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The New York Rangers made a run to the Stanley Cup finals last season that still has some people surprised. The teams ability to roll four lines consistently played a big part in why they made it as far as they did. Though they had a great run last season, the departure of some key players, namely Benoit Pouliot and Brian Boyle, dealt a significant blow to the teams forward depth.
With a goaltender like Henrik Lundqvist and a leading goal-scorer and star winger like Rick Nash, the Rangers still come as a threat in the East, but by the time the trade deadline approaches, they will still need to acquire a player who can lift up their bottom-six group of forwards.
So who would be a great asset for the future of the Rangers? Well, that is exactly what is currently being speculated and scoped out. There are a handful of reputable players that could potentially call NY their new home, but without a significant financial allowance, it may be hard to bring them all here. There is not a lot of maneuverability, so a more subdued trade deadline may be in their future, which is the opposite of what has been seen in the past. With only a $1.5 million in cap space, they’re going to have to work hard to find a modest teammate, unless they’re willing to go lower on salaries, that is.
Players like Antoine Vermette of the Arizona Coyotes would be a great pickup for the Rangers being that he would be able to provide more strength, but the steep asking price makes this goal a little bit unrealistic. If the Rangers want somebody like Vermette on their side, they could take a look at the Toronto Maple Leafs pending UFA, Mike Santorelli, who could provide just about the same thing as Vermette, but at a lower price. Just like their rivals, the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Los Angeles Kings, are facing a tight salary cap as well, but at the same time, they still have numerous players to sign, including Justin Williams, Tyler Toffoli, and Tanner Pearson.
When you hear those three names, you definitely think of the Kings, so it may be hard for the West Coast dominating team to part with them, but the fact of the matter is, if they sign with them, they may have to part ways with Jarret Stoll, who could potentially become a Ranger. Stoll, a pending unrestricted free agent, is an effective depth player who has a record for winning faceoffs and killing penalties. Included in possible key players the Blue Shirts can acquire are the Anaheim Ducks Nate Thompson, and Jiri Tlusty from the Carolina Hurricanes. Though Thompson still has two years left in his four-year $6.4 million dollar deal, if Anaheim wanted to move him, they have the option to do so. When it comes to Tlusty, the 26-year-old Czech winger who is facing what may be a head injury, he is seen as a player that can do a lot if he proves that he is healthy.
While all of these players may seem like great additions to the team currently in third place in the Metropolitan division, they will not come at a low cost, and the Rangers do not have a lot to spend to begin with, but they do have two pending UFAs in Martin St. Louis, and Mats Zuccarello, who was the first star of the game at last nights game against the Florida Panthers at Madison Square Garden.
While it is highly unlikely that the Rangers would move either player, especially since St. Louis has a full no-trade clause in his deal, anything could happen. Getting rid of those two key players may not be the best move, especially because of how much they have progressed since last season, but needs to be done, needs to be done.
Who knows what can happen, but what can change is general manager Glen Sather’s unofficial tradition when it comes to the deadline. Sather, who is known for making bold trade and acquisition moves on deadline days, may not be able to do that this time around due to how little room they have to breathe finance wise.
In past seasons, he has traded former captain Ryan Callahan to the Tampa Bay Lightning for St. Louis who brought great chemistry to the team, as well as landing coveted trade target Ryan Clowe from the San Jose Sharks, and also pulling off a blockbuster deal in 2012 to acquire Nash, who has been on fire this season. All of these moves have shown to be positives, and despite the cap this year, there are a fair amount of players out their who could really shine on a team like the Rangers.
