As we continue to get deeper into August, the players remaining become more likely to sign 1 year deals at “Crazy Eddie” prices. Let’s take a look at the best available.

-This article was first published at The Daily Goal Horn.

NHL Free Agent Bargains

Joe Thornton (C): At 42 years of age, Jumbo Joe can still help a hockey team out. Last season, Thornton played on an offensive machine in Toronto. He also dealt with limited travel that helped alleviate stress on his aging body. Playing in 44 games, he notched 20 points. His points per game was almost on par for the previous season with San Jose, but a far cry from his point a game days.

James Neal (F): The 33 year-old had just five goals and five assists (10 points) in 29 games during his season with the Oilers. Overall, he has 294 goals and 261 assists (555 points) in 13 seasons with the Dallas Stars, Pittsburgh, Nashville Predators, Vegas Golden Knights, Calgary Flames and Edmonton. Someone is going to give him a 1 year deal.

Sami Vatanen (D): I am always shocked that a solid right-handed defender like Vatanen continues to be available. He certainly doesn’t put up the offensive numbers as he used to, but he can still help a defense out. He’s only 30 years-old so I expect him to not stay unsigned for much longer.

Zdeno Chara (D): The 44 year-old defender isn’t even sure if he will play next season or retire. “I think it’s not always a decision I can make myself,” he said at season’s end. “I have to have a conversation with my wife and children and see where we want to be in the next few days or weeks. After those conversations, I’m going to probably let the emotions settle in and see where I’m at.” If he does play, he’d be a great value add to shore up a team’s bottom pair.

Ryan Donato (F): Another rare 25 year-old UFA, the Sharks opted to not give him a qualifying offer. This was the same issue with both Nick Ritchie and Ondrej Kase in Boston. Donato scored 20 points in 50 games last season and should be picked up before the season starts.

Jason Demers (D): He’s a right-handed defenseman that can still play third pair minutes. In 41 games, the 33 year-old veteran picked up just 4 helpers for the Coyotes. He’s a prime candidate for an invite to a training camp on a professional tryout (PTO).

Tyler Bozak (C): The 35 year-old scored 17 points in 31 games last season playing bottom six minutes. There’s no doubt he can still be a productive contributor. He has a one year deal from the Blues available to him, but is currently seeing what else is on the market.

Eric Staal (C): Last season, the 36 year-old pivot split time between the Sabres and Canadiens but only managed a career low 13 points in 53 games. To make matters worse, he set a career high with a -30 plus/minus rating. Of course, Staal could bring value to a team’s fourth line next season at a bargain price. His leadership and experience would be worth the money alone.

Travis Zajac (C): The Islanders acquired Zajac at the trade deadline along with Kyle Palmieri for additional center depth heading into the playoffs. At 36, he score 20 points in 46 games and added another 2 points in 14 playoff contests. There’s a rumor that he has also agreed to return to the Island.

Nikita Kusev (F): At 29 years of age, Kusev is already a reclamation project. Highly touted coming out of the KHL, the disappointed Devils terminated his contract. The Panthers signed him mid season, where he finished with 10 points in 31 games split between the two clubs. He could be worth a cheap flyer or at least an invite to camp on a PTO.

For those of you that didn’t get the Crazy Eddie reference, it’s because you are under 40.

Devils Due

New Jersey is working to move Sami Vatanen, Kyle Palmieri, and Wayne Simmonds. Expect these trades to drop at any moment this weekend, with word that Boston is still looking to add a winger and Palmieri may be it. Simmonds is still drawing interest in Vancouver, but what about a Philly reunion? And Vatanen is a solid blue-liner that a team like Florida, Carolina or Toronto could have interest in.

Barrie on the move?

According to insider Frank Seravalli as many as 4 teams have contacted the Leafs about Tyson Barrie. Could Toronto send him on his way out? If so put my money on the Carolina Hurricanes who can ship Toronto’s 1st round pick back to them which they acquired in the Patrick Marleau deal. Other teams mentioned in the mix include Vancouver, Vegas, and Calgary.

Jumbo Joe will you go?

