Nelson is one of the best No. 2 centers in the NHL. He’s scored at least 34 goals in each of the past three seasons – all since turning age 30 —  though with 17 in 55 games this season he’s unlikely to reach that total again. He’s defensively responsible, can play on both special teams and has spent each of his 12 NHL seasons with the Islanders, who selected him in the first round (No. 30) of the 2010 NHL Draft.

But Nelson can also become an unrestricted free agent this summer, when his six-year, $36 million contract expires. With the Islanders in 12th place in the Eastern Conference, one point behind the Rangers, three behind the Boston Bruins and Columbus Blue Jackets, and four behind the Detroit Red Wings, who own the second wild card in the East, Lamoriello has a decision to make: Does he deal one of his top forwards before the deadline or try to sign him? Depending on the return package, it could be the difference in going for a playoff spot this season or cutting their losses and looking to the future, one without the steady center.

BROCK. NELSON. #LGI | @Ford pic.twitter.com/MPkH0O4FJY

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) February 9, 2025

The Islanders got back into the playoff race with a seven-game winning streak in January and won eight of their final 11 games before the 4 Nations Face-Off break – where Nelson will play for the United States along with Rangers defenseman Adam Fox and forwards J.T. Miller, Vincent Trocheck and Chris Kreider. However, the Isles are riddled with injuries to key players, most notably forward Mathew Barzal and defensemen Noah Dobson and Ryan Pulock.

If Lamoriello opts to trade Nelson, there will be a number of interested teams. He would be one of the more coveted unrestricted free agents on the market — and would bring back a sizeable return if traded.

Speaking on “32 Thoughts: The Podcast,” NHL insider Elliotte Friedman said Monday he feels the Islanders are going to make their pitch soon.

“I do think this is the time when the Islanders are going to take their real run at it,” Friedman said. “(General manager) Lou Lamoriello has told teams that they want to sign him.”

Related: Why Rangers should consider trading for Jordan Greenway ahead of deadline

GM of Rangers rival mum on whether Islanders will re-sign Brock Nelson

But Friedman notes that Lamoriello is famously closed-mouth about his plans on anything – and re-signing Nelson is no different.

“It’s so hard to know the truth with him (Lamoriello) him because (a) he doesn’t give it away, and (b) out of respect for him, the people who deal with him don’t say much,” Friedman noted. “But I did hear from a couple of places on Saturday that this is going to be crunch time for the Islanders to try to sign Nelson. I think they want to do it.”

The Islanders were burned in the summer of 2018, shortly after Lamoriello was hired, when their best player, center John Tavares, signed as a free agent with the Toronto Maple Leafs, his hometown team, after reportedly asking then-GM Garth Snow not to deal him at the trade deadline.

Nelson native hasn’t given any public indications as to whether he wants to stay with the only NHL team he’s ever played for, and has a modified no-trade clause that gives him a lot of say in any potential deadline deal.

LET'S BROCK. pic.twitter.com/bbbDOtWIGi

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) February 9, 2025

“It’s obviously a factor, for sure. This is the only place I’ve been. I don’t know anything different,” Nelson told The Hockey News last week when asked about being a lifelong Islander. “I’m familiar with the situation here, living here. I’m comfortable here, have kids in school, so there’s a lot of things that go into it. And that’s a big part of it, for sure.

“And then, on the other side of it, with the business, you have no idea how things play out. But I’ve been fortunate. There are guys similar in age, even younger, who’ve been on a couple of different teams and traveling around. I’ve been fortunate to be here.”

Nelson is fifth in franchise history in goals (292), tied for eighth in points (566), and fifth in games played (895). He has 19 goals and 36 points in 49 regular-season games against the Rangers, his second-highest totals in each category against one team.

Friedman said he’s heard that the Islanders are going to make their push to keep him in the very near future.

“Nelson is going to be 34 years old in the fall, so it’s going to be very interesting where this goes,” Friedman said. “This is not going to be an eight-year deal, but I do think they’re going to make a legitimate, legitimate attempt to sign him. I get differing reactions about what Nelson’s true feelings are on this, so we’ll see how it all plays out. But everybody’s waiting to find out what the story is with him.

“He’s a hell of a player, he’s a low-maintenance guy, he’s hugely popular in that Islander room. I think we’ll get some clarity over the next week or so on whether or not he’s going to be on the market or there’s any chance of him staying.”

Speaking on his 32 Thoughts podcast Monday, Friedman explained that the 28-year-old defenseman’s value might be more to the Rangers because of how he has helped bring out the best in K’Andre Miller’s game since they were teamed on the second defense pair in New York.

“The biggest thing is the Miller thing,” Friedman stated. “This is one of those situations where, if you watched them play a bit, you say, ‘That looks good.’ And you say ‘Let me check this’ and you go look up the numbers and the numbers look good too. This is one where both the eye test and the numbers work.

