Will The Rangers “Absolutely” Land A Defenseman?

Updated:

Getty Images

Late Wednesday night was a show for all NHL fans across the league, whether it was the Expansion Draft or the NHL Awards. This is also the night before the trade ban will be lifted. So with that being said, there is a lot of speculation flying around the league for every team.

 

Last night Michael Russo of the Minnesota Star-Tribune was told by Minnesota Wild GM Chuck Fletcher there absolutely could be a defenseman traded by the weekend. Now with that being said right before the Expansion Draft trade ban, the New York Rangers were dangling Derek Stepan out in the market looking for a partner for Ryan McDonagh.

Last summer Wild GM Fletcher had high hopes of landing Stepan, even though the Rangers were reluctant to move him. They later dealt Derick Brassard in a shocking midsummer trade with Ottawa, acquiring the younger and cheaper Mika Zibanejad.

Getty Images

The Wild have three good options for the Rangers to try and trade for; Marco Scandella, Jonas Brodin, and Matt Dumba. While Scandella and Brodin are both solid defensemen in their own right, they aren’t as necessary for the Blueshirts to acquire. Dumba is a right-handed defenseman with a wicked slapshot, has the ability to rush the puck up the ice, and is very good in his own end. If I’m Jeff Gorton, going after Dumba makes the most sense. He has the speed to keep up with AV’s system, and he would definitely help out on the powerplay.

Mentioned in this article:

More About: