First trade was after DuBois told Columbus he was looking to move and refused a long-term deal. Now he has just told Winnipeg that he is looking at free agency ASAP. Before we trade for him we'd better know he is interested in playing for us and won't have to really break the bank to stay here.
Rick Middleton for Ken Hodge. Espo did lead the Rangers to the '79 upset of the Islanders (won the 1st game then lost 4-1 to the Habs/Dryden in the finals). Another unfortunate move during that time was not being able to keep rolled-up, blow-imbued dollars bills away from Donnie 'Murder' Murdoch's nostrils.
This would REALLY piss me off!!!! https://thehockeynews.com/news/could-the-new-york-rangers-part-ways-with-artemi-panarin Trouble could be brewing between Artemi Panarin and New York Rangers general manager Chris Drury. Arthur Staple of The Athletic cited two NHL sources last week saying Drury was “vocally unhappy” over the 30-year-old winger's post-season play. He speculated Panarin could ask for a trade if the rift continues. The Rangers' leading scorer with a career-best 96 points during the regular season, Panarin was fourth among their postseason scorers with 16 points in 20 games. Staple felt he wasn't as consistent as the Rangers needed during that playoff run. Staple acknowledged Panarin's contract would be almost impossible to move. Cap Friendly indicates his annual average value is over $11.6 million through 2025-26 plus he carries a full no-movement clause. Neither Panarin nor Drury have commented on Staple's report. If the Rangers GM had an issue with his post-season play, he likely raised it during the exit interviews. There's no indication the winger wants out or that Drury is shopping him. Assuming one or the other takes place, finding a suitable trade partner would be difficult because of his contract. Panarin would have full control over potential trade destinations and those would likely be limited to at most half-a-dozen teams. His preference could be to join a contender rather than a rebuilding club or one in decline. If Panarin agreed to a trade, his annual cap hit would be a major sticking point. Few clubs can afford to take on that much for the next four seasons. Interested parties would insist on the Rangers retaining as much as 50 percent to facilitate a trade. Drury may have been unhappy with Panarin's playoff effort, but it's unlikely we'll see him skating with another club next season.
I don't think the Rangers can find a deal for Panarin that works however I think maybe they should try. He's a tremendous playmaker and a decent defensive player. What the Rangers really need out of that spot is a great scorer.
Panarin isn't going anywhere. You can expect more from an 11M dollar player -- That doesn't equate to the GM wanting to trade him. The Athletic took a quote of "We wanted more from Panarin in the playoffs" and made it "The Rangers want to trade Panarin" Panarin took LESS money to sign here, has a full NMC, and is a top 10 forward in the NHL. He's not going anywhere. The only way Panarin is moved is if he's included in a deal for McDavid, which isn't happening.
I know some may translate this as "Hack beating a dead horse again", but shouldn't Panarin get a break since his center linemate was essentially a cripple this offseasion?
The Rangers either need to find somebody for Panarin to feed in 5v5 or they need to rethink the front end structure. Z-Kreider-Vatrano (Copp) was the only consistent line the Rangers had on the ice over the course of the post-season. The kid line played well in bursts but also disappeared at times. Strome was hurt from the mid post-season on but playing through it. His line did very little and that's not something you would expect with a top 10 forward on the line even if Strome was playing at 80%. The Rangers moved Copp to RW on that line to try to get it going and while he had a good post-season the line as a whole did not as evidenced by Panarin's team leading -5. I'm not saying the Rangers have to trade Panarin. I'm just saying at the value level he represents on the cap they need to make him a clear +++ player or they're losing out on the overall value there. One of the ways to do that is to give him a goal scorer to feed. If you do that then the opponents have a lot to reckon with on that line. So maybe move Kreider to RW and put Chytil at C and Panarin at LW? Zibanejad then gets Lafreniere on the LW and Kakko on the RW and we see how that works for 20 games or so next season? The kid line is the key to the Rangers future just maybe not together.
i thought this was funny from ESPN article on the value of the Rangers acquiring TRochek "Strome is a better finisher than Trocheck, but Trocheck brings a bigger bag of tools to the mix."
Here is my counter to everyone who claims that Trocheck is "equal" to Strome. Strome had the benefit of playing with Panarin. Trocheck did not. I am thrilled with these moves. The potential of a Panarin - Trocheck - Lafreniere line is very exciting.
Kreider - Zibanejad - Lafreniere Panarin - Trochek - Kratsov Cuylle - Chytil - Kakko Blais - Carpenter - Goodrow Reeves This depending on Cuylle's ability to make the roster this season.
I have no problem with this set of lines. I just question if the Rangers would be willing to put Kratsov on the 2nd line with all the history they have with him.
Like the moves they made for this year. Next year is going to be TIGHT with the cap. Lafreniere and Miller are both going to need new long-term deals or bridge deals. Chytil is almost certainly gone next year. I’d expect the bottom 6 for 2023 and 2024 to be compromised of the Rangers top prospects at the moment. Those guys aren’t going anywhere since the Rangers can’t even afford to get a 1 year rental piece.
I'm guessing the Rangers get Patrick Kane at the trading deadline and the price is a 1st and the kid not working out not named Lafreniere. Whether we like it or not we're in the window now and failing a season is likely to close it.
They don’t have the money for Kane at the deadline unless someone is on LTIR. The window is open until like 2026 (especially considering how good Igor is), which is when Panarin and Mika are both old and gone.
I think Mika is going to be around until 35 or so. Maybe longer. He works hard and has improved his game year over year as he ages. Good chance to be a Ranger forever at his cap number. Chicago is in fire sale mode. It won't be hard for them to retain some of Kane's cap number and the season will be 3/4's over by TDL so proportionality will kick in. If the Rangers have $3M in cap space available at the deadline they'll be able to fit Kane no problem. With 50% retention by Chicago they could theoretically fit him with about $1.5M in cap space.
