As the NHL playoffs wind toward the inevitable end with a team hoisting Lord Stanley’s Cup, I can’t help but think about the paths the different teams have taken to get there. There doesn’t seem to be one consistent path that teams take to win it all. Both Vegas and Carolina made big swings in trades that paid dividends, something the Rangers will try to do this summer. Thing is, it takes two to tango and the Rangers are victims of the current state of the NHL right now.
With that, it can be difficult to determine what exactly the right course for a franchise is. For the New York Rangers, it’s no different. This is a very odd offseason for the Rangers, one I cannot remember a parallel for in recent years. New York’s coming off two brutal seasons and have been clear about wanting to get better.
Unfortunately, there is little to no talent worth paying available in free agency, and the NHL is in a place where more teams are trying to win than lose. That paves the way for primarily “hockey trades” (aka both teams trade pieces to win now filling each other’s needs), but the Rangers also lack talent on their roster, hence the two years of losing. Such is a harsh reality after several years of patchwork to try to win a Cup.
I suppose the Rangers could shop the likes of Braden Schneider or even Will Cuylle, but if the Rangers are trying to win now, they would just have to replace the two immediately after. (This is the part where I say it would still be worth it in the case of Schneider, who is just simply not very good).
Considering Schneider and Cuylle will both be due for new contracts soon, the Rangers also have to determine where they fit into the team’s future. That decision will be difficult as well, as the organization truly can’t know how good they’re going to be, and when that’s going to happen. Say the Rangers sign the ultimate free agent right now, Alex Tuch (crazy sentence to type). Would that move really move the needle? I don’t think so.
Still, the alternative is to sell off pieces, which the Rangers are unwilling to do. So that leaves the Rangers in a position where they have to convince other teams to trade their talented players to them, which brings us back to my previous point, most teams are trying to win now.
Would a team like the Columbus Blue Jackets trade a roster player for a future draft pick, the one thing the Rangers really have to offer? Maybe, but it’s unlikely, as they want to win sooner.
It takes two to tango and I fear this offseason the Rangers are victims of the current state of the NHL.
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