New York Rangers rumors increasing 2 weeks away from trade deadline
The NHL Trade Deadline is officially two weeks away, and the surging New York Rangers are expected to be serious buyers. President and General Manager, Chris Drury, certainly has a few holes to fill after losing both center Filip Chytil, and winger Blake Wheeler to injury for the season.
As you can imagine, there’s been plenty of trade rumors over the last month, but the closer we get to the deadline, the more that noise gets louder.
Here’s the latest surrounding the Blueshirts.
Related: Rangers getting physical before trade deadline
New York Rangers Rumors
Since losing Chytil back in early November, there’s been a lot questions on what Drury would do to fill that slot at 3C. Of course, the team was holding out hope the 24-year-old would return, but a setback in January made addressing that hole a top priority.
“It’s a really tough situation. You never want to see a teammate and friend go down like that,” Vincent Trocheck told Forever Blueshirts at the All-Star Game. “It’s scary to see him going through what he has. Obviously, from a hockey perspective, we miss him. But at this point, none of us are really worried about that. All we can do is hope that he’s alright.”
One name that’s bubbled up to the surface is Anaheim Ducks center Adam Henrique, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. Another entering the mix is Philadelphia Flyers pivot Scott Laughton. Of the two, Henrique makes the most sense, especially since Laughton has term left on his deal and the Flyers look playoff bound.
Priorities have reportedly changed thanks to the adequate play of Jonny Brodzinski on the third-line. Brodzsinki just signed a two-year extension, so he’ll be sticking around in some capacity moving forward. Wheeler’s injury on Feb. 15 weakened the right wing position, that was already thin to begin with.
The Rangers have recently sent scouts to watch the Ducks, San Jose Sharks, Nashville Predators, Chicago Blackhawks, Buffalo Sabres, Ottawa Senators, and Seattle Kraken.
Three wingers that were likely being viewed with binoculars and continue to remain prominent trade targets are Frank Vatrano (ANA), Anthony Duclair (SJS), and Vladimir Tarasenko (OTT). However, NY Post’s Larry Brooks states that center Alex Wennberg (SEA) has been identified as an option for the Blueshirts.
According to Arthur Staple of The Athletic, the Rangers have already placed calls to Seattle about Wennberg and Yanni Gourde. The latter would be a very interesting add, because he has term left on his deal, and would likely spell the end to a current roster player next season. That being said, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman has already poured cold water on the idea that the Kraken are trading Gourde.
Additionally, names like center Casey Mittlestadt (BUF) and former Rangers winger Pavel Buchnevich (STL) were mentioned.
Mittlestadt, 25, has 44 points in 56 games this season. Come July 1, he’ll be a restricted free agent, and it’s possible the Sabres aren’t sure they can come to terms. If the Rangers were to acquire him, it would absolutely take a first-round pick for starters, and likely mean the end for Filip Chytil on Broadway.
As for a Buchnevich reunion? I don’t think so.
Let’s not forget, Drury didn’t want to extend him and traded him away to the Blues for next to nothing as one of his first acts as GM. And when Buchnevich made his first appearance at the Garden, they posted a three second ‘Thank You’ video on the Jumbotron.
At least that was more than what longtime medical trainer Jim Ramsay got when he returned with the Montreal Canadiens this month.
There’s no doubt that the Rangers are going to make at least one trade, possibly more by the deadline. Drury would love to add a top-six right wing, plus some depth at center and defense for a hopefully long playoff run.
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