Early last season, I asked Rangers general manager Jeff Gorton if he had considered, in the summer following a dreadful 2015-16 stretch drive and a quick five-game playoff exit, tearing down his roster and rebuilding.
He admitted that he most certainly had. So after last season, with many of his players in decline, or in bad contracts, or both; after a season that looked better on paper (48-28-6, 102 points, a good first-round victory over Montreal and a lousy second-round loss to Ottawa) than it did to the eye-test and the advanced-stat test, the path was obvious.
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Gorton was going into rebuild mode. He traded his No. 1 center, alternate captain Derek Stepan, and backup goalie Antti Raanta to Arizona for the No. 7 pick in the ’17 entry draft – picking center Lias Andersson – and prospect/project Tony DeAngelo, the coveted “right-handed mobile defenseman.” Gorton also bought out heart-and-soul alternate captain/defenseman Dan Girardi from a crumbling defense corps.
Though both were necessary – Stepan’s lack of speed in a speed game had become too evident, and the no-trade clause on his six-year contract with an annual cap hit of $6.5 million was about to kick in – those moves screamed rebuild.
At the draft, Gorton called it a “rebuild on the fly.”
But now it’s just a rebuild, one that became so obvious that the team held a press conference (and sent out letters to season ticket holders) announcing the grand plan.
Could Gorton hit back-to-back-to-back home runs and get the needed reconstruction done quickly? It’s possible. More likely, this is going to be a longer road.
For the Rangers, the need intersects with opportunity. Gorton has some very big chips to cash at just the right time. The Rangers have to do this now. They know they have to do it now. Now is the perfect time to do it.
They have players available who can bring first-round draft picks and others who might return somewhat lower picks. They can choose, in many cases, prospects and/or young NHL or NHL-ready players to speed up the process. Perhaps the Rangers can even turn some of their sell-off windfall into a package to pry the No. 1 pick (and Rasmus Dahlin) from the team that wins the draft lottery … assuming the Rangers themselves don’t fall into the lottery and somehow win it.
The chips:
Rick Nash: He’ll be one of the best players on the market before the Feb. 26 deadline. Yeah, he’s no longer an elite scorer, but Nash’s 200-foot game has never been better. Any team looking to add a final piece to a Stanley Cup jigsaw would love to have him.
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Nash, who turns 34 in June, would be a rental, his $7.8 million-per-year contract expiring July 1. The Rangers could sweeten a deal for a buyer by eating a lot of what remains of his cap hit. Nash submitted a list of 12 teams to which he would accept a trade but has also said, according to the New York Post, that he would consider expanding it to go to a contender. Nash’s list is not confined to U.S. teams and does include Toronto, according to TSN.
The Rangers will demand a first-round pick for Nash and perhaps more, depending on how hot the bidding gets. Remember, players like Antoine Vermette, Martin Hanzal, Keith Yandle, Andrew Ladd and others have been involved in recent deadline deals that brought first-rounders.
The pick could change if the Rangers like or prefer a prospect in the acquiring team’s organization.
The landing spots that make the most sense are Dallas (where he has a great relationship with coach Ken Hitchcock, who had him in Columbus), Nashville (which was so close to a Cup last season), Toronto (Mike Babcock used him tremendously in a secondary/checking role for Team Canada in the Olympics), and his original team Columbus (they signed him to his current deal as a kid and his first Rangers coach, John Tortorella, now runs the show there).
Dallas GM Jim Nill told The Athletic’s Craig Custance that he doesn’t foresee making a big splash, because draft picks are too valuable to trade.
But there are more suitors. St. Louis is very much involved. We’re hearing Boston and Tampa Bay, too, maybe San Jose. In a league that has become wide-open to almost any team in the tournament, there won’t be a shortage of bidders for a character player and great team guy like Nash.
Michael Grabner: He might fetch a first-rounder too. Teams need speed in today’s game, and not many are faster than Grabner, who hasn’t hurt the Rangers by following up a 27-goal showing last season with 23 so far in ’17-18. Grabner is a weapon on the penalty kill and solid enough that he’s a regular on the ice protecting late leads (hence his seven empty-net goals).