Lots of teams are interested in Joe Thornton including his former team the Boston Bruins. Could that be the other forward they are rumored to be adding? The Dallas Stars are another team said to be in the mix, but what about the Washington Capitals who have been pretty quiet so far? Honestly, none of this matters unless Joe says he’s willing to go. This is fun storyline for Sharks fans in a pretty tough season.

Held Out

Vlad Namestnikov could be on the move soon as he is being held out as a precaution.

Also in Chicago, defenseman Erik Gustafsson was a late scratch last night. Who else will be held out this weekend? We will soon find out.

Matt Dumba

51 Games: 3G, 13A – 25 years old – $6M AAV – UFA 2023

The Wild are said to be ready to enter rebuild mode, which should be centered around a defenseman like Dumba. However, trading him before his modified NTC kicks in 2021 would make sense and also kick start the effort. Right handed first pair defenseman with 50 point ability is hard to come by.

Shayne Gostibehere

40 Games: 5G, 18A – 27 years old – $4.5M AAV – UFA 2023

So Ghost is struggling in Philly, of that there’s no doubt. He is still young and scored a whopping 65 points two seasons ago. The left handed defenseman can help many teams including the Winnipeg Jets. The Flyers could use some more offensive scoring up front, but moving him for prospects could help with their cap situation.

Sami Vatanen

47 Games: 5G, 13A – 28 years old – $4.85M AAV – UFA 2020

The Devils are going nowhere and Vatanen is likely not going to re-up with them this summer. He is an absolute rental and the type of defenseman teams look for to bolster the blueline for a playoff run. As a rental he could fetch NJ a conditional pick and a prospect.

Alec Martinez

35 Games: 1G, 7A – 32 years old – $4M AAV – UFA 2021

L.A. already tried moving him and rumor mill has him available again. The Kings may need to eat some of his salary in a deal with some contenders near the cap ceiling, but can expect at least a 2nd rounder for a solid defender with Stanley Cup winning experience.

Brenden Dillon

53 Games: 1G, 12A – 29 years old – $3.27M AAV – UFA 2020

Sharks are done and need to rebuild, end of story, Dillon is a big blue-liner who is a cheap rental and could fetch them a 3rd round draft pick. Teams that miss out on Vatanen and Martinez will look here for help.

What If?

There is one RFA on defense that could turn the market on its head if he was made available. Tony DeAngelo is on fire with 40 points in 51 games. Should the Rangers choose to take offers on him, they could get a windfall. Let’s just say that I doubt they will consider trading him, but concerns about what he will command this summer have raised the possibility.

As this NHL season rolls along and we get closer to the trade deadline it becomes paramount for teams to decide what direction they need to take.

Some teams will look to buy and try to find that extra piece they think they need for a run at the Cup. Some teams will look to sell assets and prepare for next season and beyond. In the Rangers case they need an upgrade to their defense.

Yes, the obvious answers from many are Kevin Shattenkirk of the St. Louis Blues or Justin Faulk of the Carolina Hurricanes but the price to get either one will almost certainly be a first round pick, a roster player and more. That’s something the Rangers can’t afford at the moment. The Rangers will most likely have to wait until the summer to really retool their defense and one solution to their defensive issues that General Manager, Jeff Gorton must look at is trading Rick Nash.

Moving Rick Nash

We know Rick Nash can score but as of this summer his time on Broadway should be at its end. For someone getting paid almost eight million dollars a season, 20 goals just isn’t enough. And with the Rangers loaded up front, moving him makes sense.

Is Rick Nash still a valuable player in the league? Definitely but not for the price we are paying for him with the depth we have. Any deal involving Rick Nash will most likely end up with the Rangers eating salary and hopefully a fit with the list of teams he must submit per his no trade clause. The team that I see matching perfectly with the Rangers (if they are on the list) would be the Anaheim Ducks. Before we get into who exactly the Rangers would be trading for let’s talk about why they match up so well with Anaheim.

Duck Dealings

The Ducks are clearly in win now mode with the core they have invested their time and money in. Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, and Ryan Kesler are their main cogs on offense but they aren’t getting any younger. They have a solid defense corps built upon Cam Fowler, Sami Vatanen and Hampus Lindholm. They’ve come up short in past seasons and their window to win won’t be open forever.

