2/28/22 | On the After The Whistle Podcast, Elliotte Friedman was asked if the Rangers feel that this is “their year” and said “I think they are going for it, put it this way, I think they are going for it. That Shesterkin, he could win the Stanley Cup himself.”
Asked about JT Miller, Friedman said “they are interested, there is no question about that.”
Asked if the Rangers would be willing to move Kakko or Lafreniere for someone like Miller, Friedman said “I don’t think that is what they want to do, they might have to, but I don’t think that is what they want to do.”
2/25/22 | Elliotte Friedman said on The Jeff Marek Show, “The Rangers, to me, are really interesting. I think they are in on some things and I think they are going to go for it….I think the Rangers see an opportunity and I think they are going to look at some things. Drury likes to be stealth and I think he’s stealthly trying to find the biggest thing he can find.”
When asked if Drury might be looking for more of a forward or defenseman, Friedman said “I don’t know if one takes precedence over the other, but I definitely think…Olofsson was a guy I think they were looking at and I think they are just concerned about what his arb number could be next year, but that says to me that they are looking for a scorer or a creative offensive player.”
2/4/22 | Elliotte Friedman said on The Jeff Marek Show on Friday, “The Rangers, I think they are also looking to do something big. I don’t know what they are going to be able to fit, it’s going to be a little tricky with them. They are offering Kravtsov around to see who is interested in that. Jim Dolan made a change last year because he was impatient. They are good this year, their goaltender has been fantastic, he’s covering up a lot of mistakes, but they know the owner is impatient, they will look at things and I think they already have been.”
2/3/22 | On ESPN’s The Point, Emily Kaplan said “I get the sense that the New York Rangers are looking at a top-six forward, they’ve done extensive scouting on Tomas Hertl, one of the better forwards that will be available.”
While on Buffalo’s WGR on Thursday 2/3, Darren Dreger was speaking about the Minnesota Wild and Ottawa Senators scouting each other and then added “the New York Rangers are paying close attention to Ottawa.”
1/30/22 | On the 32 Thoughts podcast, Elliotte Friedman was asked if he thought the Rangers might be willing to move “a Kaapo Kakko or Alexis Lafreniere for a JT Miller-type player” and said:
“I don’t know they want to do that yet, I really don’t. Look, I think the Rangers are going to do something or at least try to do something big and if you try to do something big you have to give quality to get quality, but I don’t know how eager they are to trade either of those two guys.”
1/26/22 | Larry Brooks writes that the Rangers do have interest in JT Miller and that the Canucks ask for him right now is “astronomical.” (NY Post)
1/22/22 | At Sportsnet, Elliotte Friedman mentioned the Rangers as a team that could possibly take a “surprise swing” around the trade deadline. (30 Thoughts)
On the NHL Network on Friday, Friedman said “Chris Drury is a stealth guy, he doesn’t say very much, but judging from what I’m hearing about them, they are going to be a team to watch. I’ve heard they’ve been around Chychrun, I’ve had some people say it doesn’t make a ton of sense for them, but I think they are around it and it wouldn’t be surprised if they are looking at a forward too.”
“He added, The Rangers are in a situation where they wanted to go for it last year, the team wasn’t there for that, I don’t think that has changed. Their owner is not exactly known for his patience and I think Drury is not afraid to make a big swing. I think the Rangers are going to look at some pretty interesting things between know and the trade deadline.”
Emily Kaplan said on ESPN’s The Point on Thursday that the Rangers “feel good, think they are a playoff team and looking to add specifically among forwards. For a sense of what type of player they are looking at, I’ve heard they’ve done a lot of recon on Tomas Hertl of the Sharks. Not necessarily that they are going to get him, but they are looking to take some big swings.”
- Tomas Hertl has been suggested as a potential player for the Rangers.
- Freidman and Jeff Marek connected Arizona’s Jakob Chychrun to the Rangers
On the Ray and Dregs podcast this past week, Ray Ferraro and Darren Dreger were asked about a team that could potentially “break the ice” and make the first trade of the trade deadline season.
