Islanders Head Home

It is now official, the New York Islanders will play this season’s playoffs and all of next season at the Old Barn. It look’s like the days of the offside scoreboard in Brooklyn have ended.

Two Big UFA D-Men

Alex Pietrangelo (STL) and Torey Krug (BOS) were not traded at the deadline which is always a risk that they can walk away for nothing. Should their respective teams fail to sign them by the draft, expect their rights to be moved for picks.

LeBrun expects whatever offers Pietrangelo and Krug receive from their respective teams will be less than what they can get on the open market on July 1. He thinks the Blues could offer Pietrangelo something comparable to the eight-year, $64-million contract John Carlson signed with the Washington Capitals. The Bruins, meanwhile, could be reluctant to pay Krug more than teammates David Pastrnak ($6.6 million AAV) and Patrice Bergeron ($6.875 million).

Spector’s Hockey

Top 3 UFA’s

We will be talking about Free Agency a lot going forward as well as the draft. Here are 3 UFA’s that will be the prizes of the summer:

• Taylor Hall – this C/LW will be the top prize of Free Agent Frenzy if he gets there. During the trade deadline Pierre Lebrun mentioned that the Coyotes were working hard on a new deal and it is likely to get done. Well, until it is signed he will be at the top of the list. Now who can afford the expected $10-11M price tag?
• Tyson Barrie – His name popped up late during the trade deadline and it looks like Toronto is going to move on from what could be an $8M asking price. Defensive issues aside he can score 50 points with his eyes closed. Right-handed defensemen are always at a premium.
• Mike Hoffman – is an interesting forward who has a bit of a bad reputation (fair or unfair) dating back to his time in Ottawa. The guy can score goals and I assure you someone will give up a decent pick to get his rights early to negotiate for their goal starved club. I can totally see the Islanders in on Hoffman.

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.

Tyson Barrie on the market?

Things have not been going well for Toronto this season and it looks like they will be out to clear cap space to make some big moves at the deadline if they can trade Tyson Barrie.

Bob McKenzie reports several teams reached out to the Toronto Maple Leafs regarding Tyson Barrie after several trades involving defensemen went down earlier this week. The Leafs would consider moving Barrie under the right circumstances. Either a club offers a blueliner in a player-for-player swap, or picks and prospects that the Leafs can flip to another club for a right-shot rearguard.

Spector’s Hockey

Trocheck in Florida

Elliotte Friedman continues to note that the Panthers would be willing to move Vincent Trocheck for a stud left defenseman to play alongside Aaron Ekblad. One possibility I wrote about would be Brady Skjei from the Rangers.

The New York Rangers are looking for centers and Vincent Trocheck is a perfect fit. He is also gives the team insurance with Strome who’s an RFA this summer, and flexibility to put Filip Chytil on the wing where he can use his massive size to make plays. It strengthens them down the middle and improves their top 9. All things the Rangers are looking to accomplish.

Kovalchuk off the board?

Sounds like the Canadiens would really like to keep Ilya Kovalchuk around.

Brandon Saad Monkey Wrench?

According to a host of insiders, the asking price being so high on Chris Kreider and to a lesser extent Kyle Palmieri has the Hawks Brandon Saad out there now for the Bruins. Sounds like a first round pick for Saad which is manageable, but will the Hawks trade him?

Seller’s Market?

While the Penguins got their man, the Wild got some package for Jason Zucker who is a mid tier forward with 3 years left on his deal. If this is what players are going for at the deadline, this is without a doubt a seller’s market.

Tyson Barrie on the move?

The Toronto Maple Leafs may have no choice but to trade Tyson Barrie at the deadline. At one point it was reported he was looking for a 7 year deal with an annual salary around $8M on more. Barrie is 28 and is having a solid season with 31 points in 56 games and will be a UFA come July. It’s hard to see him not getting that contract on the open market, especially after what Jacob Trouba received this past offseason.

DeAngelo and Buchnevich Trade Bait?

TSN released its latest Trade Bait List and 3 Blueshirts are in the top 12. We all know Chris Kreider has been #1 for awhile, but both Tony DeAngelo and Pavel Buchnevich are a surprise. What’s more shocking is DeAngelo is at 8 and Buchnevich ranks 12th. It really flies in the face of everything I’ve heard with the way the Rangers view both players fit in the future.

READ: The Rangers will be players at the deadline

Understanding the Situation

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 the promotion of Igor Shesterkin and the ice time given to Kaapo Kakko. Knowing full well Vitali Kravtsov is going to play this season on Broadway, this team is getting younger and improving.

Waiting in the wings are also two surefire blue liners in Nils Lundkvist and K’Andre Miller. That means Davidson and GM Jeff Gorton have to make room for them and ensure the best lineup heading into next season. It’s important because not making the playoffs could have job ramifications for David Quinn in 2021.

Blockbuster Trade?

There has been a lot of talk about Rangers goalie, Alexander Georgiev. Several teams are interested and Jeff Gorton was mentioned to be looking for an NHL ready prospect, but that was in a straight up deal. Rumor rumblings from two credible sources indicate that Georgiev could be part of a larger deal. At the moment what isn’t clear is just how big, and what teams could be involved.

