The New York Rangers have traded defenseman Nick Holden.[/text_output][image type=”circle” float=”none” alt=”” href=”” title=”” info_content=”” lightbox_caption=”” id=”” class=”aligncenter” style=”” src=”2253″][text_output]We mentioned this quickly on the pod last night, but it seemed the Michal Kempney to the Washington Capitals for a third round pick essentially set the market for Holden. And clearly, that’s exactly what it did.
This move has some layers to it, so let’s quickly go over them.
– For starters, this is a very solid return alone for Holden. The third round pick itself would’ve likely met the Rangers asking price, but getting an able-bodied defender like Rob O’Gara is an added bonus. Smarter people than myself (Josh Khalfin, Adam Herman) have both mentioned O’Gara as maybe a 6th/7th defenseman in the NHL, but much more likely to serve as solid AHL depth and keep the Wolfpack defense respectable. All good things here.
– Quietly, this move also underscores two important points of emphasis. For starters, the Rangers won’t have to worry about taking precious ice time away from John Gilmour (a fellow lefty shooter) when Marc Staal returns from injury this year (if he returns from injury). Finding additional ice time for the likes of Gilmour, Anthony DeAngelo and Neal Pionk should be the chief concern for the Rangers the rest of the way.
Second, the Rangers have now created room for the promotion of Ryan Graves. I understand that the rumors as of now indicate that O’Gara will get the first shot at the job, but if he struggles I’d expect Graves to be the next in line.
Fans asked questions about why Graves wasn’t recalled when Ryan Sproul was brought up, but the coaching staff has made it clear they want to recall shot-for-shot defenseman. With Holden gone, Staal on the shelf and Ryan McDonagh sitting in trade limbo himself, there’s now clear playing time for Graves to give management a look at what he’s capable of doing at the NHL level.
– The Rangers could, in theory, elect to promote Brendan Smith from his AHL banishment, but I don’t think that’s what’s going to happen. The team knows what they can get from Smith when his game is going well, and (whether I agree with their assessment or not), they don’t think he’s lived up to their standards this year.
In a sense, that’s fine. Keep him down in Hartford until the year ends, let him figure out his game the best he can while playing under a different coaching staff and restart the whole process next year. It benefits the Rangers more to figure out what they have in Ryan Graves than it does for them to run Smith back out for a coach that doesn’t want to play him.
– This trade does impact what the Rangers want to do with Ryan McDonagh, and that might be the most important aspect of this deal. Here me out.
The most important thing this trade does for the here and now is remove a potential suitor from the Ryan McDonagh sweepstakes. When we spoke with Dan Ryan of Stanley Cup of Chowder on the podcast, we talked about how the best thing the Rangers had going for them on their journey to the deadline was their ability to create a bidding war between the Bruins and Lightning for McDonagh’s services.
I’m not suggesting Nick Holden is the quality of player that should eliminate the Bruins from needing the services of Ryan McDonagh, but the Bruins only have so many roster spots. They’re not going to acquire Holden for the price of a third round pick and a lesser prospect for the purpose of sitting him in the press box on a nightly basis.
So, for the purpose of this exercise, let’s assume the Bruins are formally out of the running for Ryan McDonagh’s services (which, to me, I think they are). Who does that leave in the running for Mac?
The Lightning have been linked to McDonagh as much, if not more than the Boston Bruins throughout this whole process. They easily have the pieces to make a trade happen if they want to, and they have the desire to move all-in this year and next before Nikita Kucherov becomes too expensive. Without a second team in the race to drive up the price, it’s fair to assume the Rangers won’t be able to get their hands on someone like Mikhail Sergachev. But there’s so much to like about the Lightning system that it’s hard to imagine the Rangers coming away unsatisfied.
As we discussed on last night’s podcast, the Winnipeg Jets have the pieces to make a trade for McDonagh work, and it would seem they’re a prime candidate to throwing extra chips into the pot to make a deep playoff run. But, we need to see some action from them before really believing a move is possible.
People like connecting the Maple Leafs to McDonagh as well, but the match (Toronto’s weakness is on the right, while Mac plays the left) has never been enough of a fit to truly believe Toronto will part with the necessary parts.
Other teams are out there, but the clear best-case scenario for the Rangers was a bidding war between Boston and Tampa. That option no longer exists, so now, what’s next?
Could the Rangers hold onto McDonagh heading into next year’s draft? Completely possible. Maybe that was the plan all along. Maybe the Rangers were never serious about moving their captain before Monday’s trade deadline. Maybe they just wanted teams to think he’s available so that when the draft comes around, there’s a baseline for the price it’ll take to get him. Time will tell.
– As the great Steve Valiquette pointed out on Twitter, it really benefits the Rangers to move Holden first. Now the market is set for more talented players the Rangers are trying to shop. You’ll have to do better than a 3rd for Grabner, and better than that for Nash, and better than that for McDonagh. It’s great maneuvering.[/text_output]
Strategically it seems very smart that Holden is the first to be traded. If you can set the market as a 3rd round pick for him than Nash, Grabner and McDonagh will bring in quite a bit more.
— Stephen Valiquette (@VallysView) February 20, 2018
Good bye, my….well, you were definitely once a Ranger.[/text_output]
Author: Greg Kaplan
Greg Kaplan is a man of mystery. Did he write this? No. Was he asked to write this? Yes. But did he write this article? Maybe, do you like it?