“Aside from playing with [Adam] Fox, this is the best that Miller’s looked all season.”

In 271:51 TOI paired together, Miller and Fox have an outstanding xGF of 64.97 percent 5v5 this season, per Natural Stat Trick. They’ve been on for 16 goals and only nine against. However, the Rangers prefer to partner Fox with Ryan Lindgren, who’s again healthy and drawing praise from coach Peter Laviolette after he missed the first five games with a jaw injury this season and then struggled to play catch up.

For quite a while, that meant Miller paired with Jacob Trouba. That is, until the former Rangers captain was traded to the Anaheim Ducks on Dec. 6. It wasn’t pretty for them — outscored 10-0 with a miserable 0.29 xGF this season. It wasn’t much better for Miller with Braden Schneider as his partner.

Miller’s two-way game cratered and his name populated trade rumors, especially with a restricted free agent payday waiting at season’s end. His offensive production was almost nil, the crucial turnovers added up and it looked like he could be a goner.

Then Borgen arrived from the Seattle Kraken in the Kaapo Kakko trade on Dec. 18. Things have progressively gotten better for Miller since. With Miller on the left side and Borgen on the right, they have an xGF of 51.22 percent together and they look very comfortable as a pair in more than 240 minutes as partners.

“The best thing you can do is not trade your problem — it’s solve your problem internally,” Friedman explained. “And if you look at Borgen and say you’ve got someone here and we suddenly see a path here for Miller where he looks much calmer because we found the right partner, you’re going to keep that guy.”

It’s not a coincidence that things have settled down around Miller as well. The Rangers are 8-2-3 in January and had a 10-game point streak (7-0-3) end Sunday, when they lost 5-4 to the Colorado Avalanche. The Rangers are three points out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and Miller is again a big reason for their success.

And Borgen is a big reason for Miller’s success.

Related: No moral victories for Rangers when ‘points are at a premium’

Contract numbers ‘probably a little bit high’ but Rangers happy to keep Will Borgen

Borgen could have become an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season. Instead, the Rangers signed him to a five-year, $20.5 million contract, a somewhat big commitment to a player who’s had a steady but unspectacular career.

“The numbers are probably a little bit high for a guy that doesn’t score a ton,” Friedman said. “But if it’s going to make Miller a better player and it’s going to affect Miller as well as it has, then you’re doing it.”

Borgen has two goals and two assists in 18 games since the trade, and is averaging three minutes more in ice time with New York than he did in Seattle. He’s up to 18:31 TOI with the Rangers and even has points in consecutive games after scoring his third goal of the season on Sunday.

"That's the way to celebrate a new contract!"

Will Borgen gets the puck deep, pinches in to keep it alive, and buries the rebound! 🚨💪@NYRangers | #NYR pic.twitter.com/O4BsbKU2Jq

— Rangers on MSG (@RangersMSGN) January 26, 2025

Miller is up to 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in 43 games this season, well off where he should be. Even after dropping to 30 points last season, he’s still the same player who had 43 points in 2022-23.

The 25-year-old has four points (one goal, three assists) in his past four games. Equally as important, there are far fewer turnovers and egregious mistakes in his own end of the ice. He’s playing a more confident game paired with Borgen.

“Right shots are hard to find,” Friedman explained. “You’ve got one who’s a good fit with one of your key young players, you’re going to take the shot. I think that’s why it ultimately all happened here.”

Though trade speculation has centered on the Rangers re-acquiring the player they selected No. 15 overall in the 2011 NHL Draft before trading him to the Tampa Bay Lightning seven years later, it could be a key rival of theirs that lands Miller.

“I think Carolina is around there. I think the Rangers are still around there, they’re not out,” Elliotte Friedman said on CHEK TV in Vancouver.

Friedman expanded on the Hurricanes’ interest in Miller on his 32 Thoughts podcast.

“One team I do wonder about is Carolina. That’s a team that makes some sense to me,” he said on his podcast. “Don’t know for sure. But is does make some sense to me.”

So, that’s not a lot of concrete speculation about the Hurricanes and Miller. But when it comes to Friedman, he’s not one to simply throw names of teams and players into trade rumors unless he’s got some form of intel.

A possible Hurricanes package could start with center Jesperi Kotkaniemi, who the Canucks pursued in the past. But it would need to include more pieces in order to land Miller, who had 103 points last season and 99 in 2021-22.

“I’m planning on being a Canuck today, tomorrow. Whatever happens, happens. I’m focused on the next game.”

J.T. Miller on the trade rumour speculations
pic.twitter.com/iKYirTiufd

— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) January 19, 2025

Carolina (28-16-3) is second in the Metropolitan Division, eight points behind the first-place Washington Capitals and one ahead of the third-place New Jersey Devils. The Hurricanes made a big splash acquiring Jake Guentzel ahead of last season’s trade deadline. Perhaps, they’re looking to do so again this season, for a player that wouldn’t be a rental like Guentzel. Miller is signed at an average annual value of $8 million through 2029-30.