The Ducks can use an upgrade on the wing and Nash would be a welcome addition to their forward corps. Nash on a line with Kesler, Getzlaf or even Rickard Rakell would help the Ducks with their depth and would help solidify their top nine as they look to make another run at the Stanley Cup.

Acquiring Nash would also take some pressure off of the Ducks other offensive catalysts and would give them more room to operate. Nash isn’t young but neither are most of the core pieces on the Ducks. To acquire Nash from the Rangers, the Ducks would use their embarrassment of riches of their defense corps.

For the sake of this article let’s consider Fowler and Lindholm untouchables. That leaves four very good young defensmen to go after. If I’m General Manager Jeff Gorton the players I’m looking at are Brandon Montour, Josh Manson, Shea Theodore and Sami Vatanen.

Manson and Vatanen have the most NHL experience while Theodore is seen as the Ducks best overall prospect. Montour has shown he can hang at the NHL level as well. Theodore and Montour have seen limited time at the NHL level thus far with Montour receiving the least NHL minutes.

Age is also a factor here as the Ranger would be getting much younger on defense if they added any of these defensemen. As of now their youngest of their six main defensemen is Brady Skjei (22) followed by Ryan McDonagh (27). Nick Holden, Kevin Klein, Marc Staal and Dan Girardi are either 30 and over or will be by the time the season ends. Montour (22), Theodore (21), Manson (25) and Vatanen (25) would all make the Rangers younger and more steady on the blueline and thus improves their value to the team.

Making it work

Trades always revolve around making sense for both sides and if the cap hit works as well. The trio of Montour, Theodore and Manson all have very affordable cap hits and all are under contract through the 2017-18 season. Montour earns $925,000 per season, Manson earns $825,000 per season and Theodore earns $863,000 per season. If acquired the Rangers would have all of this offseason and next season to work on an extension with any of the trio.

Vatanen is a different case as he makes much more than the young trio. Under his current deal he makes $4,875,000 a season and is under contract through the 2019-2020 season. Nash makes an albatross $7,800,000 a season and is under contract through 2017-18 so the Rangers would undoubtedly have to either take back some salary or eat some of Nash’s salary in any trade scenario.

With Vatanen and Manson the Rangers know what they’re getting. Smooth skating right handed defensemen who are smart with the puck and know how to make plays. While Manson does not put up as many points as Vatanen he is the bigger body of the two at 6’3” and 216 pounds.

Either would be a welcome addition to the Rangers blueline although in the case of the better puck mover Vatanen wins out. In the case of Theodore or Montour, the Rangers would be taking more of a gamble since neither is proven in the league just yet. Both are young and full of potential but the question is will they live up to it and just how high is their ceiling. Theodore is the one to go for out of these two but Montour is nothing to take lightly and both would be welcome additions to the Rangers blueline.

One last thing we have to look at is making room for one or possibly two of these defensemen coming over from the Ducks. Scenarios for making room for a new defensmen or two include one of our defensmen getting claimed by the Vegas Golden Knights (Most likely Kevin Klein) or a buyout or trade of either Marc Staal Or Dan Girardi (although either route would be difficult since the trade market isn’t really there for either one of them and buying them out has cap penalties). I assume the Rangers would want to keep Nick Holden since he has proven to be a very steady defenseman on the blueline this season.

With these being said, what exactly are our trade scenarios now? Keep in mind these are hypothetical and I’m sure there will be people out there who disagree with me but these deals would help the Rangers blueline and better prepare them for the future.

Possible Trade Number One:

ANA Receives Rick Nash (at 50% Salary) and a 2018 2nd Round Pick (From the Ottawa Senators acquired in the Mika Zibanejad trade)

NYR Receive either Josh Manson/Brandon Montour/Shea Theodore

In this scenario the Rangers either get a massive right handed young blueliner in Manson to patrol their blueline and play top four minutes or they go with the potential in Theodore or Montour. The Ducks get their winger in Nash, at a reduced cost, to solidify their top nine and each team addresses its needs. The Rangers throw in the second round pick for the Ducks to use in next year’s draft as extra incentive to get it done.

