Breakaway Takeaways – January 15

[text_output]By now, you have all probably heard that one of the most trusted insiders in hockey, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, reported after the embarrassingly brutal loss to the Islanders on Saturday on Hockey Night in Canada that the Rangers front office is considering selling. Specifically, Friedman stated that, “I think the Rangers are starting to look and say, are there other moves that we can make, similar to the one with Derek Stepan and Arizona at last year’s draft.” “I think you are taking a look at their UFAs, Nash, Grabner, David Desharnais at center. But I think also some of their contracted players, Zuccarello, McDonagh, no guarantee they do it, but I think they are willing to listen.”

Ever since this report from Friedman, the Rangers fanbase has been understandably crazy with opinions that span the gamut. For this week’s Breakaway Takeaways, our writers weigh in with how they feel about the current situation our beloved Blueshirts find themselves in.[/text_output][custom_headline type=”left” level=”h4″ looks_like=”h4″ accent=”true” id=”” class=”” style=””]A Nuanced Approach is Key[/custom_headline][text_output]Long story short, I hold the opinion that there is no such thing as an untradeable player; every single player on every single team could be had for the right price. However, whether or not “the right price” is realistically attainable or not is the question.

As far as the current iteration of the Rangers roster and coaching staff, this is not a legitimate contender and it should absolutely not be treated as such. The Rangers are a decent but flawed and injured team with an even more flawed coaching staff (minus the great Benoit Allaire of course) that seems to be completely clueless as to how to properly utilize the talent provided. Given this, I personally believe it would be a massive mistake for the team to be buyers at the deadline, and I welcome the news that they are considering being sellers.

I want to make one thing abundantly clear: I am not of the belief that this team needs a complete overhaul. I get we live in a society where nuance is completely lost on all of us, and you have to be a Cup contender or tanking. Personally, I think there is a lot of gray area that most teams live in, including the Rangers. I think, with the right moves, the team can be true contenders as soon as next year, with perhaps the most import move being overhauling the coaching staff (again, not including Benoit Allaire, the man is a saint and deserves to be a Rangers coach as long as he wants).

If I were GM Jeff Gorton, the following is how I would view my team with respect to the trade deadline. For this particular exercise, I am not including Marc Staal or Henrik Lundqvist, as they have full no move clauses and I’m not about to get into the psychology of whether a player with a family would waive his NMC is asked to by the team. I also am not including any players that still qualify as prospects by most publications, nor am I bothering with players who likely have no trade value what so ever.[/text_output][image type=”circle” float=”none” src=”1509″ alt=”” href=”” title=”” info_content=”” lightbox_caption=”” id=”” class=”aligncenter” style=””][text_output]Actively shopping – By actively shopping, I mean as the GM of the Rangers, I am initiating the conversations with teams to trade a player on my team. I am trying my best to trade this particular group of players for the highest possible return I can get before the trade deadline. To make it clear, I am not saying I am simply trading these players for the sake of trading them. If I don’t get anything close to resembling a fair offer, then screw it, I’ll hold onto him and pray to the hockey gods for a turnaround.

These players are the ones that I am most likely to trade, and am actively engaging other teams on potential deals involving them: Paul Carey, David Desharnais, Michael Grabner, Nick Holden and Rick Nash. You will notice that all of these players are impending UFAs, which is the primary reason I am actively shopping them. I am not including Ondrej Pavelec on this list, who is also a pending UFA, because the Rangers don’t have any alternatives in Hartford that could realistically step up and spell Lundqvist, and in my opinion it is crucial to not overwork Lundqvist over the final half of this season.

Listening to offers – This next group of players I am not actively shopping, but if a GM calls about, I am at least keeping an open mind and seeing what they have to offer. This group of players I would need a pretty specific return for, and I am not selling for a penny less than what I consider fair value. I consider each player on this list a guy that the Rangers absolutely can win with in the future, but either due to age, contract or talent level, aren’t the most critical players to hold onto. However, if a GM calls and offers me at least fair value for him, I would absolutely considering moving.