However. the Rangers (22-20-4), who are four points out of a wild-card spot in the East and 5-0-3 in their past eight games, appear to be the front-runners for Miller. They reportedly were close to a deal with the Canucks this past weekend, when Friedman reported that Miller was close to being held out of the lineup. But “it didn’t reach the finish line,” per Friedman, so Miller went out and played one of his best games in a while, logging more than 20 minutes TOI and recording two assists in a 3-2 win against the Edmonton Oilers.

Friedman dismissed the notion that center Mika Zibanejad was part of the Rangers’ package this past weekend. Earlier this season, the Canucks reportedly turned down a Zibanejad-for-Miller swap of 31-year-old centers.

The NHL insider also threw cold water on the idea Alexis Lafreniere could be headed west.

“I could always be wrong, but I don’t think it was Lafreniere, either,” he said. “I know his name has been thrown around. I don’t think in this case it was him.”

Friedman added that he heard Miller did not ask to be traded by the Canucks, nor did he veto the rumored Rangers trade. Miller needs to approve any deal because he has a no-move clause in his contract.

“This doesn’t make me think that any trade with the Rangers is dead … right now there is nothing imminent,” Friedman added.

He also reported that the Canucks are allowing several interested teams to speak with Miller or his representatives if they wish to do so.

Related: What’s next for Rangers after J.T. Miller trade speculations heats up

Canucks ‘very motivated’ to trade J.T. Miller, almost dealt him to Rangers

The bottom line is that the Canucks appear to be eager to trade Miller, who missed 10 games earlier this season due to a leave of absence for personal reasons. The fiery and blunt Miller has clashed with the Canucks’ other star, center Elias Pettersson, who’s informed the team he wishes to stay in Vancouver.

“One of the questions, and right now I think it’s high, but just how motivated is Vancouver to do this (trade Miller)?,” Friedman said. “It seems like, at this point and time, they’re very motivated … Everybody thought they were close Saturday but it didn’t happen, so it’s very difficult to say what the timeline is going to be.”

One team that’s been linked to Miller in the rumor mill is the Devils. Friedman dismissed that notion.

“I know there’s been a lot of speculation about the Devils. But here’s the thing, the Rangers, they can take Miller at full (salary). They can afford it. They’ve got cap room. The Devils can’t do it without surgery, roster surgery,” Friedman explained. “From an on-ice fit, Miller’s a good fit for the Devils, who aren’t the biggest, toughest team in the League. But you’re doing major surgery to your roster if you’re bringing him in there.”

Since Miller has a no-move clause, this one last nugget is important: it’s believed that Miller prefers to play in the Eastern United States. That would narrow down the Canucks’ trade options — and most certainly keeps the Rangers in the middle of everything.

Friedman reported earlier Saturday that the Vancouver Canucks planned to hold Miller out of the lineup later that night due to a pending trade, possibly with the Rangers. However, that presumed deal fell through because Miller played and picked up two assists in a 3-2 win against the Edmonton Oilers.

“I believe J.T. Miller was set to be scratched for the game against the Oilers because trade talks were advancing,” Friedman said on Sportsnet. “However, that trade is off right now.

“There was a time in the last 24 hours where J.T. Miller was not going to play, He was going to be held out of the lineup because talks were progressing on a trade — I believe that team to be the New York Rangers.”

Respected Vancouver reporter Rick Dhaliwal didn’t add to the Rangers speculation, but he did confirm that the Canucks were trying hard to trade Miller on Saturday. However, Dhaliwal also confirmed through Miller’s agent Brian Bartlett that his client never asked the Canucks for a trade.

Well-sourced Larry Brooks of the New York Post joined the fray with an article that stated “We can confirm there have been talks this week between the two clubs (Rangers and Canucks).”

Remember, the Canucks reportedly turned down a trade in the past month or two which would’ve sent Mika Zibanejad to the Canucks for Miller, a swap of struggling centers.

Brooks’ latest reporting suggested that Zibanejad is no longer part of talks, but Alexis Lafreniere could be. The Canucks also have long coveted Rangers defenseman Braden Schneider, but that appears to be a non-starter for the Blueshirts.

Vince Mercogliano of Gannett added Filip Chytil’s name to the mix, which makes sense in that Vancouver likely would prefer to land a center to replace Miller in the lineup and New York would have an extra one if Zibanejad remains on the roster and Miller is added.

Bottom line, where’s there’s smoke, there’s fire. And there’s been a lot of smoke about Miller rejoining the Rangers in recent months.

So, now what?

Related: 3 Rangers takeaways after another bitter overtime loss to Canadiens

What’s next for Rangers after J.T. Miller trade rumors heat up

The NHL trade deadline on March 7 is still roughly seven weeks away. However, the 4 Nations Face-off breaks up some of that time and will leave NHL general managers about two weeks to finalize trades once the in-season tournament ends Feb. 20.

