With the trade deadline almost here, we continue our look at the situation for each team. Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs? As we continue previewing the Metropolitan Division, here is a look at the New York Rangers.
2018-19 hasn’t been the best of seasons for the Rangers but they were certainly ready for it after announcing their long-term rebuilding plans last year. While they haven’t had a ton of success in the standings, several young players have had strong campaigns so it has been a decent season from a development perspective. Even so, their situation is well-defined as they’ll be continuing to sell off assets.
Record
27-26-9, seventh in the Metropolitan Division
Deadline Status
Seller
Deadline Cap Space
$11.971MM in a full-season cap hit, 2/3 used salary cap retention slots, 43/50 contracts per CapFriendly
Upcoming Draft Picks
2019: NYR 1st, DAL 2nd*, NYR 2nd, TB 2nd^, NYR 3rd, NYR 5th, NYR 6th
2020: NYR 1st, NYR 2nd, DAL 3rd*, NYR 3rd, NYR 4th, NYR 5th, NYR 6th, NYR 7th, NSH 7th, VAN 7th
* – If Dallas wins two playoff rounds this year, the 2019 conditional pick becomes a first rounder. If Mats Zuccarello re-signs with Dallas, the 2020 conditional pick becomes a first rounder.
^ – If Tampa Bay wins the Stanley Cup this season, this pick becomes a first rounder.
Trade Chips
Kevin Hayes is known to be on the market and has sat the last two games in advance of a move. The pending unrestricted free agent is in the midst of a career year and has already collected 14 goals and 28 assists in just 51 games while averaging nearly 20 minutes of ice time per game. He is believed to be the best rental center available for trade after failing to come to terms on a long-term contract extension. He has a $5.175MM cap hit and salary this season and was seeking a notable raise on a long-term deal to stay with the Rangers. That might make it tricky for an acquiring team to sign an extension right away so similar to the Zuccarello deal, it’s likely there will be a 2020 draft pick that’s contingent on whether or not Hayes signs with the acquiring team.
The rental market isn’t very deep for defense which makes Adam McQuaid a little more appealing. The Rangers acquired the veteran back in September for fourth and seventh rounders (along with depth blueliner Steven Kampfer) and given the lack of options, there’s a decent chance that New York will be able to match or even beat that return.
Winger Chris Kreider and defenseman Brady Skjei have also garnered a lot of interest but the odds of dealing them are lower. Kreider has another year left on his deal and may make more sense as an offseason move while Skjei is in the first season of a six-year, $31.5MM contract and hasn’t had the best of seasons. It would take a substantial offer for either to move. Wingers Vladislav Namestnikov and Jimmy Vesey have also been in speculation and may have a better chance to move.
Five Players To Watch For: F Kevin Hayes, D Adam McQuaid, F Vladislav Namestnikov, D Rob O’Gara, F Jimmy Vesey
Team Needs
1) Top Defense Prospects: The Rangers have added quite a few young defenders already in trades (plus two more with first-round picks in June) but none of them really project to be top-pairing players. While the sheer quantity of their additions will give them some NHL assets, they could really stand to dangle some of those along with a veteran or two in the hopes of adding someone that should be able to lock down a top-four spot in the near future.
2) Young Wingers: With Mika Zibanejad and rookies Brett Howden, Filip Chytil, and Lias Andersson, the center position in New York is in solid shape for the future. The depth on the wing isn’t as strong. While there are some young players in that group already, again, none really project as top-end players aside from 2018 first-rounder Vitali Kravtsov, who is still a little while away from being NHL-ready. Whether it’s with their upcoming draft picks or their pending trades, that’s something they’re likely going to address in the near future.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.