With the Rangers dropping to 5th overall, there are many different options available to the Blueshirts. Some of those options may include moving out of the 5th overall pick, mostly dependent on how the first four picks go. It does leave some fun options out there, such as a fun Rangers trade down scenario with the Seattle Kraken. Seattle has the 7th overall pick and are rumored to be dangling Shane Wright, and there’s probably a way to get this all to work in a neat little package.
Seattle isn’t the best option in any Rangers trade down scenario, but there’s something to be said for creativity and thinking outside the box. The most logical trade down situation is actually with Florida, as discussed on Blue Seats After Dark (subscribe here). I’ll leave that one in the Patreon.
To be clear, Seattle isn’t going to move Wright to the Rangers just to move up two spots in the first round. That would be silly. But there’s a deal to be made with some assets on the Rangers, though much of this depends on Seattle’s direction. Seattle was in the thick of the playoff race until a 2-7-0 April after a 1-6-0 end to March quickly eliminated them from contention.
Center depth is a concern in Seattle, as the ill-advised Chandler Stephenson contract is aging poorly and Wright just simply hasn’t put it all together in Seattle. He’s being dangled for scoring help and perhaps a bit more bite to the lineup. Wright, who is supremely skilled and just 22 years old, took a step back this year 12 goals and 27 points over 74 games.
Seattle might be a great Rangers trade down scenario
While I think Florida is the best Rangers trade down scenario, Seattle might be an under the radar type flip that moves the Rangers into mirroring the Mika Zibanejad trade. Wright is 22 years old and his value is clearly down. The Rangers have Vincent Trocheck, a proven NHL scorer who just won gold in Milan and put up 16 goals and 53 points in 67 games on a brutal Rangers team. He did that while fighting a brutal lung infection that made him feel like he was dying.
Depending how the first four picks go, could the Rangers look to capitalize on Trocheck’s value by getting younger without sacrificing much in terms of draft capital? There are a few ways this Rangers trade down scenario with Seattle could unfold:
Option 1 framework: Rangers trade Trocheck and the 5th overall pick to Seattle for Wright and the 7th overall pick.
The framework on option 1–I’m guessing the Rangers would need to add a sweetener, perhaps Brett Berard–addresses needs for both teams. The Rangers want to get younger and faster, mirroring the Zibanejad/Derick Brassard trade to do so. Seattle wants more proven scoring without sacrificing their future.
The only way this materializes is if Caleb Malhotra slips past the first four picks, the Rangers have their eyes set elsewhere, Seattle values Malhotra and is willing to wait for him to develop, and Seattle thinks Trocheck over Wright gives them the added scoring they need.
Essentially, the Rangers would wind up with Wright and (an example) Tynan Lawrence. Seattle would get Malhotra, Trocheck, and the sweetener to round out their forwards and push for a playoff spot next year in a very weak division.
Option 2 framework: Rangers trade #5 to Seattle for #7 and #26 (Tampa’s pick)
Seattle holds a second first round pick, which is Tampa’s, and will be right around the Rangers’ second pick in the first round as well. Much of these Rangers trade down scenarios depend on how the first four picks go, and naturally if someone like Ivar Stenberg falls to 5th overall, it’s tough to see the Rangers moving back.
It’s difficult to pinpoint what Chris Drury will do in any of these Rangers trade down scenarios, as we simply don’t know what’s on his mind, how he plans on leveraging his assets that carry the most value (Trocheck, Schneider, 5th overall, etc).
If this option becomes a reality, it would give Drury another asset in the first round to move to address more pressing roster holes. Or, in a more fun situation, we could see the Rangers package the #26 and #27 to move up to the mid-teens and perhaps take a player that is slipping in the draft.
Option 3 framework: Rangers trade #5 and #27 to Seattle for #7 and Shane Wright
Option 3 combines both Rangers trade down scenarios above into one very unlikely move, which is moving down two spots and landing Wright. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, this again depends on what Seattle is targeting and how the first four picks unfold.
Perhaps the Rangers don’t value Stenberg highly, as it’s not a position of need. Should he fall to 5th overall, Seattle might want that immediate jolt in offense, and are willing to sacrifice Wright for that instant infusion of youth and talent. They’d still have another selection in the first round to keep the cupboard full too.
Meanwhile, in this Rangers trade down scenario, the Blueshirts could land Wright and even a close to NHL ready defenseman like Alberts Smits or Carson Carels.
Way too many variables right now
It’s worth noting that all these Rangers trade down scenarios, be it with Seattle or any other team, depend on how the draft unfolds. This also requires a level of creativity and risk taking out of Chris Drury that we haven’t seen yet, especially if Wright is the trade target. Wright, like any other player in his situation, would be a gamble. But so is the draft.
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