Duchene still wants out, could the Rangers pull a blockbuster?

Many fans will argue on how to fix the mess that is the current edition of the New York Rangers. Some will say the coach has got to go, while many cry for a star center. They may be both right, but since there is no obvious coaching replacement (Ruff isn’t the answer) we focus on the center.

Duchene Still Wants Out

According to reports from Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston and Elliotte Friedman, there seems to be no patching up the strained relationship. Matt Duchene is done in Colorado and wants out, and fast.

The good news is that GM, Joe Sakic may have moved off his asking price which started with a young top pair defenseman, ala Brady Skjei. Per the same report, the Avs have been heavily scouting and could be willing to part with Duchene for a prospect defenseman.

They are particularly interested in a left handed defensemen. Could Sean Day be the piece to land Duchene? The 26 year old, LH pivot has 3 goals and 6 points in 7 games this season. He would instantly make the Rangers offense more potent and a legit 1 – 1A center setup with Mika Zibanejad.

Sounds great! Except for the $6M cap hit.

Can the Rangers Make it Happen?

Currently, the Blueshirts have a cap hit of $1,934,467. That isn’t going to get any deal for Duchene done. Even salary dumping Nick Holden and Adam Cracknell adds only another $2.3M in space. And no, I don’t think Colorado wants either.

This is where, a player like Chris Kreider and his $4.625M cap hit would have to be added. Of course, that takes away from the offense on the wings. But what about the unthinkable?

Ryan McDonagh, is unhappy and possibly disgruntled. If you don’t believe me, just watch his last two post game interviews with your eyes and ears open. He’s the captain of a team that has to have what seems like a dozen assistants on it. Everytime AV talks about leadership, he defers to the “leadership group”. Something doesn’t seem right there.

Of course, trading a player of McDonagh’s caliber with his great contract ($4.7M), opens talks of a blockbuster deal. What a defense with Tyson Barrie look like in NY? The possibilities are endless. Plus, the Avs could eat some of their cap hit this year as they have over $6M at their disposal.

Interesting no? Comment below.

Anthony Scultore has been covering the New York Rangers and the NHL since 2014. His work also appears at... More about Anthony Scultore

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