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What are the New York Rangers going to do at the NHL Trade Deadline?

By Griffin Youngs

NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 10: Mats Zuccarello #36 of the New York Rangers skates against the New York Islanders at Madison Square Garden on January 10, 2019 in New York City. The New York Islanders won 4-3. (Photo by Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 10: Mats Zuccarello #36 of the New York Rangers skates against the New York Islanders at Madison Square Garden on January 10, 2019 in New York City. The New York Islanders won 4-3. (Photo by Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 21: Jesper Fast #17 of the New York Rangers looks on against the New York Islanders at Madison Square Garden on November 21, 2018 in New York City. The New York Rangers won 5-0. (Photo by Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 21: Jesper Fast #17 of the New York Rangers looks on against the New York Islanders at Madison Square Garden on November 21, 2018 in New York City. The New York Rangers won 5-0. (Photo by Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Jesper Fast

During a rebuild, nobody should be safe from getting traded, even the ones who’ve done everything asked of them, which is what Jesper Fast has done over the last six years. The 27 year old is an affordable, dependable option that would huge top nine boost to any Stanley Cup contending team.

Fast is not a scoring forward, and has never cracked over 35 points in his career, but it’s everything else he does that makes him a valuable asset. His defensive prowess is known as perhaps the best on the Rangers, and is always noticeable as being useful on the ice even while not scoring every night. His value in digging out pucks and getting to the front of the net is useful to any checking line or a solid addition to a top six if there’s a fit. Fast is seemingly the very definition of a versatile forward.

Intangibles aside, Fast has 17 points in 43 games so far this season, which is nothing to sneeze at. His contract is extremely affordable for even the most cap strapped teams at $1,850,000 for the rest of this season and next, inherently raising his overall trade value on the market.

Jesper Fast isn’t THE piece that makes a team bonafide Stanley Cup favorites, but the last several Stanley Cup champions have made a trade similar to bringing in a player like Fast who fills a hole in the depth just enough to make a run at the Stanley Cup possible. Just last season, the Washington Capitals made a relatively small trade for Michal Kempny which ended up being the final piece they needed for their Stanley Cup run. A team like Calgary comes to mind as a potential suitor after they traded Michael Ferland last off-season, and now they need a player that could act as a Michael Ferland to round out their top nine depth for their playoff run, which Fast fits the bill for perfectly.

When it comes to trading Fast, it’s highly doubtful that Rangers management would be looking to shop him on his own unless they get a high offer, but rather they would package him as part of a larger deal in order to boost a return that they would get in a Mats Zuccarello or Kevin Hayes trade considering his affordable salary.

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