Rangers GM Chris Drury has been aggressive to this point, already dealing away captain Jacob Trouba and former No. 2 overall pick Kaapo Kakko. If he can make a Miller trade sooner than later, he will do so. The Rangers don’t need the speculation hanging over their heads, plus the sooner a deal is struck, the longer runway Miller has to get comfortable with his new team before the stretch run and — the Rangers hope — in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Let’s break down each scenario for the Rangers. Either they acquire Miller or they don’t.

What happens if Rangers acquire J.T. Miller

There’s a lot to unpack here if the Rangers do trade for Miller because we don’t know what other dominoes will fall. Would the Rangers seek to also move Zibanejad (who has a no-move clause)? If not, who becomes the third-line center among Miller, Zibanejad and Vincent Trocheck? Would they consider moving Miller or Chytil to the wing? Would the Rangers include Chytil in a Miller trade, or even a separate deal perhaps to land a defenseman or a scoring wing and accommodate all the other centers on the roster? Would they really move Lafreniere, who’s 23 and just signed a pretty team friendly long-term contract?

We could go on and on about the domino effect here, and that’s without breaking down all of the salary cap ramifications.

But let’s keep it simple to start. Is Miller what the Rangers are missing? The 31-year-old has always been a somewhat difficult personality, even back in his Rangers days after he was selected in the first round (No. 15 overall) of the 2011 draft. That’s playing out in Vancouver right now. He’s caustic, direct and no B.S., which could be a combination of good and bad.

It says here that he’d deliver a major wake-up call on Broadway, even if the Rangers are somewhat revived and 5-0-3 in their past eight games. He’d bring an edge to a fairly vanilla roster. It’s probably what they need right now. In the long run, though — and Miller does have five seasons at $8 million per left on his contract after this one — well, Miller typically wears out his welcome. So, barring a Stanley Cup championship, this likely won’t end great with Miller at some point.

Miller clearly wants a fresh start somewhere. He’s got two goals in his past 19 games, sat out 10 games on a personal leave of absence, and apparently has a bad and deteriorating to worse relationship with Canucks star Elias Pettersson.

But he can play and produce. Amid the turmoil and having his ice-time reduced, Miller has 31 points in 35 games. Last season, Miller had 103 points. In 2021-22, he had 99. He’s a three-time 30-goal scorer.

So, the dude can play. And he brings fire and passion and grit. Not everyone will love him in the room, but he appears to be the Rangers No. 1 target ahead of the trade deadline.

What happens if Rangers don’t acquire J.T. Miller

We’ve become so fixated on Miller — and perhaps the Rangers have to — that figuring out where to pivot if they don’t trade for him is actually fascinating. If a major shake up is what Drury seeks, the most obvious — though not easiest — move to make is to ship Zibanejad out. That might be a case of improving their lot for the future if not immediately, and would take getting the 31-year-old to waive his no-trade clause.

Trading Chris Kreider and/or K’Andre Miller would also be considered major moves. Remember, though, if you create holes by moving unwanted players who log big minutes, you have to be able to fill those holes somehow. The Rangers do not have many legit in-house options at present replace Zibanejad, Kreider or Miller, depending, of course, on what they fetch in a trade.

Whether J.T. Miller is acquired or not, the Rangers likely need another top-six wing (heard that one before, right?) and a defenseman who’s controllable past this season — someone, like say Thomas Chabot (likely not being traded by Ottawa, which is in the first wild-card spot in the East) or Mario Ferraro.

If they don’t trade for Miller, maybe they will target Sam Bennett next summer, assuming he hits the free agent market.

So, part of the plan of shipping guys out could be to create as much salary cap space as possible and make a major splash next summer (when the cap will take a significant jump anyway). Bennett would be intriguing. Can you say Mikko Rantanen anybody? Maybe Mitchell Marner too closely resembles what ails this team, but there’s no questioning his high-end skill.

The Rangers’ dream scenario is to do enough to get into the Stanley Cup Playoffs — they’re only three points out of the second wild card in the Eastern Conference with 36 games to play — and make a run behind a red-hot Igor Shesterkin. Then head into the summer armed with extra cash to make a big splash, while also giving a look next season at top prospects Gabe Perreault and Brennan Othmann.

If Miller is acquired, though, the goal is Stanley Cup or bust and there’ll be less wiggle room under the cap next summer.

And though Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman addressed those trade rumors in his latest 32 Thoughts (more on that later), there was an even more intriguing nugget in the NHL insider’s latest column.

Friedman reported that the real apple of Vancouver’s eye is Braden Schneider.

“Vancouver adores Braden Schneider, who the Rangers do not want to trade,” Friedman reported. “This would be the second time New York has rejected a Vancouver attempt for him.”

