes both forward Kaapo Kakko and defenseman Jacob Trouba are available on the right deal. Restricted free agent Ryan Lindgren could also fall into that category, along with this year’s first-round pick at No. 30 overall and any prospect not named Gabe Perreault. No one should be surprised if Drury doesn’t part with a veteran center back either, although the odds are significantly higher for those with full or partial no-movement clauses.
“Everything is on the table,” he said earlier this month.
League sources who spoke with lohud.com, part of the KeynoteUSA Network, believe there is a better than 50% chance that the Rangers will pull off at least one trade this offseason, with Kakko the betting favorite if it comes to a active player on the roster leaves New York. But opinions vary on which team they are most likely to find common ground with.
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Drury has earned a reputation for thoroughness, so you can be sure he’s exploring every option in his effort to turn Presidents’ Trophy winners into champions. Based on what’s being rumored around the league, what I’m hearing, and my own connecting of the dots, here are seven teams the Rangers have reason to consult with:
Anaheim Ducks
Los Angeles Kings during the second period at Honda Center.”>
The Ducks are desperate for defensemen, and while there’s a good chance Trouba has them on the 15-man no-trade list he’ll submit before July 1, Lindgren could definitely have some appeal. We also know there were discussions involving Kakko before the March trade deadline.
Meanwhile, Anaheim has some interesting forwards that could be sent east.
Frank Vatrano He’s an obvious candidate that the Rangers have continued interest in. He would be a bankable 1RW entering the final year of a deal that pays him $3.65 million, but the Ducks have a handful of younger options.
Would Drury take a chance on the Bedford native? Trevos Zegras? It would be a cool story, but the 23-year-old’s delicate play doesn’t quite jive with the “heavier, more physical” style the GM has stated he wants to achieve. That makes me think.
Leo CarlssonThe second overall pick in last year’s draft is surely off-limits, but is there any world in which Anaheim will consider offers for any of a trio of young forwards that includes Sam Colangelo, Gauthier Cutter and Mason McTavish?
Calgary Flames
Nashville Predators defenseman Dante Fabbro (57) during the second period at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024.”>
The Flames have been open for business for a couple of years, with rumors that the next departure will involve the winger. Andres Mangiapane. He scored 35 goals in 2021-22 to earn a three-year, $17.4 million extension, but those scoring totals fell to 17 and 14 over the past two seasons, respectively.
The 28-year-old has recorded 40 or more points for three consecutive years, brings speed and could be an effective addition in the right situation. But unless Calgary is willing to retain some of its $5.8 million cap charge, that money could be better spent on a more consistent offensive force.
Yegor Sharangovich is an intriguing name that had better production last season. He’s also in the final year of his contract, but it comes with a more manageable $3.1 million cap hit. The Flames may be inclined to keep the 26-year-old winger after he recorded a career-high 59 points (31 goals and 28 assists), but it appears he will be a trade piece at some point if they don’t move forward on an extension. . Maybe that time is now.
Colorado Avalanche
Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024.”>
Like the Rangers, the Avalanche are very interested in winning now. That makes it unlikely they’ll trade a useful player for future assets, but perhaps there is a hockey trade that can be made.
Center Ross Colton He is rumored to be available and would provide the two-way depth New York needs in the middle. Would Kakko and the resulting cap savings (he is scheduled to make $1.6 million less than Colton next season) be enough to entice Colorado into a trade?
The biggest question for the Rangers would be their own multi-year financial plan. Colton is on the roster for three more seasons with an average annual value of $4 million, which could be problematic when his expected salary adjustment for the 2025-26 season comes into play.
Nashville Predators
New York Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba (8) celebrates after a goal against Nashville Predators goalie Kevin Lankinen (32) during the second period at Bridgestone Arena on December 2, 2023; Nashville, Tennessee, United States.”>
I’m not sure if there are any players on the Preds roster who are available and make sense for the Rangers, but I wonder if they could be a possible option for Trouba.
Nashville recently traded veteran Ryan McDonagh back to Tampa and has a pair of right-handed defensemen heading toward free agency in Tyson Barrie and Alexandre Carrier, leaving holes to fill on their blue line. He also has more than $26 million in available cap space, according to PuckPedia, giving the Predators the sixth-most cap space of any team this offseason. Additionally, they have eight picks in the first four rounds of this week’s draft, giving them plenty of options to use in a potential deal.
There have been no firm indications that the Preds are interested, and at least a top-six forward is believed to be their top priority. But if Trouba is on your radar, they have all the ingredients to make it work.
Ottawa Senators
Brady Tkachuk is the name many Rangers fans dream of, but there doesn’t seem to be much appetite from the Senators. If that were to change, the belief is Drury would be all for it.
On the other hand, if improving the D-body is on New York’s to-do list, there could be a match.
There are few defense objectives as attractive as Jacob Chychrun Factoring in both potential and cost, the 26-year-old is entering the final year of a contract that carries a reasonable $4.6 million AAV and would immediately slot into the Rangers’ top-four defensemen, bringing the size (6-foot-10, 200 pounds), mobility and puck skills they covet.
The downside is that there will be competition for your services, which will surely drive up the selling price.
Utah Hockey Club
Arizona Coyotes center Nick Bjugstad (17) warms up before a game against the Calgary Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, on January 16, 2024.”>
The NHL’s newest franchise (formerly the Arizona Coyotes) does not have a defenseman under contract who finished last season in the lineup. That leaves several open spots in the backcourt and tons of available cap space to fill them: a league-high $40.85 million, to be exact.
They’re one of the few teams that could take Trouba’s $8 million cap hit without batting an eyelid, but there’s a chance the captain could use his modified NTC to veto any move to Salt Lake City. However, Lindgren doesn’t have the same power and could get the right deal, just like Zac Jones.
What Utah does have are some under-the-radar forwards who have a year or two left on their deals, including Nick Schmaltz ($5.85 million VAA), Alex Kerfoot ($3.5 million), Nick Bjugstad ($2.1 million) and Jack McBain ($1.59 million). Bjugstad, in particular, is a target the Rangers have shown interest in before.
Winnipeg Planes
Arguably the best forward rumored to be available via trade this summer is Nikolaj Ehlers, who has scored more than 20 goals for seven seasons. He is considered one of the Jets’ best forwards, with consistently strong metrics to back him up, even though some questioned his overall effort last season.
There are many things to like, but there are also reasons to proceed with caution. The 28-year-old winger’s performances in the playoffs have been disappointing, with 14 points (four goals and 10 assists) in 37 career appearances, and an AAV of $6 million for the final year of his contract may be a bit higher than the Rangers would like to go.
Maybe they prefer the younger and cheaper ones. Rutger McGroarty. Reports surfaced last week that the No. 14 overall pick in the 2022 draft wants to be traded, and the 6-foot-1, 205-pounder displays plenty of traits that should appeal to the Blueshirts.
The 20-year-old has been a high-level producer for both the University of Michigan (52 points in 36 games last season) and Team USA (nine points in seven games while captaining the gold-winning team World Youth Championship), earning many of those points by attacking high-danger areas of the ice. It all adds up to a strong kid with tons of skills who looks ready to go pro, and we know Drury loves USNTDP products.
The main obstacle will be whether the Rangers have the resources to pull it off. They only have one pick in the first three rounds of this week’s draft and may have difficulty matching offers from teams with more capital.
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