Note from Dave: This is a post from Brandon Cohen, who used to run Blue Line Station until a few years ago. I’ve been trying to get him to come onboard here (so you should let him know in the comments that you want him to write here more often!). Anyway, he wrote this and it’s great. You should follow him on Twitter.
The New York Rangers will trade one of Alex Georgiev, Henrik Lundqvist, or Igor Sheshterkin by the end of 2020. While analysts will come up with ideas for anything, Shesterkin will not be the goalie heading elsewhere. Though Georgiev and Lundqvist are both excellent goalies that any team would be lucky to have, they create a puzzle for the Rangers. Keep both, and the team must deal with the challenges of rostering three goalies, trade one for too little, and a fantastic opportunity will have passed.
With that in mind, it’s imperative the Rangers hit a home-run in trading one a goalie, and all odds are pointing towards that goalie being Georgiev. Despite the notion that Georgiev could fetch a draft pick or middling prospects, the Rangers must hold out for the right piece, as potentially interested teams will be just as desperate for a goalie as the Rangers are to solve their current situation. It takes two to tango, and the perfect dancing partner lies on the opposite coast. Let’s take a look into a swap of Georgiev for Kevin Labanc out in San Jose.
Georgiev has two things going for him that other potentially available goalies do not have. One, he works under Benoit Allaire. Allaire’s magic is undeniable, as Lundqvist, Antti Raanta, Cam Talbot, and more have thrived under his wing. Georgiev does not only look the part, but there’s evidence that he will stay the part thanks to his consistent work with the goaltending guru to perfect his game. Secondly and most importantly, Georgiev currently costs $792K against the cap and is a restricted free agent next season. The young goalie is cost-controlled, making him a perfect fit for a win-now team.
While the majority of the noise surrounding a potential Georgiev trade has been about the Toronto Maple Leafs (Toronto Mirtle Leafs?), the San Jose Sharks make far more sense as a trading partner. While the Maple Leafs would not play Georgiev much at all down the stretch, the Sharks could install him as their #1 goalie immediately. In addition, the Sharks would have no problem protecting Georgiev in the 2021 Expansion Draft, while the Maple Leafs would be forced to choose between losing the rights to Frederik Andersen (as an upcoming unrestricted free agent) or Georgiev. Though the Maple Leafs could just let Andersen walk, it would be after a year of split-time between the duo.
None of this is to say that the Maple Leafs are a poor fit, as a case can be made for over half the league. However, the Sharks feel like a special fit because they have something the Rangers want: a young, top-six forward. This past offseason, the Sharks failed to come to terms with Kevin Labanc on a long-term contract, instead agreeing to a one-year bridge deal worth $1M. The idea was that Labanc would be betting on himself, while the Sharks went on a run with the saved money.
Though the Sharks saved that money, the deal didn’t quite work out for anyone. The Sharks are at the bottom of the standings, and Labanc’s production went down from 0.68 points per game to 0.51 points per game. The good news is that Labanc’s underlying metrics are solid:
- CF% – 56.49 (#1 on San Jose)
- xGF% – 55.14 (2nd)
- CF/60 – 61.5 (1st)
- CA/60 – 47.36 (1st)
- xGF/60 – 2.72 (1st)
- xGA/60 – 2.13 (3rd)
San Jose has a top-six consisting of at times Logan Couture, Tomas Hertl, Evander Kane, Patrick Marleau, Timo Meier, Joe Thornton, and Labanc. While the team would miss him on the ice, the Sharks have Sasha Chmelevski, Marcus Sorensen, and Alex True coming up in the system. Additionally, scoring should go up with a new coach, and scoring will always be easier to find than good goaltending.
Speaking of goaltending, San Jose’s goalies leave plenty to be desired. Martin Jones sports a .891 save percentage, while Aaron Dell, a goalie no one would ever pretend is starting caliber, rocks a cool .909%. Neither goalie appears to be a present or future fix on the bay, and if the Sharks wish to remain in contention with their current core, they need a quick, cheap fix. Since the Sharks cannot afford to spend the cap space it will take to sign a Braden Holtby this offseason, Georgiev makes plenty of sense. As stated earlier, he is cost-controlled and effective; the two most pressing needs for San Jose.
It so happens that the Rangers are seeking a young, top-six forward for their goalie, and a kid from Staten Island would be a perfect fit for a team looking to continue to develop in the coming seasons. Labanc, 24, would immediately fit into the top six and provide a solution to the Rangers’ desperate need for a winger who’s willing to shoot. The young forward could make Ryan Strome or Chris Kreider expendable, allowing for the team to sell high on either of their fantastic play and possibly get as much as a first-round pick plus more in return. Though the Rangers may need to sweeten the pot to acquire Labanc, receiving a top-six forward of his caliber in return for Georgiev would be a home run.
While these trades usually do not pan out as articles like this suggest, the fit between the Sharks and Rangers matches up perfectly. San Jose gets their goalie of the present and future, while the Rangers get an all-important top-six forward. Both teams would be able to continue in their current plans, as the Sharks could compete immediately while also getting younger, and the Rangers could turn an expendable piece into a vital cog in the rebuilding plan. Doug Wilson and Jeff Gorton, get on the phone. It’s trading time.
Share:
More About:Irresponsible Rumormongering