There’s a lot to like about Schneider. The 23-year-old defenseman is already in his fourth NHL season and proven to be a solid, smart, physical player on the Rangers blue line. Importantly, he has not caved this season with all the disfunction surrounding him on the Rangers (18-20-2), who are 6-16-1 in their past 23 games after a brutal 5-4 overtime loss to the Dallas Stars on Tuesday.

Schneider has played with a myriad of defense partners, including struggling rookie Victor Mancini, who’s now with Hartford of the American Hockey League, and Zac Jones, a healthy scratch in six straight games. Yet, he’s tied for third on the Rangers with a plus-6 rating, and passes the eye test as not being overwhelmed being in a bad situation.

Schneider also leads the Rangers with 67 blocked shots and tops their defensemen with 71 hits. And he’s averaging 17:09 TOI, up from 15:54 last season. Plus, he’s on an affordable salary cap hit of $2.2 million through next season, after which he becomes a restricted free agent with arbitration rights.

So, yes, there’s lots to like about Schneider. That’s why the Rangers, as Freidman pointed out, plan to keep him.

Related: Arthur Kaliyev is ‘one-dimensional’ player with limitations — NHL insider

Rangers ‘covet’ reunion with J.T. Miller, but won’t trade Braden Schneider

But could there still be a Rangers-Canucks trade, centering on Zibanejad and Miller? Josh Yohe of The Athletic reported that the Canucks turned down a swap of centers with the Rangers earlier in the season. Of course, Zibanejad also has a full no-move clause in his contract, so that complicates matters too.

“You’ll remember that when Miller took his mental health break (Nov. 19), the Rangers, who covet the player, were in Vancouver,” Friedman stated. “From what I understand, they approached the Canucks to discuss what something could look like, and Zibanejad was included in the conversation. I don’t know that Zibanejad, who has a no-move clause, was ever approached. I asked at the time and did not receive a clear answer. I also think it was actually a bigger deal.”

That bigger part may have included Vancouver asking for Schneider. It could’ve been New York offering struggling defenseman K’Andre Miller. That’s conjecture right now. But from recent reporting from several well-respected NHL journalists, it appears that there was — and still could be — traction for a Zibanejad-Miller trade.

Zibanejad has somewhat come back to life with a four-game point streak (two goals, two assists). He assisted on Vincent Trocheck’s go-ahead power-play goal late in the third period against the Stars, though the Rangers went on to lose the game. The 31-year-old is fourth on the Rangers with 25 points in 40 games, and six teammates have more than his eight goals.

Vincent Trocheck’s second tip of the game for the lead! pic.twitter.com/XAMgODLZsy

— Rangers Videos (@SNYRangers) January 8, 2025

Miller, a former Rangers forward who was their first-round pick in 2011, missed 10 games on his leave of absence earlier in the season. He had two goals and four points in an overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Monday and has 29 points (eight goals, 21 assists) in 29 games this season.

A year ago, Miller finished ninth in the NHL scoring race with 103 points (37 goals, 66 assists). This season he reportedly has had an open rift with star teammate Elias Pettersson with the Canucks, who are tied for the second wild card in the Western Conference.

That player is Vincent Trocheck.

“I’ll say this, if there as one guy who was available — and I don’t see it — that teams would be climbing up buildings to get, it would be Trocheck,” Friedman stated. “If he was available, teams would be killing themselves to get him.”

It’s a solid take because Trocheck is New York’s best two-way forward, especially with the stunning decline of Mika Zibanejad. Trocheck plays every game situation as the top-line center, is on PP1 and a key penalty killer. The 31-year-old leads Rangers forwards with 21:33 TOI and is fourth among all Blueshirts with 10 goals and 22 points. He is also again among the League leaders, winning 61.5 percent of his face-offs.

Like many Rangers, Trocheck’s offensive production is down — he had an NHL career-high 77 points (25 goals, 52 assists) last season — but his effort and passion never wavers. He and teammate Will Cuylle are among seven NHL players with at least 10 goals and 100 hits this season.

So, yeah, there’s a lot to love about Trocheck. And if the Rangers are looking to really remake this team, they could get a haul in return for the center.

But you’d have to believe there’s pretty much zero chance the Rangers will move him, first because of all the reasons listed above. Trocheck is a valuable — perhaps invaluable — member of this team, and quite possibly its next captain. He’s stepped up and become the Rangers vocal leader since the previous captain, Jacob Trouba, was traded a few weeks ago.

Then there’s his contract. Trocheck has a full no-move clause through the end of this season. It’s almost impossible to envision why the Rangers would ask him to waive that in order to move him. Talk about a needless messy situation!

No, there’s zero reason to move Trocheck, who has another three years at a modest $5.625 million AAV to go on his current deal, even with his no-move clause being replaced by a limited no-trade one beginning in 2025-26. And Friedman knows it.

“He has control and I’m not convinced they would want to do that,” he said.