This group of players includes: Kevin Hayes, Jesper Fast, Ryan McDonagh, JT Miller, Boo Nieves, Ondrej Pavelec, Brendan Smith, Jimmy Vesey and Mats Zuccarello. I can go on about each player on this list, but for the sake of brevity I’ll just make one comment here. Mats Zuccarello is my favorite player on the Rangers, and I think even in the case of a complete rebuild, veterans like him are key to have to show younger players how to go about their business (even Sam Hinkie of the Philadelphia 76ers acknowledges this fact). However, if a team calls and offers up a real nice package for 30 year old winger whose best days are now likely behind him, the Rangers might have to accept it.

Future core to build around – This final group are the players that the Rangers should build around for the future in my opinion. Now, this is not to say these players are untradeable; as I mentioned in the beginning, I would trade anyone for the right price. However, these players are the right combination of young, talented and on reasonable contracts, and the likelihood that a team would offer enough to pry any of them away from me is slim to none.

This group of players includes: Pavel Buchnevich, Chris Kreider, Kevin Shattenkirk, Brady Skjei and Mika Zibanejad. Now, I know people are likely questioning Shattenkirk’s inclusion here. No, he does not qualify for the criteria I laid out for this category, and yes I would trade him sooner than anyone else on this list. However, given the circumstances by which he came to the team, the discount he took and his modified NMC, I think the PR hit the Rangers could take by immediately dealing him would not be worth the return. Also, Shattenkirk has had a bit of a down season, and I believe he will turn it around, so trading him now would just be a sell low maneuver, which I’m always against.

Well there you have it, the way I would treat this upcoming trade season if I were Rangers GM Jeff Gorton. If you have any questions about why I included a player on a particular list, please feel free to leave a comment on this article or hit me up on Twitter.

– Drew Way[/text_output][custom_headline type=”left” level=”h4″ looks_like=”h4″ accent=”true” id=”” class=”” style=””]This isn’t Madness, This is the Rangers[/custom_headline][text_output]Pitchforks or a trade?
After the Rangers’ pitiful loss to the Islanders on Saturday’s matinee game and frustrating play against the Penguins the following night, just about every corner of the Rangers fanbase blew up, with everyone readying their pitchforks and calling for Alain Vigneault’s head. However, these losses have also brought to light the serious discussions of what the Rangers should do from a player personnel point of view. As much as blame can be put on the head coaching staff, it is worth looking at what the makeup of this Rangers roster is, and what decisions may lie ahead for Jeff Gorton.

One player that has been the centre of attention is the captain, Ryan McDonagh. I understand the value in trading away a guy like McDonagh; with the exception of a few young players, I would even argue that he has the most value of any player on this team that others would be willing to trade for. However, I am incredibly hesitant on moving him.[/text_output][image type=”circle” float=”none” src=”1510″ alt=”” href=”” title=”” info_content=”” lightbox_caption=”” id=”” class=”aligncenter” style=””][text_output]The Rangers defense sucks, and the thought of -1 McDonagh is terrifying
People talk about Hank being the backbone of this Rangers team; I agree 100% and there is no way I would ever think otherwise. However, I believe with just as much conviction that Ryan McDonagh is a close second. There have been a lot of questions about the team’s poor defensive play, but could that not be linked to McDonagh’s seemingly poor play (or health) this season? McDonagh played completely lights out last season, many noting how you could ice him by himself and he’d look like two defensemen out there. (I also highly encourage anyone to re-watch the Montreal Canadiens Series – there is no way the team makes it out of that without him.) This, on top of all the other great seasons he’s had since making the team.

My main concern with trading away McDonagh is how the team would be left with a defense that is far worse than in its current state. Despite bringing up Brady Skjei, Brendan Smith, and Kevin Shattenkirk (S³!) this defensive group barely shows any semblance of what it once was or could be. Now, you take away one of the most consistent defenders in the past few years now in McDonagh, and what do you have left?

