If there's a big Rangers trade coming it's going to include Kakko and/or Nils Lundqvist + a 1st for 2023. I think they're going to try to bridge the C position with a 1 or 2 year deal player and go all in for a C in 2 years when their cap really opens up. Malkin and Paul Stastny come to mind. Stastny is a perfect fit in my opinion because it gives them insurance at 2C if Chytil doesn't keep his playoff form. The Rangers need to figure out if Chytil is the next 2C for this team because he needs a deal next year.
I think the Rangers should be trying to figure out if Chytil is the 1C moving forward. He did what he did in the playoffs against two very good defensive teams and he did it on unsettled lines because of the way the kid line was used. What happens if the Rangers put Kreider and Chytil together and have Z and Lafreniere on the other line? That lets Lafreniere play LW, where he is more comfortable. Maybe Lafreniere, Zibanejad and Kakko on line 1 and Kreider, Chytil and Panarin on line 2? If that works Chytil turns into a 1C and the Rangers finally have strong depth at C and two lines that are extremely dangerous.
They were thinking: "We're not tough enough. We're getting pushed around on the ice. How do we fix that?" They were probably also thinking: "How do we get our young defense corps fully invested in blocking shots and doing absolutely everything they can to keep the puck out of the net?" Trouba is the most physical defenseman the Rangers have had in awhile. He was a key part of the run they just made and he's going to be one of their top 4 defensemen for awhile.
We can argue the impact Trouba has had on this team until we are blue in the face, but I think it is pointless, because we will never get either of us to change our point of view on a relative argument. Let's look at something more concrete: Here is a link to the current New York Rangers salary structure for 2022-2023: https://www.spotrac.com/nhl/new-york-rangers/cap/2023/ Jacob Trouba is slated to be the 4th Highest paid player on this team next year. Among the people he will out-earn include Chris Krieder, even with his new contract, and Igor Shesterkin. The Rangers have also committed 12M to a Norris-Trophy winner at the same position. I ask - Is it really outrageous to consider allocating his 8M per year towards the center position, where the Rangers have significantly less depth than defense?
Did you like the Ranger's playoff run this year? The reason it went as long as it did was that Trouba presented physical challenges to the opponents in the first two rounds that they did not anticipate and could not play through. The Rangers do not win round 1 if Crosby plays the entire series. The Hurricane lost a young set of legs in their primary rotation in round two and had 11 skaters instead of 12 for game 6 and 7. The biggest difference between the Rangers of the last few seasons and this season was the intensity that Trouba created with his physical play. He blocked a ton of shots and everybody else was blocking shots too because that's what a physical leader creates.
Respectfully, I disagree. I feel that the main reason the Playoff run went as long as it did was the "Kid Line". As much as I was impressed with the maturity of Alexis LaFreniere during this run, the real story was Filip Chytil. The guy finished third on the team in playoff goals as a third line center. Think about that for a second. This is a guy who fell one short of matching his regular season total for goals in the playoffs! I think the injuries and poor play of Strome (and believe me, there is plenty to discuss about him), and the impact it had on his linemates further demonstrate the need more more depth at this position. If they Rangers let Trouba go, they have other options to pick up the what they lose. K'andre Miller has quickly evolved into the best defensive player on the team. Goodrow and Reaves still provide toughness. Fox is an elite defenseman. Braden Schneider has earned his spot on this team as well. Other than Mika Zibanejad, and Filip Chytil, who has never been entrusted with major game minutes before, this team has no other options at center. The need for talent is greater here.
His contract is outrageous and Trouba is overpaid. With that being said, he's still been a key piece of this team as both a leader and skater. He's a physical defensemen and is the Rangers best PKing defenseman. My only issue with Trouba is something not even in his control, which is being the pointman for the PP2 unit. Both Kreider and Trouba's NMCs open up in 2024 and Trouba will be the one that goes. Kreider will be a Ranger for life. If he ever wins a cup, his number is going up in the rafters.
There's no way to let Trouba go which basically nullifies the entire argument you're making. The Rangers are going to get a C this offseason and will have to address it in 2024. I just hope to god they don't re-sign Copp to a 4-5 year deal. I love Copp at a 2 year deal, not 4 or 5.
@NYJFOREVER - What is the "IT" you are referring to here? I want to make sure I understand what you are saying.
They're going to address center this offseason for a short-term, 2 year bridge type deal. then have to address center again in 2024 when their cap opens up. This is my prediction. Malkin or Stastny are the 2 players in looking at.
The Rangers do have a long history of picking up mid-to-late career marquee names in unbalanced trades. I'm still not over the Park and Ratelle for Esposito and Vadnais deal and that went down when I was 15.
Luckily both Malkin and Stastny are both UFA. There seems to be significant interest in a trade for Pierre-Luc Dubois but there's gotta be something weird going on there. A very productive, age 24 center about to get traded to his 3rd team. Seems weird.
