NHL Trade Deadline: 5 deals the New York Rangers should make
The New York Rangers have all but waived the white flag and announced they will be selling at this year’s deadline. Here are five deals the Rangers should try to make.
It’s been a rough season for the New York Rangers, currently sitting in last place in the Metropolitan Division after being decimated by injuries, inconsistency and questionable coaching decisions. Consequently, management realized this roster doesn’t have it in them to contend this year or the next.
It’s no secret that the Rangers are selling this offseason, a letter sent by the organization to fans confirmed the team would be selling off a lot of their roster in order to build for the future. The plan is to build a Stanley Cup contender in the future rather than mortgaging the future at the deadline to squeak into the playoffs this year.
The Rangers have a plan but it will mean nothing if these trades are executed poorly. The focus is clearly on high-end prospects and draft picks, but enough to make sure that the Rangers will be back sooner rather than later as Henrik Lundqvist’s career winds down and the window for a cup in the Lundqvist era closing with it.
It’s not an easy decision to make, but the Rangers are doing the right thing here. So what moves could they make to rebuild this team? Here is the reasonable value of their trade chips and what kind of haul each player could possibly bring in from the right team. Keep in mind, these trades are merely hypotheticals.
5. Trade Rick Nash to Dallas
Rick Nash is the obvious big name rental player of the deadline. Rumors circulated for weeks and weeks about where he could be going, and what the price could be. Sending Nash to the right team at a retained salary could be the deciding factor on whether this deadline move will be a success.
Nash has 18 goals in 60 games this season and 18 assists for 28 points as a whole and there is a massive amount of interest from teams around the league. Those point totals might not sound like a lot but Nash is heating up down the stretch. Plus adding that kind of scoring on a second or even first line is worth the price for a team hoping to make a run at the Stanley Cup this year.
Plenty of teams around the league would be a great fit for Nash but Dallas is just one solid piece away from becoming serious contenders. The top line of Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn, and Alex Radulov has been spectacular for the Stars, but they are heavily reliant on the trio. The Stars also lack at left wing, especially when Benn is playing center instead of on the wing. Acquiring Nash will round out Dallas’s top six and give them options to spread the scoring around their lines, making them a serious candidate to make a deep run in the postseason.
The proposed conditions of this trade would rely on what Nash decides to do in the offseason. If Nash re-signs with Dallas, the Rangers receive a 2019 3rd round pick. If Nash goes back to New York in free agency like he’s been rumored too, then the Stars will receive a 2019 4th round pick as compensation.