The sentiment has been that McDonagh has had poor season this year (of which I do attribute to an injury or health issues we do not know about), but there is simply not enough depth on this team to pick up the pieces if he were to ever leave. You might look at a young player like Brady Skjei and point to him as the next dazzling top defender. True, but I think he is far too young in his NHL career to take on that responsibility at this given point in time. Moving McDonagh would greatly set the team back and push them from a re-tooling team to a re-building team. Although we could trade for other defensemen, it would seem too much of a lateral move and/or the Rangers would have to give up too much for a significant kind of upgrade. Despite how some may feel about McDonagh, I feel he is far too valuable for the team to be moved.

I hope the Rangers do not panic
With swirling opinions about the coaching staff and player trades overwhelming the entire Rangers fanbase, Jeff Gorton has what seems to be a ticking time bomb in his hands. As much as fans want change, whatever it may be, it would also be incredibly ill-advised for Gorton to approach this situation with any kind of a knee-jerk mindset. For all the reasons I mentioned above, I feel as though trading away any key players should come second to changes in the coaching staff; the roster’s capabilities should be maximized so Gorton can better evaluate the players needed.

I’m sorry, Hank.
Another thing I wonder about is, if the team were to sell off their players, would that be a sign of “throwing in the towel”? If so, I do wonder how someone like Henrik Lundqvist would feel. We all know he is an incredibly competitive and fiery player. No matter how horrendous the team is in front of him, he’ll drag them to the Playoffs kicking and screaming. But for this same reason, I can’t imagine he would be particularly thrilled knowing that management has signaled their throwing away of any good chance they have at the Cup. It’s also for this same reason, I feel so, so much for Hank. For the past 13 years, he has laid his heart and soul out on the ice every single night. Yet, here we are, possibly watching another year pissed away.

I hope this can change.

– JK[/text_output][custom_headline type=”left” level=”h4″ looks_like=”h4″ accent=”true” id=”” class=”” style=””]Rangers Should Explore Life Without Ryan McDonagh[/custom_headline][text_output]When Elliotte Friedman announced Saturday night that the Rangers brass was looking to sell off its impending UFAs, I got giddy.

Nick Holden, Michael Grabner and Rick Nash were the names notable that Friedman mentioned. Names, that shouldn’t really surprise anyone as these are the major UFAs the Rangers have this offseason.

Names that came at a shock? Mats Zuccarello. A name not surprising? Ryan McDonagh.

Our captain, who has been having a less than stellar year, and with him being an impending Free Agent at the end of the 2018-2019 season, it wouldn’t surprise me that his name starts dangling a bit. He’s going to command a lot salary wise, and while his play has taken a hit, he’s still a proven commodity who could give us a haul.

Teams like Edmonton, Montreal and Toronto could use a player of McDonagh’s caliber. I would be lying if I didn’t consider the assets from Toronto and Edmonton to be a little interesting. Trading McDonagh would hurt but at this time, it may be something that this team should entertain, for its future.

– Shawn Taggart[/text_output][image type=”circle” float=”none” src=”1511″ alt=”” href=”” title=”” info_content=”” lightbox_caption=”” id=”” class=”aligncenter” style=””][custom_headline type=”left” level=”h4″ looks_like=”h4″ accent=”true” id=”” class=”” style=””]Fire Everyone, Don’t Trade Everyone… Yet[/custom_headline][text_output]Elliotte Friedman’s news regarding the Rangers potential status as a seller at the deadline shouldn’t really come as a shock to anyone. When Gorton traded Stepan at the draft it was noted that the NYR were going to try and pull of a rebuild on the fly. Here’s the thing, I don’t mind the NYR dangling McDonagh or Zucc but I don’t think they’ll get the return on investment that they’re really looking for.

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