- Ferraro said “you know how strikes me a little bit? The Rangers.”
- Dreger added, “they’ve been looking for that forward for a while, too.”
- Ferraro responded, “what if that forward pops up now?… The Rangers, I think they are having a positively surprising year and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if they struck early if they could find one of those forwards they are looking for, a top-six guy.”
Jeff Marek said that he thinks the Rangers are “probably looking for a forward and also wrote this week that he wondered if a Filip Chytil/Jake DeBrusk trade made sense for both sides.
Buffalo defenseman Colin Miller, who played for Gerard Gallant in Vegas could be an option for the Rangers if they look to add a defenseman. (The Athletic)
Frank Seravalli was on with Jeff Marek on Friday and said “I would say that the Rangers may be looking for more than one forward. It’s no secret that they are interested in a reunion with JT Miller and how good would he look on their cap for next year with one more year on his deal, plus if they really wanted to find a way to re-sign him to an extension if that were the case and that could really make the group pretty dangerous. In terms of looking at some depth type players, I think there has been some interest from the Rangers in someone like a Ryan Carpenter from Chicago. I think the Rangers are also on the list of teams that would be interested in an Artturi Lehkonen.”
Adam Rotter: It’s certainly the first time in years where the Rangers are not just buyers, but shopping for the biggest name players available. The Rangers have the young players, prospects and picks to get any player available, whether they be rentals John Klingberg from Dallas, Tomas Hertl from San Jose, Mark Giordano from Seattle, or a player with term like Chychrun.
The question is whether Chris Drury wants to pay those prices and/or if Drury thinks this team is good enough to make a big move. There is no doubt that the Rangers are going to add at the deadline, but there is a difference between adding a bottom-six forward and depth defenseman or someone who would slot into the top-six up front and a regular role on defense.
I think the bigger need is up front and that Drury should be focused on adding a winger that can slot into the top-six. Is that Hertl? Is that Phil Kessel? I don’t think a move for DeBrusk makes a ton of sense, especially since he primarily plays on the left side and the Rangers have enough left wingers. I’m not sure Kessel would fit, but he has a history as a playoff performer and getting back to playing important games and playoff games may give his game a jolt. Hertl, if he even moves, is the big question and it really depends on the cost. I don’t think the Rangers are in the position where they should trade multiple assets for a rental like Hertl, but Drury may feel differently. Hertl would certainly stabilize the top-six but a) he might not be traded and b) the Rangers won’t the only team in on him. There are depth forwards the Rangers could add and either try in the top-six or use in the bottom-six and allow Barclay Goodrow to fully slot in to a top-six role.
On defense, the Rangers seem to be giving Braden Schneider the first crack at seeing if the solution is already in the organization. I like Schneider and I’d prefer that the third pair has at least one of Schneider, Nils Lundkvist, or Zac Jones, but I think Gerard Gallant would prefer a veteran to go on the third pair with Patrik Nemeth. I don’t think it’s worth it to trade a first round pick for someone who is going to be on the third pair and a rental, but defensemen are always in demand and that might be the cost of doing business for someone like Mark Giordano, John Klingberg or Ben Chiarot. I’m sure Jeff Gorton will charge the Rangers extra if they want Chiarot and that should probably take him out of the running.
The last part of this is that the deadline is about two months from tomorrow, so a lot can change between now and then. The Rangers, unless they go on a horrendous losing streak, will still be in the playoffs, but maybe at that point they are a Wild Card team and moving high end assets for a rental doesn’t make sense. But maybe two months from now the Rangers have figured out their in-game consistency issues, are scoring at 5-on-5, defending well, and winning without needing to find a way or because Igor Shesterkin stole one. Maybe by then their play on the ice will more accurately reflect their position in the standings. The next few weeks will dictate how big the moves they make will be.