The Ranger are slated to pick 30th in tonight’s First Round of the NHL Draft.
The Rangers are not slated to pick again until the 4th round and pick 127.
There has been speculation that the Rangers could move Kaapo Kakko and possibly use him to try and either move up from #30 or acquire more picks.
There has also been speculation about the Rangers possibly trying to trade Jacob Trouba as his no-move clause turns to a modified no-trade clause.
Adam Rotter: The biggest thing with tonight is whether it gives us any clues about what the Rangers plans are for over the weekend, but more importantly for Monday when Free Agency opens. Creating more cap space and flexibility, even after waiving Barlcay Goodrow, seems like priority number one and that is why Jacob Trouba and Kaapo Kakko’s names keep coming up.
Trouba would be the big fish to move and while the Rangers have the list of teams he’d have to approve a trade to, that list doesn’t take effect until Monday. To move him this weekend the Rangers would still need him to waive his no-move clause. If the Rangers can find a deal for Trouba then I’m not sure it matters whether they move him this weekend or at 12:01PM on Monday other than to just have it done. There’s still no guarantee that he gets moved or for what return or with what salary retention, but I went from being surprised if he wasn’t going to on the team this season to now being surprised if he will be on the team this season.
With Kakko, it seems to come down to whether the Rangers feel there is more value in keeping him, trying to make it work and seeing how the season goes or more value in the $2.4 million in cap space. Everything else that comes with moving Kakko in terms of them moving on from him, the return they get or him potentially still breaking out seems secondary to whether that $2.4 million in cap space could be used to bring in Patrick Kane, possibly Steven Stamkos if he becomes a free agent or a long-shot in Jake Guentzel. Guentzel would likely mean that the Rangers need to move Trouba, but moving Trouba wouldn’t necessarily mean they are going to get Guentzel.
I think they could try and package Kakko and #30 and see how high they get. They could try and see how high of a pick they could get for Kakko on his own or how many picks they could get for Kakko. Trading him for multiple second to fourth round picks may seem like selling low, but if they can use that cap space to fortify the top-six and then use those picks to acquire more depth or at the trade deadline it could be worth it. They would seem to have different avenues to go down with Kakko, including keeping him, but it seems like the Rangers may prefer the cap space at this point.
There were rumors earlier in the year that James Dolan didn’t want the Rangers to move their first round pick at the deadline since the draft is at his venue in Vegas , The Sphere. Maybe the Rangers just pick at #30 or maybe they have something more tonight.