First off, we’re dealing with Dale Tallon, noted <bleep>. Secondly, they have some really intriguing high upside prospects, most notably Borgström, Heponiemi, Tippett and Gildon. If I’m Rangers general manager Jeff Gorton I’m also trying to get 26-year-old, right-handed defenseman Mark Pysyk in the deal. Pysyk is an excellent shutdown D-man who moves the puck well, and would compliment Brady Skjei well. Other solid roster pieces include Ian McCoshen, Jared McCann and Denis Malgin, but I prefer Pysyk though in this conversation.
I saw the rumor that the Rangers were lurking around Panther’s prospect Jayce Hawryluk, who currently is playing with the team’s AHL affiliate; he better not be anything more then a throw in. Hawryluk is an OK prospect, but nothing more then that in my opinion. Maxim Mamin is pretty good too, but not as a main piece.
When it comes to the high-end prospects, it gets more interesting. The Panthers are stacked with high upside prospects, especially at F. If they are serious about McDonagh then the main piece has to be center Henrik Borgström, winger Owen Tippett or center Aleksi Heponiemi to go along with a 1st round pick. I like Max Gildon and Adam Mascherin too but not enough for them to be main pieces for McDonagh; one of the first three has to be in there. Something along the lines of (in order of who i want) Pysyk/McCann/McCoshen/Malgin + Borgström/Heponiemi/Tippett + 1st + another piece for McDonagh at 50% + balancing minor piece(s) would be a nice haul i think. What do you all think? Panthers are extremely high on Borgström, though so it’s possible he’s off the table. Personally i don’t think Heponiemi/Tippett are far behind though.[/text_output][image type=”circle” float=”none” src=”1510″ 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=””]Drew Way’s Two Cents [/custom_headline][text_output]I am largely in agreement with Tobias on the Florida rumors. I’m a big fan of the Panthers top-3 prospects, who in my opinion clearly are Borgström, Tippett and Heponiemi. Personally, while I do agree Borgström is the best of the bunch, I agree with Tobais in that Tippett and Heponiemi aren’t that far off. In fact, Corey Pronman of The Athletic had all 3 player’s in his midseason top-50 NHL prospects, with Borgström at 5, Tippett at 18 and Heponiemi at 32. All three have the ability to be a high-impact player at the NHL level, and would serve as a nice prospect centerpiece for a McDonagh deal to go along with a 1st round pick, a youngish roster piece and possibly a conditional pick as well.
One key factor I believe in Florida jumping into the trade discussions, is it cranks up the pressure on division rivals Tampa Bay and Toronto, both of whom are rumored to be in on McDonagh as well. As of today, Florida has 62 points, and sites 5 points behind Columbus for the final wild card spot, but they have 3 games in hand. While unlikely, it is conceivable that Florida could make the playoffs this year. However, and most importantly, McDonagh is under contract for next year as well, and with a couple of tweaks (who knows if Tallon is capable of the correct tweaks, my money is on he is not), they could be a formidable opponent in the Atlantic next season. The point of saying this is, you cannot just write-off the Panthers as a suitor for McDonagh just because they aren’t a realistic cup contender this year, and their presence in these discussions gives the Rangers more leverage.
Well, that’s all we have for you today my friends. Enjoy the trade deadline, and hopefully we can get some more good news today!
[/text_output][image type=”circle” float=”none” src=”1983″ alt=”” href=”” title=”” info_content=”” lightbox_caption=”” id=”” class=”aligncenter” style=””]
Author: BSB Staff
This Article is presented to you in High Definition Surround Sound by some or all of the Blueshirts Breakaway Staff. At least whoever wasn’t lazy enough to contribute.