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Is Third Time the Charm for Rangers and High-Stakes Draft Deal?


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Fast-forward to today and with no Makar or Keller to show for it, the Rangers appear to have swung and missed, twice. But they?re not down and out yet. Having gotten two good, close looks at the pitches they missed on, a third swing could finally land them the proverbial home run they?re after ? perhaps to the tune of Brady Tkachuk or Filip Zadina.

 

Pulling this off would cost them a pretty penny, but unlike the window-jamming deals they?ve completed in the recent past, like say Keith Yandle, or Martin St. Louis, it might be a price well worth paying. The idea of trading a first-round pick is one fans would normally bristle at. They?re still feeling the effects of the Rangers? failed attempts that cost the team it?s first-round picks for four consecutive years. But strategically moving one or two (more on this in a moment) to get the club into the top-five of this year?s draft could net them a cornerstone player to add to Lias Andersson and Filip Chytil?their two first-round selections from a year ago?which would really help, if not complete this rebuild on the fly to get the Rangers back to contention again.

 

It?s difficult to envision exactly the type of deal it might take to get the Rangers into the top-five of the draft. This season only recently passed it?s halfway mark, so it?s still largely unclear which teams will be where come the 2018 Draft. But that shouldn?t stop Jeff Gorton from proactively preparing for what June might bring by artfully dealing his pending Unrestricted Free Agents (UFA) Rick Nash and Michael Grabner to contenders at the trade deadline. Each should easily return the Rangers a first-round selection, if not more. As TSN?s Bob McKenzie reported earlier this week on Insider Trading, Nash in particular, once he?s formally made available, would be seen alongside Evander Kane as the cream of the rental crop.

 

If the Blueshirts can add to their own first-round pick with two additional selections, albeit ones that will likely be later round choices (somewhere between 24th and 31st), they?ll have three opening round picks to barter with.

 

And if some combination of those selections isn?t enough to break into the top-five of the Draft, they?ve also got a few high-stakes chips they can play to assure them the player they might be after. Both Ryan McDonagh and Mats Zuccarello?s names have entered the rumor mill and could be on the move regardless.

 

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Makar was a good miss.

Agreed, I never understood the hype.

 

Best case scenario for the Rangers would be to get one of these picks on their own. Collecting picks at the deadline only to trade them to move way up would just mean you have a top-heavy team with no balance. If you get good players with your picks, then tank and get one of your own, you've got top-end talent to compliment all those guys.

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If the Rangers blow this up, dealing Nash and Grabner at the very least, both for firsts, they can parlay some combination of a player (say Miller) and their own pick into the top-five. Let's say they take Tkachuk or Zadina. They'd go into the start of next season with one of Tkachuk or Zadina, Andersson, Chytil, and two more first-round picks all contending for roster spots.

 

How can you possibly refer to that as imbalanced? Isn't that what free agency is for, anyway? To fill the smaller holes that might open up down the lineup while you wait out progress from high-end prospects?

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Makar was a good miss. I'd rate Andersson higher than him, already.

 

So would I, but the idea of what they were attempting made a lot of sense. I never really understood the concept of a "rebuild on the fly" until I read that they twice tried to parlay into the top-end of the draft. Now it makes sense.

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I'll digress a bit: Makar is an undersized D-man who played on possibly the greatest AJHL team in the history of the league and put up great numbers on said team. That team scored 3 more goals a game than it allowed.

 

He's now struggling in the NCAA, away from the AJHL. He was "OK" in the WJC, but not nearly as good as Ferraro and Co. pretended and certainly not Canada's best D-man.

 

Andersson will play in the NHL before Makar gets out of college.

 

If they tried to go all in on Makar, that's a little concerning, but Keller makes up for it, I guess.

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If the Rangers blow this up, dealing Nash and Grabner at the very least, both for firsts, they can parlay some combination of a player (say Miller) and their own pick into the top-five. Let's say they take Tkachuk or Zadina. They'd go into the start of next season with one of Tkachuk or Zadina, Andersson, Chytil, and two more first-round picks all contending for roster spots.

 

How can you possibly refer to that as imbalanced? Isn't that what free agency is for, anyway? To fill the smaller holes that might open up down the lineup while you wait out progress from high-end prospects?

I shouldn't have said imbalanced. I mean that you're going to have one great player surrounded by a bunch of good but not great players, and that good player probably isn't enough to compensate for the lack of star power among the rest.

 

What you're talking about is basically what the Rangers have now. It's Hank and a bunch of second-tier (for lack of a better term) first rounders (Miller, Kreider, Hayes, Zib, Skjei, Mac, Staal, Vesey) and then Nash/Grabner, who were also first rounders. Unless you think Tkachuck or Zadina is Malkin/Toews/Doughty, you're just building the same team, so you might as well collect all of the first rounders you can and hope to get lucky, and then tank for a top-5.

 

And I don't really buy that Miller/Hayes and one pick is going to get the Rangers from 16 or wherever into the top 5...it's going to cost Miller and two 1sts, at least. If the talent gap is that great, then why would any team trade down? Plus, EDM, maybe Florida depending on how things shake out, are the only teams who could pick in the top 5 and would want anything other than an ELC. Why would, Buffalo/ARZ/OTT/VAN, trade, say, the #4 overall for Miller and #16?

 

To go from #16 to #5, you're talking Miller, two 1sts, and, say, Lettieri. Instead, you could just keep all those guys and go full tank next year. Otherwise, I think we're just building the same roster we have now.

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I shouldn't have said imbalanced. I mean that you're going to have one great player surrounded by a bunch of good but not great players, and that good player probably isn't enough to compensate for the lack of star power among the rest.