Related: 3 things to watch for when Rangers visit Panthers in final game of 2024

Rangers ‘far from finished with major changes,’ NHL Insider believes

However, Friedman does believe big moves are still on the way for the Rangers. He cited Larry Brooks’ column in the New York Post this past weekend blasting the players as part of his confidence in stating that there’s more to come following the trades of Trouba and Kaapo Kakko earlier this month.

“That column says to me because of who wrote it and how connected (he is) in that organization that we are far from finished with major change for the Rangers,” Friedman said.

Friedman reiterated a prior stated belief that the Rangers could make things so uncomfortable for Zibanejad that the 31-year-old center would waive his no-trade clause for a move out of New York. Zibanejad was just removed from the top power-play unit. And previously he was dropped to the third line and had his minutes cut drastically.

Zibanejad was back between his usual linemates Chris Kreider and Reilly Smith in a 6-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday. He was held without a point for the seventh straight game and fell to minus-21 on the season. He has six goals in 35 games.

So, that, coupled with the Rangers (16-18-1) stunning fall into last place in the Metropolitan Division amid a miserable 4-14-0 stretch, makes Zibanejad a target, for sure.

Friedman also touched on coach Peter Laviolette possibly taking the fall for this disastrous season to date.

“Peter Laviolette is caught in the middle of all this,” he explained. “He’s been around a long time. He knows this is a results-oriented business. But Peter Laviolette has to be sitting here thinking, just like the rest of us, just what on earth happened? How did we end up where we are? I’m sure he’s at as much of a loss for words as everyone else is.”

It’s a shocking turn of events. From Presidents’ Trophy winner last season and being just two wins from the Stanley Cup Final to … this. The Rangers are just one point out of last place in the 16-team Eastern Conference.

This is the new reality. Let’s see what’s next for the Rangers.

Friedman questioned whether Mika Zibanejad logging just 13:04 TOI in the 3-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Sunday was a result of the Rangers trying to force things with the 31-year-old center, make him feel “uncomfortable” enough so that he either snaps out of his doldrums on the ice or gets so fed up that he agrees to facilitate a trade out of New York.

“They know [Zibanejad] has a really thin skin or he’s really sensitive, so they try and protect him. But right now, what this is, they didn’t care about all of that Sunday,” Friedman stated. “But now the thing you look at is, is that a one-off or is this the Rangers trying to make him uncomfortable to see if in any way, shape or form he may either A) start playing better, because ultimately that’s what everybody wants, or does it get to a point where he says, ‘You know what, if this is the way it’s going to be, I’d rather go somewhere else.'”

There’s much to unpack and understand with all Friedman presented there. First, the underlying tone is that the Rangers played hardball with Barclay Goodrow and Jacob Trouba to remove each veteran from the roster in the past six months. So, Chris Drury and Co. are not concerned about ruffling feathers or angering the players in the Rangers locker room. And it’s surely conceivable that the Rangers could do the same with Zibanejad.

The second part of this is that it might be Drury’s only recourse. Zibanejad has a full no-move clause through 2028-29 in his contract. So, the player has the leverage here. But if you mess with his ice time, drop him in the lineup as he was Sunday, centering for Brett Berard and Jimmy Vesey on the third line, maybe then Zibanejad will look to help plan his exit strategy.

If that is the case, it’s manipulative, for sure. But, listen, if the Rangers are temporarily dropping their No. 1 center into a lesser role to wake him up, reward others (like Filip Chytil) and/or send a message to the group, have at it. It probably needed to be done long before their 30th game of the season Sunday.

“You have to look at this with Zibanejad and say OK, what is this? One-off, or is this the Rangers saying we need to do what we need to do?,” Friedman wondered.

Related: Adam Fox says Rangers lack of sustained offensive pressure is ‘same story’ game after game

NHL Insider asks ‘Is this a one-off or is this real’ with Rangers slashing Mika Zibanejad ice time?

Zibanejad had not played so few minutes in a game when he wasn’t injured in seven seasons, per Vince Mercogliano of Gannett.

Have to make a correction to this tweet after a more recent date was pointed out to me:

Zibanejad has had lower TOI in a game he finished with #NYR – Dec. 23, 2017, when he logged 12:41 after getting benched in the 3rd period of a loss to Toronto. So, nearly 7 years ago, not 10.

— Vince Z. Mercogliano (@vzmercogliano) December 17, 2024

That’s a statement move by coach Peter Laviolette, no matter if he made the decision on his own or at the urging of Drury. Now, let’s see what follows Tuesday when the Rangers visit the Nashville Predators. Who does Zibanejad skate with? What line is he on? How many minutes does he play?

Zibanejad scored his 300th NHL goal in New York’s most recent win last week against the Buffalo Sabres. He’s sitting on 699 points in 878 games, and had 39 goals and 91 points two seasons ago.

But he has only 21 points (six goals, 15 assists) in 30 games this season and is a team-worst minus-15. His XGF is 0.44, per Natural Stat Trick. He’s appeared disengaged and downright non-competitive for stretches, and his defensive miscues have often been mind-boggling and crushing to the Rangers.

