Emily Kaplan at ESPN spoke about the Rangers and their potential trade deadline plans:
- “Initially I heard that the Rangers weren’t going to do much, they were just looking at depth, bottom-six forwards. Guys with grit, guys with jam. For example, I heard that they made a call to Corey Perry when he became available. I don’t think those conversations went very far, mostly because I think Perry had already narrowed his team list down and he ended up in Edmonton. But you get the sense of the type of player they were looking at.”
- “I also heard from multiple people that the Rangers were taking a look at Tyler Johnson of Chicago. He’s a two-time cup winner with Tampa Bay, not quite as dynamic as he used to be, injuries caught up to him, still a serviceable player, still a veteran center that they could put in the bottom-six that I think could help them a lot.”
Kaplan says that things changed for the Rangers once Filip Chytil was ruled out for the season and they gained his $4.4 million in potential cap space. That cap space allow them to make “multiple moves.”
- “I’ve heard from a couple of different people that I’m not so sure the Rangers want to give up their first-round pick this year.”
- “Some of the players that I’ve heard that they’ve looked at. We know that they would like some center depth and the two top centers are already off the board, Sean Monahan or Elias Lindholm. I’m not sure that the Rangers were able to give up all of those assets that the Canucks gave up for LIndholm anyway.”
- “Adam Henrique with the Ducks, there is a ton of smoke around the situation of the Rangers scouting him out. Keep an eye on that one.”
- “Another guy that I heard the Rangers might want to take a flyer on, little lesser known player, but really high upside, has had some ups and downs in his career so far is Jack Roslovic of Columbus. He would be an intriguing piece there.”
- “Also, a couple of people have pointed out to me that Kevin Hayes of the Blues is available. He is a former Ranger….I do know and have heard from a couple of people that Hayes could be available, but if he were to come to the Rangers or any other team it would absolutely would have to involve 50% of his salary.”
- “Another thing to keep in mind with the Rangers as they make their adds, I think motor and speed is important to them, it’s one of the reasons why they did part with Nick Bonino.”
- “There are a couple of players on the Kraken, a team that hasn’t decided whether they are going to be sellers yet. They are kind of on that bubble, Ron Francis keeps things very close to the vest. Jordan Eberle would be one, Yanni Gourde would be a massive splash if they were able to get him, he’s under contract for more than this year. That would involve players coming in and out.”
- “As we talk about players coming out players coming out, it has been reported and I do believe that the Rangers are just taking calls on Kaapo Kakko. I wouldn’t classify it as them shopping him, but if they want to bring in impact players they know that they have to move some out on the roster. Kakko is a player that has tried to find his footing in NY and at times is just on the cusp. Hasn’t seen it yet. I think the Rangers would like to exercise some more patience, but if the right deal comes about, Kaapo Kakko could be on the way out.”
- “When I mention that speed, Anthony Duclair. He had a baby cup of coffee with the Rangers back in the day. We know he’s known for his speed, he hasn’t had the greatest season in San Jose. That is another type of winger or player that they could add that would bolster their middle-six.”
- “To recap, the Rangers, they are going for it this year, just not fully going for it. I think they will try to add multiple forwards at the trade deadline.”
Adam Rotter: I think that it’s much more likely, especially after Blake Wheeler’s injury, that we see a reunion with Anthony Duclair instead of Kevin Hayes. Hayes is a center and would be extremely cheap for what he would bring at anywhere close to half of his $3.57 million cap hit and I’m sure he’d be motivated to return to the Rangers and play with Jimmy Vesey, Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad again, but he’s signed through next season and I’m not sure St. Louis is actually going to move him. I also think that someone might be willing to pay more for two seasons of Hayes than the Rangers, though having Hayes for next season would be a some insurance for Filip Chytil.
Duclair would bring a ton of speed and offensive potential and he had 11 points in 20 playoff games for the Panthers last season, and would probably love the chance to go from a terrible San Jose team to this Rangers team. He’s not having a great year and that may work in the Rangers favor in not having to give up a ton to get him. I don’t think he’ll be free, but he’s also not going to cost anything of high value to the Rangers. After Wheeler got hurt last night they showed Duclair during the MSG 150 and I sort of thought to myself that he likely made a lot of sense for the Rangers.
Tyler Johnson also continues to make sense to me as a bottom-six, versatile forward. He’s got the Stanley Cup experience and could be someone that swings all around the lineup. I don’t think he will cost a ton either, especially compared to Adam Henrique. Henrique is a better player than Johnson, but I think Johnson could be an interesting, veteran fit.