 

What you're talking about is basically what the Rangers have now. It's Hank and a bunch of second-tier (for lack of a better term) first rounders (Miller, Kreider, Hayes, Zib, Skjei, Mac, Staal, Vesey) and then Nash/Grabner, who were also first rounders. Unless you think Tkachuck or Zadina is Malkin/Toews/Doughty, you're just building the same team, so you might as well collect all of the first rounders you can and hope to get lucky, and then tank for a top-5.

 

And I don't really buy that Miller/Hayes and one pick is going to get the Rangers from 16 or wherever into the top 5...it's going to cost Miller and two 1sts, at least. If the talent gap is that great, then why would any team trade down? Plus, EDM, maybe Florida depending on how things shake out, are the only teams who could pick in the top 5 and would want anything other than an ELC. Why would, Buffalo/ARZ/OTT/VAN, trade, say, the #4 overall for Miller and #16?

 

To go from #16 to #5, you're talking Miller, two 1sts, and, say, Lettieri. Instead, you could just keep all those guys and go full tank next year. Otherwise, I think we're just building the same roster we have now.

 

I disagree. Miller himself is a first-round pick. The equivalent of one, at least. If he's going, likely with an extension in hand, that's value added from the Rangers.

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I shouldn't have said imbalanced. I mean that you're going to have one great player surrounded by a bunch of good but not great players, and that good player probably isn't enough to compensate for the lack of star power among the rest.

 

What you're talking about is basically what the Rangers have now. It's Hank and a bunch of second-tier (for lack of a better term) first rounders (Miller, Kreider, Hayes, Zib, Skjei, Mac, Staal, Vesey) and then Nash/Grabner, who were also first rounders. Unless you think Tkachuck or Zadina is Malkin/Toews/Doughty, you're just building the same team, so you might as well collect all of the first rounders you can and hope to get lucky, and then tank for a top-5.

Yes, thats the hope. I've been suggesting for a bit now, that settling for mid/late 1st rd picks wont help us be anything more than the current squad (as you mention). Go big or go home - TOP pick that can be a game breaker, or package players to get one, or youre just repeating this same team (at best).

 

 

And I don't really buy that Miller/Hayes and one pick is going to get the Rangers from 16 or wherever into the top 5...it's going to cost Miller and two 1sts, at least. If the talent gap is that great, then why would any team trade down? Plus, EDM, maybe Florida depending on how things shake out, are the only teams who could pick in the top 5 and would want anything other than an ELC. Why would, Buffalo/ARZ/OTT/VAN, trade, say, the #4 overall for Miller and #16?

 

To go from #16 to #5, you're talking Miller, two 1sts, and, say, Lettieri. Instead, you could just keep all those guys and go full tank next year. Otherwise, I think we're just building the same roster we have now.

If might not be that, but they already have their top guys, Eichel, ROR, Okposo, Risto. They need those solid 2nd tier guys to fill out the line up.

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Well, in that case, I do think Zadina/Tkachuk can be Toews/Malkin/etc.

 

And a team like Buffalo, let's say, would deal for Miller because they're dying on the vine in a rebuild that's taking far longer than they anticipated. I think they'd jump at the opportunity to land someone like Miller. They'd view him as a critical piece to rebounding into playoff contention, much like they did O'Reilly.

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It would be hard to believe this wasn’t true. Say what you want about brooks but he’s probably the most well known beat reporter covering the rangers. His reputation is on the line with this article. More than that he has relationships with the players and the FO of this team. Couldn’t imagine any of them would appreciate an article like this especially if it weren’t true. Trades drastically change players lives. They are reading this article and wondering where their families will be next week. They will probably leave their families behind until the summer when the future is more secure.

 

I have twin 3 year old boys I couldn’t imagine having to move away for a couple of months without them. Nash for one has two children preschool age. This kind of rumor has to affect him.

 

It’s part of the business and the players understand that. That said you don’t publish an article like that unless you have very credible sources and in the end be true.

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Rangers would have the 11 pick right now. with no lottery and their are at least 5 teams within three points of them. They scouts absolutely drop to the 5-8 bubble and maybe with a little luck who knows

 

Right, so let's just split the difference and assume they finish with the tenth pick. That and, say Miller, absolutely can get you into the top-five IMO. Especially if the chips fall to their favor, like if Buffalo ends up in that 4/5 hole.

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theyre not in bad cap space. You figure there would be a bit coming back, only Dumba to re-sign, following season have Staal and Ennis coming off the books with no one else due contracts.

 

The difference in cap could really come down to including Stewart. lol

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do we really think that Grabner would bring back a first rounder,come on ranger fans get off the blue kool aid.

nothing against Grabner ,this guy has been great for the rangers.

too bad he wasnt with the rangers when we played against the Kings

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He has 50-something goals over the last two seasons and is second in the league in even strength goals. Yes, he's getting a first.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Blueshirts Brotherhood mobile app powered by Tapatalk

 

If Paul fucking Gaustad got a first, Grabner could probably garner even more. I'll take a first, no doubt, but wouldn't be shocked if a bidding war sparked a higher price.

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He has 50-something goals over the last two seasons and is second in the league in even strength goals. Yes, he's getting a first.

 

AND he is an ace PKer, an excellent defender, causes turnovers that become golden opportunities, streches defenses and keeps defensemen back or occasionally from joining the O.

 

Or how about that he comes to play every freakin game, means business, shuts up, stays in shape and is not out partying or worried about his social life or social media persona. Sorry just had a Bernie Nichols, Don Murdoch, Del Zotto, Duclair moment.

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