Throughout his career, Zibanejad has been notoriously sensitive to criticism and struggles with his confidence. He received plenty of heat during the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, finishing without a goal in the final 11 postseason games, including none against the Florida Panthers when he was a ghost in the six-game Eastern Conference Final loss.

Perhaps that carried over into this season. Though it should be noted he dropped from 91 to 72 points year over year the previous two seasons. His issues might be real, and the Rangers could be seeking an out of this relationship, though they need Zibanejad’s help to do that.

That’s what makes Friedman’s take sound pretty plausible.

“I’m not sure where this is going to go with the Rangers. Like I said, I think [Drury] is open for business and will consider anything, and there are some wild rumors flying around about what that organization could do,” Friedman said. “Any player can get benched or moved down the lineup at any time, but … is this a one-off or is this real? Is this the Rangers trying to make Zibanejad uncomfortable?”

Fowler was passed over by the Rangers in the 2010 NHL Draft. Sitting with the 10th overall pick in the first round, the Rangers selected hulking defenseman Dylan McIlrath instead of the highly-rated Fowler, who’s also a defenseman.

That move, of course, famously backfired. McIlrath played 38 games over four seasons with the Rangers and has totaled 85 NHL games with four teams in his career. Fowler, selected two picks after McIlrath at No. 12 overall, has 988 NHL games on his resume, each with the Ducks.

Given a second chance, though, at the 33-year-old, the Rangers reportedly passed when his name was brought up by the Ducks in trade talks. Instead the Rangers traded captain Jacob Trouba to the Ducks for defenseman Urho Vaakanainen and a fourth-round draft pick.

“I heard that Anaheim wanted Fowler in this deal. I have no doubt Fowler wanted to be in this deal,” NHL insider Elliotte Friedman said on his 32 Thoughts podcast. “It’s been out there: he wants to be traded, he wants to play for a contender. I never heard [Frank] Vatrano’s name in it, but I did hear Fowler’s. At the end of the day, they couldn’t get it done. I think one of the reasons is New York wanted the flexibility for both this year and next.”

Like Trouba, Fowler is owed a significant salary through the 2025-26 season. One of the main reasons the Rangers wanted to part with the Trouba was to open up salary cap space by moving the entirety of his $8 million annual cap charge. Fowler is on the books for $6.5 million annually.

So, the Rangers would have added an older defenseman and saved just $1.5 million against the cap. Vaakanainen, who’s 25 and currently on IR with an upper-body injury, makes $1.1 million per season and is an RFA at season’s end.

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NHL Insider believes Rangers didn’t seek reunion with Frank Vatrano in talks with Ducks

Friedman mentioned Vatrano’s name because recent rumors suggested that the trade with the Ducks could have been expanded to include the forward. The Rangers sought a reunion with Vatrano ahead of last season’s trade deadline, but settled on winger Jack Roslovic instead.

Vatrano scored an NHL career-high 37 goals last season with Anaheim. Two seasons before, after New York picked him up ahead of the 2022 trade deadline, Vatrano was an excellent fit on Mika Zibanejad’s line with Chris Kreider. Vatrano had 13 points (eight goals, five assists) in 22 games and then added five goals and 13 points in 20 Stanley Cup Playoff games, when he helped the Rangers reach the Eastern Conference Final.

Since he’s owed just $3.65 million this season, the final one before he becomes an unrestricted free agent, Vatrano’s name will be all over NHL trade rumors the rest of this season. The Rangers could have interest again, if they seek an upgrade over Reilly Smith in the top six, though the 33-year-old does have goals in consecutive games after a slump.

Vatrano has six goals and 12 points in 24 games for the Ducks, who are 10-12-3 and last in the Pacific Division.

Fowler has three assists in 14 games this season. He missed a month of action with an upper-body injury.

NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman explained on his post-NHL Draft edition of the 32 Thoughts podcast Saturday that Trouba and his “aggressive” agent Kurt Overhardt may be trying to block a trade out of New York.

It was reported earlier in the week that the Rangers asked Trouba to submit his 15-team no-trade list in advance of July 1 so that general manager Chris Drury could get to work on clearing Trouba’s $8 million salary cap hit from New York’s books. There’s been conflicting chatter as to whether Trouba’s side has yet to present that list, amid increasing rumors that the Rangers are in talks with the Detroit Red Wings about sending the Michigan native back home.

It was also widely believed that Trouba would be open to a move to Detroit.

But Friedman used that scenario to offer the possibility that Trouba could include the Red Wings on his 15-team list to spike a trade and better control his own destiny. There aren’t a lot of teams that can take on Trouba’s cap hit, especially if he’s not a top-four defenseman. In fact, a source close to Detroit confirmed to Forever Blueshirts a Larry Brooks report that the Rangers would have to retain $2.5 million in salary in a possible Trouba trade.