This may be why the Rangers haven’t rushed to pull the trigger on a trade here. And the one team that keeps coming up in conversations for Georgiev are the Toronto Maple Leafs. Of course, they have a #1 goalie so giving anything of consequence to solidify the backup position doesn’t make sense. That’s why the idea of a blockbuster trade is growing.

A Deal with the Leafs

Recently, Rachel Doerrie wrote a great piece at Leafs Nation discussing all the ins and outs of a potential Toronto trade for Georgiev. Logically the Leafs are so deep at forward it makes sense they could dip in to that pool to help the Rangers who can use it. Two players mentioned are Andreas Johansson and my personal choice, Kasperi Kapanen.

The Leafs will need to sign Georgiev who is an RFA this summer, and that will cost them anywhere between 1.5 to 2 million on a bridge deal. Kapanen is signed for another two seasons at $3.2M AAV when he becomes an RFA. So money wise it works. However, the Leafs aren’t trading Kapanen for a backup and that’s why this deal will need to grow.

Rachel makes the logical inclusion of Lias Andersson, but the Leafs have cap problems to solve on the blue line for next season with little room to play with. What happens if Brady Skjei becomes part of this deal and the Leafs get a cost controlled defenseman at 5.25M? Does that improve on the player the Leafs send back? Or does it add UFA to be Tyson Barrie to the mix? The bottom line is that the expectation of trading Georgiev for a pick/prospect is becoming more and more distant in the rear view mirror.

Stick with us as we expect this to be the biggest trade deadline in recent memory for the New York Rangers. Our coverage during last season’s deadline and free agent frenzy was second to none. It’s going to only get better.

Rangers head coach David Quinn has his coaching staff in place!

Quinn has worked with both of these men in the past. He was in the Avalanche organization with Oliver, who was in the team’s front office, and Brown was an assistant at Boston College where he ran the team’s defense and special teams. Oliver has worked with the young guns in the Avalanche organization since 2007 and has helped mold the talents of current and former Avalanche talents including Gabriel Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon, Matt Duchene, Tyson Barrie, Ryan O’Reilly, Semyon Varlamov, and current Rangers defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk to name a few. Both Oliver and Brown are in the mindset of the “new NHL,” where speed and skill are paramount to a team’s success. The Rangers are in a situation where they must develop their young talents while trying to stay competitive. And from the looks of things, Jeff Gorton has hired the right men to do the job.

As had been reported earlier, Lindy Ruff is remaining with the team, joining both Brown and Oliver on Quinn’s side. The role that Ruff will have is unclear as of now, but it won’t hurt to have a long-time NHL coach alongside this young coaching staff.

Editor’s Note: For an in-depth look at Brown, click here.

The Hockey News believes that Boston Bruins GM, Don Sweeney will go hard after UFA, Keith Yandle this summer.

CSNNE.com’s Joe Haggerty reports free agency isn’t Sweeney’s preferred route this summer. However, he points out that puck-moving blueliners such as the New York Rangers’ Keith Yandle and Alex Goligoski of the Dallas Stars could be available if the Bruins GM opts to dive into the free-agent pool.

Lyle Richardson goes on to mention that Sweeney will target Tyson Barrie, Jacob Trouba or Kevin Shattenkirk in trades. The problem is that Edmonton will also be after the same guys and have more moveable assets to acquire one or more. This makes it more likely that Boston will go the free agency route.

Tyson Barrie to NY?

The Rangers were mentioned in the Barrie trade rumor mill by ESPN via SNY.

ESPN Insider lists the Rangers, along with Edmonton, Toronto, Detroit and Buffalo as teams that should target Barrie. Barrie could provide the Rangers defense with an “infusion of speed and puck-moving skill.” (ESPN Insider)

Unless this is a blockbuster deal in which the Rangers also obtain Matt Duchene, I don’t see it happening. The problem with that scenario is who would the Rangers send the other way? Ryan McDonagh, Derek Stepan and what else? How would that really improve the Rangers. Unless of course, Patrick “I hate Corsi” Roy wants Marc Staal and/or Dan Girardi.

Don’t get your hopes up.

Should the Rangers revisit trading for Martin Hanzal?

THN also noted that 29 year old center, Martin Hanzal might be available.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman claims the Coyotes have received some calls from clubs with interest in the 29-year-old Hanzal, who’s eligible next summer for unrestricted free agency. If the two sides fail to work out a deal, Friedman claims they could ask him for a list of trade destinations.

During the 2014/15 season, it was believed that Hanzal was close to being traded to the Rangers and we covered that in detail here.

Hanzal is a huge center at 6-6 226lbs that plays a big game and is great on face-offs. What makes Hanzal attractive is that he is a strong two way player that can handle PP and PK responsibilities. If the Rangers are looking to get deeper down the middle, he would be a great addition.

Hanzal comes with a manageable cap hit of 3.1M and will be a UFA next summer.