When the Rangers traded for JT Miller, it was assumed that he would essentially replace Filip Chytil, augmenting the Rangers center depth to him, Vincent Trocheck, and Mika Zibanejad. The trio would have formed a solid 1-2-3 down the middle, but Peter Laviolette had other plans. With Zibanejad shifted to wing, and that line looking good, the Rangers need a 3C now to fill that hole left behind by Chytil.

In shifting Zibanejad to wing, the Rangers addressed two concerns. The first was a 1RW, which outside of Alexis Lafreniere was a weakness. The second was potentially reigniting Zibanejad, as he can simplify his game as a wing with fewer defensive responsibilities, hopefully getting his offensive game going instead. The move makes sense, but the Rangers don’t have the center depth to make it work right now, as Jonny Brodzinski is now the fill-in 3C.

Brodzinski is a fine fill-in on the bottom six, but a regular 3C on a line that is supposed to provide some tertiary scoring isn’t ideal. So now the Rangers need a 3C to replace Brodzinski, something they didn’t need before. Though the Rangers need a 3C, it isn’t the end of the world. They addressed their 1C issue, which is far more expensive than a 3C. But it’s still a need.

Yanni Gourde is on everyone’s radar, and he’d be the perfect short term fit for the Rangers. But, and there’s always a but, he’d be a typical buyers move at the trade deadline, costing more young/future assets. Though the Rangers need a 3C, the rental market may not be the best approach for them. Plus a 3C doesn’t get them over the hump. A 3C and a 1LD does. Maybe.

The Rangers need a 3C, but not a rental 3C

It’s much easier to find a 3C than a 1LD. But it’s easier to find a rental 3C than one with term that doesn’t blow up the cap and fits with the team needs. For the Rangers, they need a player like JT Miller, one that will forecheck, play in all three zones, and be vocal on the ice. That was an unexpected missing link that was uncovered over the weekend, as it sounds like the Rangers never spoke to each other on the ice before the Miller trade.

If we assume Chris Drury isn’t going to be active in the rental market, then we should be turning our attention to under the radar players with affordable contracts that may just need a change of scenery. Both Trevor Zegras and Dylan Cozens seem to be falling out of favor in Anaheim and Buffalo, respectively, with “seem” doing heavy lifting in that sentence. Naturally, we can only go off what is being reported.

Names like Tommy Novak and Ryan O’Reilly will likely pop up at some point. Both would be strong fits for the Rangers and both have another 2 years at $3.5 million and $4.5 million, respectively. But there is no indication Nashville is willing to move on from either. O’Reilly would be the best bet to be moved, since he’s turning 34 in a few days. He would be 36 when that contract is up. It isn’t ideal for the Rangers to add yet another player on the wrong side of 30.

Alex Kerfoot in Utah would be interesting, but he’d be a pure rental as a pending UFA. Ditto Nick Bjugstad and Jake Evans (MTL). The Rangers need a 3C, but these rentals don’t seem like they would be efficient uses of assets, especially with the Rangers still trailing 4 teams and essentially playing .500 hockey the last 10 games (5-3-2). If the team doesn’t bank points, rentals are a fool’s errand.

Perhaps it’s just time to sell

The Rangers need a 3C. The Rangers need a 1LD. Neither of them will be acquired as rentals, at least without some sort of guarantee that they’d re-sign. It’s highly unlikely they address both needs by the trade deadline, or if they are even in a position to try to address them by the trade deadline.

The Blueshirts have 3 games (Boston, Pittsburgh, Columbus) remaining before the February break, and 2 of the 3 are against teams ahead of them in the standings (Boston, Columbus). It is not hyperbolic to state that they must win all three games to remain in this conversation. That is step 1. Just win those games to stay relevant for this season.

When the season resumes, the Rangers have a favorable schedule before the trade deadline: @ Buffalo, @ Pittsburgh, @ Islanders, Toronto, Nashville, Islanders, Washington, @ Ottawa, Columbus. They can certainly play themselves into a playoff spot. It’s been done before. It’s a steep hill to climb, as making up 5 points in today’s NHL is a tall order. But the majority of their games between now and the deadline are against teams ahead of them in the standings. The Rangers, as they say, control their own destiny.

The optimist in me thinks they can make an extended run, giving them more reason to address their needs. The realist in me thinks more of the same is in order. That means a 2-1 record over the next 3 games, followed by–generously–a 5-2-2 record in the 9 games between the return to action and the trade deadline. While 7-3-2 may sound good, it may not be enough.

The Rangers have, at the very least, 4 pending UFAs that would be coveted at the trade deadline: Reilly Smith, Jimmy Vesey, Jonathan Quick, and Ryan Lindgren. Yes, Lindgren would be coveted at the deadline. We are expecting the Rangers to do a little bit of buying and selling at the deadline, but how much will be determined by their record in the next 12 games.

To be competitive and avoid a sell off completely, the Rangers need a 3C in the short term. They would need to figure out the 1LD situation before the deadline as well. It’s doable, but it may be too much to do in 12 games and one month.

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