Our New York Rangers NHL Trade Deadline Strategy

Chris Drury is deep into his 4^th season as the New York Rangers President and General Manager, and this is the first time he heads toward the NHL Trade Deadline (Friday, March 7^th at 3p ET) not in 100% win-now mode.

Let’s be clear, the Rangers are not rebuilding as evidenced by trading Filip Chytil (25), Kaapo Kakko (24) and Victor Mancini (22) for veterans JT Miller (31) and Will Borgen (28). However, despite being only two points out of a wild-card playoff spot, they have not shown enough for the Rangers to use the few draft picks they have left (in the next three drafts they have 2 first rounders, and no second rounders).

The general expectation is that Drury will try and recoup assets in exchange for the team’s pending unrestricted free agents. Plus, he will also look to see if he can bring in a 3^rd line center to keep Miller, Vincent Trocheck and Mika Zibanejad in the top 6.

PENDING UFA’s
Ryan Lindgren, D
Jonathan Quick, G
Reilly Smith, RW
Jimmy Vesey, LW

In a year in which the Rangers have shown little heart, it is difficult for me to advocate trading Lindgren, without first trying to get his name on a contract extension. I realize this is an unpopular opinion in “Rangerland” (especially on “X”), but Lindgren is exactly the type of player that contenders crave. Yes, his body has been beaten up due to the fearless way that he plays. However, he is still only 27 years of age, and he has steadied his play this season after his pre-season injury slowed him down the first couple of months. Lindgren’s market value is probably $5.5m annual on 5-year contract. Would he entertain a hometown discount? Say, 4/$4.5m at the same 4 years that his buddy Adam Fox has left on his contract? The Rangers do not have a ready-made replacement for Lindgren and going out in the market will end up being as costly, if not more costly than bringing him back even at full market-value. Our advice is to retain Lindgren, though we fully expect him to be traded by next Friday.

This is Quick’s last stop. Dylan Garand, the Rangers 4^th round selection in 2020, is close to being ready to back up Igor Shesterkin, but we expect Quick to be given the opportunity to return if he chooses next season.

The Rangers system is strong on the wing with Will Cuylle, Adam Edstrom and Matt Rempe having established roles and prospects such as Brett Berard, Brennan Othmann, Gabe Perreault and Adam Sykora on the way. That means they can afford to trade both Smith and Vesey now, without hurting their playoff chances.

Smith has also been better the last 6 weeks, but the Rangers gave up a 2^nd (2027) and a conditional 5^th (2025) and will want to attempt to recoup those assets. Vesey has been a good soldier for the Rangers through both tours, however, he’s struggled to get on the ice this season. He’s well-liked in the room, Chris Drury could earn bonus points by finding him a situation where he’ll get a chance to play down the stretch to earn his next contract.

HARTFORD WOLFPACK NOTABLE UFA’s
Louis Domingue, G
Ben Harpur, D
Chad Ruhwedel, D

Contending teams generally try and load up on defense and in goal for a deep playoff run. Domingue is the most interesting since he has NHL experience having played in 114 regular season games and 7 playoff games including his famous “spicy pork” game against the New York Rangers in the First Round of the 2021-22 NHL Playoffs.

Domingue could probably land a draft pick, while Harpur and Ruhwedel would probably bring in a younger AHL player who’s still trying to establish themselves.

POTENTIAL CENTER TARGETS
Here’s 3 potential targets to fill the Rangers open 3^rd line center role this year, and in the future.

1. Jack McBain (25), Utah – McBain has 740 hits in 217 games (3.4 per game) and has been a mainstay on their 3^rd I can envision him centering Berard and Cuylle. McBain is a pending RFA currently making $1.6m.
2. Luke Kunin (27), San Jose – Kunin came out of the University of Wisconsin with the reputation as a 2-way center with leadership skills. Offensively, he’s maxed out at 31 points, but he plays physical and is currently an alternate captain with the Sharks. He is a pending UFA making $2.75m and the Rangers would want to talk extension before acquiring him.
3. Trent Frederic (27), Boston – after an 18 goal, 40-point effort last season, Frederic has regressed to the norm this season with 15 points through 56 games. However, he remains a physical force and a willing combatant. He is a pending UFA making $2.3m and the Rangers would want to talk extension before acquiring him.