“Will he make it strategic so that places the Rangers might actually be able to trade him to, or think they’ll be able to trade him to, will they be blocked?” Frieddman theorized.

At the crux of this issue with a possible Trouba trade is that this is simply business for the Rangers, who are trying to create more salary cap room ahead of July 1 free agency. But it is a personal issue for the 30-year-old defenseman, who is a heart-and-soul player and leader.

“One of the things that has really made this challenging is that Trouba has struggled with the idea that the Rangers might want to move on from him,” Friedman added.

Brooks had this to add late Sunday night: “If Trouba does not approve a trade to Detroit that is believed in place, he will ultimately be sent somewhere else, perhaps by waivers. The decision has been made.”

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Rangers interest in trading Jacob Trouba is personal issue for their captain

Trouba’s feelings have not been a major focus of the recent trade speculation. But Friedman delved into that angle and how that could spur him and his representation to push back against the Blueshirts. Until July 1, Trouba has a complete no-move clause in his contract and the Rangers would need his permission to be traded before then. Trouba’s camp could also hold on to his no-trade list until the last minute.

“The one thing I am reasonably certain of is that this whole situation that has developed over the past week or two has been hard on Trouba,” Friedman explained. “Like, if you go back to when he left Winnipeg and was traded by Winnipeg, both the Jets and the player were ready for a divorce. It was time for both to move on, and they did. In this particular case, the Rangers may have decided for cap reasons that they may need to do this, but that doesn’t mean that Trouba is ready for this. I think he was disappointed. I think he was shocked.”

Friedman added that he was told Saturday that a possible Trouba trade “is not close,” perhaps because the Rangers efforts are being thwarted.

“This is far, far more of a challenge than you (the media) think it’s going to be,” Friedman said he was told.

Of course, the Rangers could have a mess on their hands if a trade doesn’t go down and they must mend fences with the player who wears the C on his sweater. Then again, the Rangers could put Trouba on waivers and hope he and his entire cap hit the next two seasons are claimed, as was the case with Barclay Goodrow when he was claimed by the San Jose Sharks.

So, it’s appearing more and more that this hasn’t been, and isn’t going to be, easy or comfortable.

But moving on from Trouba’s contract in one fashion or another is a crucial factor in how the Rangers go about the rest of their business and roster building this offseason.

NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman said as much on his recent 32 Thoughts podcast, explaining that it’s now easier to trade Kakko since there’s cost certainty with his contract. And it’s his take that each side is OK with this.

“I think this is a little bit of a strategy by team and agent to say, ‘Let’s eliminate the guesswork so if there is anywhere else out there that makes sense for him and is willing to propose us a fair deal, we’re all going to know what the numbers are.'” Friedman said.

Having the contract in place before the NHL draft and free agency, and for such an affordable salary cap hit, could make Kakko an attractive commodity on the trade market. There likely will be teams interested in finding out what it would take to pry Kakko away from the Rangers, who likely would be reluctant to sell low after his disappointing 2023-24 season.

Kakko is also an intriguing chip if the Rangers look to include him in a bigger deal, trade, for a top-line right wing.

Either way, knowing exactly what his cap hit is ahead of his restricted free agency in the summer of 2025 takes the guesswork out of the equation to trade him.

“Look, this could be a really active trading season, if there’s another team that’s out there that likes Kakko, they don’t have to sit there and say, ‘Well what’s his number going to be?’ Or, ‘We have to negotiate a contract,'” Friedman added on the Jeff Marek Shows. “The business is taken care of, and it just makes life easier on everyone involved.”

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Rangers could keep or trade Kaapo Kakko after agreeing on contract

Of course, general manager Chris Drury likened Kakko’s situation this summer to that of Alexis Lafreniere a year ago. Following a disappointing first three seasons after being the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, Drury refused to trade Lafreniere. The 22-year-old responded by scoring an NHL career-high 28 goals and 57 points this past season and another eight goals in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Rangers would love it if Kakko, one year older and the No. 2 overall pick in 2019, would break out like Lafreniere did. Kakko did score 18 goals and 40 points in 2022-23 but dropped to 13 goals and 19 points this past season, when he also missed 21 games due to a lower-body injury. Unlike Lafreniere, Kakko did not thrive in the playoffs, scoring just one goal in 15 games and being scratched in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Florida Panthers.

In a best-case scenario, Kakko would remain in New York, hold down a top-six role and be a consistent producer, all for a very affordable AAV.

Kakko often complains about his ice time and could be hoping for a fresh start elsewhere. However, he did acknowledge he didn’t make the most of his chances to play on the top line with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider.

“That’s what this is, it’s a business decision that makes sense for player and team, and everybody here is OK with either option,” Friedman explained. “They’re OK if next year’s team is New York and they’re OK if his next-year’s team is somewhere else.”

The past is the past. But the next few weeks will determine Kakko’s immediate future on Broadway.