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Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane was as soon as considered as a prime goal for the Rangers this winter, however now that the franchise has Tarasenko on board, it is unclear if it is going to nonetheless pursue the winger.
ESPN’s Emily Kaplan reported on Feb. 9 that the Rangers had issues over Kane’s hip damage they usually did not wish to meet Chicago’s asking worth for him, so making a transfer looks like a little bit of a pipe dream at this level.
Nevertheless, a conflicting report from Larry Brooks of the New York Put up on Feb. 22 indicated that the Rangers “have signaled they’ll attempt to make” a deal for the 34-year-old work if he’s keen to waive his no-movement clause.
Kaplan additionally added that the Rangers have balked on the asking worth for San Jose Sharks proper wing Timo Meier, so he should not be considered as a goal for New York at this level.
Except for Kane and Meier, there are many proficient gamers the Rangers can add forward of the deadline.
If they are going to subtract from the roster to be able to add some high-end expertise, the Rangers have a lot of belongings they might offload, together with pending restricted free brokers Vitali Kravtsov (ahead) and Zac Jones (defenseman), along with first-, second- and third-round picks within the 2023 draft.
That stated, listed below are a few gamers the Rangers might wish to contemplate including.
Luke Schenn, D, Vancouver Canucks
The Rangers have two strong defensive pairings in Ryan Lindgren-Adam Fox and Ok’Andre Miller-Jacob Trouba, however the crew’s third pairing of Niko Mikkola-Braden Schneider may use an improve.
Enter Luke Schenn, who’s on the commerce block with the Vancouver Canucks 16 factors again of a playoff spot.
Schenn is your prototypical bodily, shutdown defenseman and could be a major improve on New York’s third defensive pairing. He has three targets and 18 assists in 55 video games, in addition to a plus-nine plus/minus ranking on a Vancouver crew that has a minus-35 aim differential.
Moreover, the 33-year-old received back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020 and 2021, and his $850,000 cap hit would additionally match into New York’s $1.6 million deadline cap area.
Schenn is about to turn into an unrestricted free agent on the finish of the season and could be a rental for the Blueshirts.
Nino Niederreiter, RW, Nashville Predators
If Kravtsov—who reportedly requested a commerce—is moved, the Rangers may use one other proper winger behind Tarasenko.
Except for Kravtsov and Tarasenko, New York has Jimmy Vesey, Kaapo Kakko and Tyler Motte on the precise wing. It is not a horrible scenario by any means, however the Blueshirts may nonetheless use an improve.
Contemplating each Kane and Meier are iffy choices, the Rangers may look to Nashville Predators winger Nino Niederreiter, who’s on an affordable two-year, $8 million contract value $4 million per season.
Predators normal supervisor David Poile told 102.5 The Recreation’s Robby and Rexrode present on Feb. 14 that he did not view Nashville as a purchaser at this 12 months’s deadline and that if the crew did not enhance it “actually might be a vendor.”
The Preds sit fifth within the Central Division with a 28-22-6 report, and with simply 60 factors, the crew is nicely out of a wild-card spot.
Niederreiter has posted six 20-plus-goal seasons in his 12 NHL seasons and tallied not less than 11 targets in 4 of the six different campaigns. By way of 55 video games this season, he has notched 16 targets and 10 assists for 26 factors.
The 30-year-old’s 16 targets are greater than every other proper winger on the crew.
Moreover, the checking winger could be an awesome play-driver who can get to the soiled areas and grind for a aim. He is the kind of participant the Rangers undoubtedly want this season.
Nevertheless, Niederreiter’s $4 million wage might be troublesome to maneuver beneath the cap until the crew components methods with one other identify.
Kravtsov ($875,000) Vesey ($750,000), Ben Harpur ($750,000) and Zac Jones ($925,000) might be moved to clear some area, although the Rangers cannot intestine their proper aspect by buying and selling Kravtsov and Vesey to make room for one participant.
