Elliotte Friedman writes at Sportsnet that that most of the requests coming to the Rangers now are about Filip Chytil and Kaapo Kakko.
He said that Alexis Lafreniere’s “strong playoff” performance “ruined” ideas other teams may have had about asking about him. (Sportsnet)
He adds that he doesn’t think the Rangers want “any part of” moving Braden Schneider and that Nils Lundkvist is “much more likely.” (Sportsnet)
Friedman said on NHL Network on Friday, “Kakko and I think Filip Chytil, I think you are going to hear their names a lot. I would be shocked if Lafreniere was in any of these talks.”
Arthur Staple wrote in The Athletic last week that Chytil has been the “most talked about” player in trade conversations and that the Rangers would be willing to move Chytil to acquire an “older, more established top-six center.” (The Athletic)
He said that while teams have asked about Kakko, the Rangers would be selling low on him and that Chytil would be the “main young forward” going the other way in a potential trade. (The Athletic)
Staple wrote that Lundkvist is likely the “top defense target” for other teams, but that Zac Jones and Matthew Robertson also have “some trade value.” (The Athletic)
Larry Brooks wrote in the NY Post that it would be “more difficult to justify” trading Chytil or Kakko for a player that could be a UFA in a year or two.
Adam Rotter: After Chytil’s playoff performance you’d think that he’d be a lock for next season, but it seems like the Rangers want a bit more of a sure thing, especially with the likelihood that Ryan Strome and Andrew Copp will be elsewhere. Moving Chytil now runs the risk of him turning into a legit top-six player somewhere else, but if he’s moved for a more established, but still relatively young center it may not backfire in the way that Mika Zibanejad turned into Mika Zibanejad with the Rangers and Derick Brassard played a season and a half in Ottawa.
I don’t think Schneider is going anywhere. He may fall into the same situation of Alexis Lafreniere as someone whose positional progression in the lineup might be blocked in the short-term, but his role in the present is still important. Nils Lundkvist just doesn’t have a spot because the Rangers are all set on the right side and Adam Fox, obviously, running the PP. How much of a difference is there between trying Lundkvist on the left side and Zac Jones? It was a little surprising, but ultimately a good thing, that the Rangers held on to Lundkvist past the trade deadline, but I don’t think the same will be the case over the next few weeks.
With Kakko? You hear mixed things. Some people say that the Rangers aren’t looking to move Kakko and that they are just being asked about him a lot. Others say that the Rangers are shopping him in exchange for upgrades in the top-six. I’d prefer that they keep him, but I think a lot of that is the attachment to him that came with the hype and belief, as the second overall pick, that he would be a core player for a long time. I’d love to give him another shot, see if he is ready to start taking steps towards realizing a good amount of the hype that came with his selection, but I don’t think he would be a dealbreaker that stops the Rangers from getting a new center.