Rangers interested in Tyler Motte, and what a potential Rickard Rakell trade could look like
There appears to be another Rangers’ potential trade target coming out of Vancouver. While the Canucks may not be trading J.T. Miller, they have several pending UFAs that could be on the move. One of them is forward Tyler Motte.
Motte, 27, has 14 points in 45 games this season with an AAV of $1.225 million.
Rangers interested in Tyler Motte
According to The Fourth Period, the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Canucks have been discussing a possible trade. Two other teams believed to be interested in Motte are the Washington Capitals and New York Rangers.
Scouts for the Blueshirts have been seen at recent Canucks games despite the fact that they concluded their season series against them on February 27. The Rangers went 0-1-1 this season versus Vancouver.
Motte is a left handed shot that can play either third or fourth line minutes. At 5-10, 192 lbs, he’s able to play a physical style. The Michigan native has 48 blocks and 78 hits on the season.
What a Rangers trade for Rickard Rakell could look like
Tonight’s opponent, the Anaheim Ducks, are an intriguing one, as they have one definite of the Rangers top trade targets. Rickard Rakell was held out of the team’s last game with an “upper-body” issue.
“Let’s be clear on that, I have people texting me and calling me, why are we sitting Rickard Rakell?” coach Dallas Eakins said on Tuesday. “We’re not. He’s injured right now. He’s day to day.”
GM Pat Verbeek did not rule out re-signing Rakell but noted there’s no new conversations on a contract with the deadline six days away. Verbeek also made it clear he would not let pending UFAs walk for free in the summer.
So is a deal on the horizon with the Rangers? The question is what could a trade for Rakell look like?
There’s been some early speculation that Vitali Kravtsov for Rakell could get it done. More recently, it’s believed that Anaheim would like a first round pick.
If the Rangers were trying to make this deal last summer for Rakell, Kravtsov may have been enough but his stock is dropping. That will happen when you can’t crack a lineup that was already weak on the right wing after Pavel Buchnevich was traded. It will decline even further when you demand a trade and bolt home for Russia.
With GM’s around the league leary of making any deals for players in the KHL at the moment, the Rangers would likely have to throw in a second round pick to get it done.
That would be one possible trade scenario.
However, if Verbeek is hellbent on a first round pick it would make sense for Drury to do it.
The Rangers 2022 first round pick will likely be around 27 and with the team’s Stanley Cup window opening, it’s time to do what contenders do and trade those away.
However, it’s being reported that general managers are asking for 2023 first round selections thanks to a general consensus that the 2022 draft class is considered weak. If that’s the case, Drury shipping his 2023 first round pick, which could be high 20’s as well, makes sense.
Plus, the Rangers could use this season’s pick to add another piece to the lineup for a Cup run.
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