Rangers will weigh moves and make decisions after Sharks game
Consensus around the team after two wins over Chicago and Carolina is to table all decisions until after tonight’s game against the Sharks. President John Davidson and GM Jeff Gorton are believed to have several offers on the table for Chris Kreider, Jesper Fast, and Alexandar Georgiev. However, the mission regardless of what happens at the deadline is to make the playoffs, and another win this evening will likely impact the direction they go with in trades.
Kreider and the Playoffs
In truth, I don’t see a trade of Chris Kreider bringing in anyone that can replace him and improve the Rangers playoff chances. Still if the Rangers and Kreider are very far apart in terms of contract they will be forced to make that move. He is too big of an asset to risk walking away for nothing in July, unlike taking that same risk with Jesper Fast who at this point will only garner no higher than a 2nd round pick.
The Rangers can also replace Fast if they are willing to move Alexandar Georgiev to San Jose for Kevin LeBanc. The bottom line is simple, the more they keep winning the more the direction on trades they make can change.
Could The Rangers Make a Blockbuster?
This is absolutely possible, especially if the Rangers feel like they are buyers at the deadline. If the Rangers want to keep Kreider, it will likely take 6 years at 6.5M and a full no move clause to make that happen. That means deals involving clearing cap space or potential cap space. What if Henrik Lundqvist has agreed to be traded? That is a game changer. Same goes in a trade involving Chris Kreider. They could forego the first round pick for two younger players from Boston like Jake DeBrusk for starters. The possibilities on direction are endless.
Rangers will be players at the deadline
John Davidson knows where the Rangers are this season. They are at the crossroads of their rebuild with a commitment to stay the course. That means continuing to develop the talent they have and retool this lineup with those players. We are seeing it now with Igor Shesterkin and the ice time given to Kaapo Kakko. Knowing full well Vitali Kravtsov is coming to Broadway soon, this team is getting younger and improving.
The organization is in a great place and that is evident with their recent play and options they have available to them. While I can see the Rangers keeping Kreider and Georgiev, Fast is still an easier to replace asset with Julien Gauthier now on the roster. The Rangers are sitting pretty and could be sitting in a great position not only for this season but the next decade to come with the decisions they make as soon as the final buzzer sounds tonight.
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