Fansided

Report card grades for all 31 NHL teams at the trade deadline

By Derek Grochowski

NASHVILLE, TN - FEBRUARY 19: Derick Brassard
NASHVILLE, TN - FEBRUARY 19: Derick Brassard /
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Ryan Spooner
NEW YORK, NY – FEBRUARY 25: Ryan Spooner /

New York Rangers: A-

It was no secret the Rangers would be selling at this year’s deadline. With plenty of big-name players on the trading block general manager, Jim Gorton was busy. It started with a deal that would send defenseman Nick Holden to the Boston Bruins for depth defenseman Rob O’ Gara and a 2018 third-round pick. This trade set the tone for the upcoming days as the Rangers continued to shed pieces.

A few days after Holden, Michael Grabner was traded to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for defensive prospect Igor Rykov and a 2018 second-round pick. Grabner was an upcoming unrestricted free agent, and the Rangers were able to cash in. Rykov looks to be an up-and-coming prospect who is playing in the KHL and doing well for being 20 years old.

Next up was the first of the Rangers’ two big trades. The Rangers top winger, Rick Nash, was traded to the Boston Bruins for a sizeable return. The Rangers were able to add a 2018 first-round pick, a 2019 seventh-round pick, prospect Ryan Lindgren, Ryan Spooner and Matt Beleskey. Beleskey was a salary dump that the Rangers took on while Spooner will be looking for a fresh start with the Rangers. Defenseman Ryan Lindgren is a strong “stay at home” defensive prospect playing at the University of Minnesota.

The Rangers were not done. They sent defenseman Ryan McDonagh and forward J.T. Miller to the Tampa Bay Lightning for forward Vladislav Namestnikov and prospects Brett Howden and Libor Hajek, while also grabbing a 2018 first-round pick and a conditional 2019 second-round pick. Miller was a nice piece for the New York Rangers, and they were likely reluctant to trade him away. Getting Namestnikov in return makes losing Miller tolerable. Namestnikov is offensively skilled but got buried on a talented Tampa Bay lineup.

The Rangers are rebuilding on the fly instead of tearing it down completely. There are currently a lot of nice young pieces on the roster like Brady Skeji, Jimmy Vesey and Kevin Hayes to build around. Adding a player like Namestnikov is another great young building block.

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