Possible Trade Number Two:

ANA Receives Rick Nash (At 50% Salary), The Rights to Oscar Lindberg and a 2018 Second Round Pick (From the Ottawa Senators acquired in the Mika Zibanejad Trade)

NYR Receive Sami Vatanen

This trade gets the Rangers the right handed puck moving defensemen they covet and the Ducks get Nash to solidify their top nine forward group with a big and skilled forward. They also receive the rights to Oscar Lindberg who replaces the much older Nate Thompson on the Ducks fourth line. The Rangers retain half of Nash’s salary and the Ducks also receive a second round pick to work with in next year’s draft. It might seem like a lot but to get a 25 year old defensemen in his prime the Rangers will have to give a fair amount. In this scenario Montour or Theodore takes Vatanen’s place in the Ducks lineup full time.

Possible Trade Number Three:

(Dream Scenario)

ANA Receives Rick Nash (at 50% Salary), the rights to Oscar Lindberg, Ryan Graves and a 2018 Second Round Pick (From the Ottawa Senators acquired in the Mika Zibanejad Trade)

NYR Receive Shea Theodore and Josh Manson

This trade would involve many more moving parts than the previous two and the Rangers might even have to add more in my opinion. The Rangers get an amazing defensive prospect who would most likely be playing with the main roster next season and the steady right handed Josh Manson.

In this scenario the Rangers must find a way to get rid two defensemen in their group of six so it would be quite tricky but if they could find a way to pull this one off and have a top four consisting of McDonagh, Skjei, Theodore and Manson that would be absolutely huge.

So, what does it mean? It confirms that the Rangers and the Ducks are talking shop, that the trade winds are blowing. There are some irregularities with this report, though.

For one, NYR Director of Player Personnel Gordie Clark is not usually subject to scouting assignments. Organizations generally have teams of scouts that make trips across the league for player evaluations. The fact that the assistant GM, former Blueshirt’s captain Chris Drury, was also in attendance should tell us everything we need to know.

All signs point to a blockbuster trade.

One that would include two or more incoming pieces that’s been brewing since the summer time. It would make a ton of sense that this be the explanation.

You see, Anaheim is in the middle of a contract dispute with their franchise #1 defenseman, RFA Hampus Lindholm. The Ducks simply do not have the cap space to give Lindholm the money he deserves– upwards of $7 mil. per year on a long-term deal.

Hypothetically, Anaheim would be looking to shed some salary, while opening up a spot on the defense for Lindholm’s return. The Rangers are lacking in talent on the back end, and probably have their eye on one of the Ducks’ D-men, as Staple points out.

The question now becomes, who are the defensemen on the Ducks roster that A) don’t suck, B) have a significant cap hit and C) would fill a need for the Blueshirts.

The four players who fit the bill under this criteria are Cam Fowler, Sami Vatanen, Simon Despres and Kevin Bieksa. All defenseman who make a significant chunk of change.

What makes this so tricky though is that Anaheim needs to shed cap space. So Rick Nash or Matts Zuccarello, top six wingers that the Ducks are in need of, don’t make much sense due to the money they’d be bringing to the West coast.

Unless of course, as alluded to earlier, there is a blockbuster on the horizon. A scenario where the Rangers acquire two or more pieces from the Ducks to make the numbers work.

Hypothetically, the Rangers could be in a place to part with, say, JT Miller as the centerpiece of any trade with the Ducks. Miller’s cap hit ($2.75 mil.) is very manageable for the next two seasons, including this one.

Included would have to be some more, minor pieces on the Rangers end. Dylan McIlrath, Jesper Fast, Kevin Klein and Nick Holden should be on notice.

In return, the Rangers would take on two of the Ducks’ defensemen who take up significant cap space.

My ideal trade from the Rangers’ side of things:

Rangers receive:

Vatanen ($4.75M), Despres ($3.75M)

Ducks receive:

Miller ($2.75M), Holden ($1.65M), Fast ($925K), draft pick(s)

This would round out the Rangers’ defensive core nicely. Vatanen, a righty, would immediately slot in on the top pair with Ryan McDonagh. Despres, 25, is still young and has far more upside than McIlrath at this point.

What’s your ideal trade scenario for the Blueshirts? Who do you want to see come and who do you want to see go? Discuss below.