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Like Nash, Grabner’s two-year, $1.65 million per contract expires July 1, so he’s a rental for a team that feels it’s close.
Because of the Rangers’ circumstances, there is no way either Nash or Grabner can be on the roster on Feb. 27, and they won’t be.
There is also speculation around the league that the Rangers could trade both, and if the price is right, bring either back as a free agent after July 1. But remember, Grabner’s going to hit the jackpot money-wise as a free agent, despite turning 31 right around next opening night. While Nash is going to be in demand, he won’t likely get nearly $7.8 million a year again. We all know how money gets silly on July 1. In Grabner’s case, he’d be crazy to not cash in.
Henrik Lundqvist: Let’s get this out of the way quickly. It would be almost impossible to trade Lundqvist, who is on record saying he wants to stay in New York to see this through.
People suggest he can go somewhere, a la Dominik Hasek, to finally get his name on the Cup. That’s also extremely unlikely since A) He has a no-trade clause, B) he’s about to turn 36 and still has three years after this season at an $8.5 million cap hit left on his contract and C) pretty much every serious contender already has a No. 1 goalie.
You could argue that Lundqvist might put a team over the top, but would a team that has a goalie be willing to give up the king’s ransom to get this king at that age and with that contract?
Ryan McDonagh: One of the most interesting/valuable players available – well, everyone’s available. The Rangers’ captain, having a difficult season, turns 29 in June and has next season remaining at a very reasonable cap hit of $4.7 million, making him valuable beyond this season. McDonagh also remains a first-pair D-man on just about any team in hockey, with all-world skating.
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He’d be available because – and only because – the market after next season could bring him $7 million per on a six-year deal. Do the Rangers want to dole out that type of contract to a player who will by then be 30? Not likely.
McDonagh – if he’s healthy, and he’s been battling nagging injuries this season – could easily bring a first-rounder plus or some top young talent. Tampa Bay, sources say, is an interested suitor. Boston too. Maybe Toronto. But they’ll line up for McDonagh, who does have a modified no-trade clause.
Mats Zuccarello: Despite being the Rangers’ leading scorer, the diminutive/combative winger hasn’t had a great season. He had a 21 game goal-scoring drought before finding the net Sunday and only nine for the season despite constant first-unit power-play time. Like McDonagh, he has next year left on his deal, at $4.5 million, a selling point. But he turns 31 before next season begins. His value may never be higher.
Marc Staal: He’s out with a cervical injury, so it’s probably moot. With three more years at $5.7 million per, he could be dealt if the Rangers can get him to waive his no-trade and agree to eat salary. Staal would be a regular on just about any defense in the league, but not many, if any, would take on the full remaining contract. If he’s still in New York when the season ends, he’d be a buyout candidate and teams could sign him more cheaply.
Chris Kreider: His bout with a frightening blood clot and ensuing ribcage surgery leave enough uncertainty that his value would be too low to deal him.
Nick Holden and David Desharnais: Contenders always look to add veterans at trade deadlines. The Rangers believe there’s interest in Holden, at least to possibly get back the fourth-rounder it took to acquire him from Colorado in the summer of 2016. Desharnais could help an already-deep team.
Brendan Smith: Forget it. His game fell off a cliff after he signed that big four-year contract last summer. He cleared waivers Friday and will be deposited in the AHL at Hartford. Smith will play for his professional life at training camp next September.
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J.T. Miller, Kevin Hayes, Jimmy Vesey: The Rangers won’t be looking to get rid of any of them, but all names are on the table in the next two weeks, as each of the still-young players will be a restricted free agent this summer. The Rangers will have enough cap space to sign them all, but will they want to dole out more expensive contracts, as they did with Stepan, Zuccarello, Staal, Girardi, Derick Brassard and then Mika Zibanejad?
Stay tuned. The Rangers are going to be at the epicenter of the trade deadline.
(Photo Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports)