NHL Trade Rumors: 5 teams that must make a move before trade deadline

3. New York Rangers

The New York Rangers need a shakeup to their NHL roster. There’s only one thing that’s going to make it mighty difficult for them to that. They have very little cap space left and they don’t have many prospects that would help them get the kind of player that could help them win the Stanley Cup.

The Rangers should be active right now. They have shown interest in Blue Jackets forward Cam Atkinson. Atkinson has an unfair reputation for being too small to play in the NHL. The last time the Rangers traded for a guy who was thought of to be “too small to play in the NHL”, that would be Martin St. Louis. And he almost took them to two Stanley Cups. Atkinson is a forward who can capitalize on breakaways and can hold his own in the defensive zone. He’d certainly be a huge help to their roster.

What the Rangers really need is for a team to help them get rid of either Dan Girardi or Marc Staal. The Rangers deciding to keep those two aging defenseman will most likely keep them from re-signing Keith Yandle, who is very underrated. Yandle is needed with the Rangers blue line core starting to show their age.

Next: 2. Anaheim Ducks