NHL offseason thread

Not a chance in hell. He's going to be 34.

He obviously would be way better than the 2Cs they are looking at, just for a one year "go for it" approach, and the only way it works is if Chicago eats a ton of his salary somehow.

But:
1) Having seen Chicago dump players the last few days for next to nothing, why would the Rangers offer much?
2) Chicago is doing a complete tear down. They want draft picks, not players. Why would they dump DeBrincat for next to nothing, and then trade for Lafreniere?
3) I don't think anything gets done, but if it does, it will be a combo prospects where the Rangers have no space for them anyhow -- like a Zac Jones or Nils Lundqvist -- and draft picks.

 

The Athletic beat reporter is saying that the Rangers are out on Andrew Copp for 2C. Ryan Strome is still a possibility, but the way they are sitting right now, they can't afford much more than $5 million a year, and that is with a backup goalie in the $1 mil to $1.5 mil range and Kaapo getting a bridge deal of $2 mil to $2.5 mil a year for a few years. It would help if they can find someone to take the ridiculous contract Drury gave to Patrick Nemeth, otherwise they can do a buyout and take the cap hit later on, which will hurt when Lafreniere and Miller get their next conracts.

Let's say they don't sign a 2C and decide to reuinte Kane and Panarin, that would put Chytil in the 2C spot. ... except Chytil is a possible piece (I think they'd give him up) in a Kane trade. It still puts the Rangers about $5 million over the cap with Kane's contract.

One thing I feel with near certainty. There isn't a chance in hell that Alexis Lafreniere is included in a deal for Kane. Same goes for K'Andre Miller. I am not sure about Braden Schneider, but I will be pissed if they include him for Kane.

Maybe Filip Chytil or Kaapo Kakko, except Chicago seems to have zero interest in building blocks, they look like they are trying to start from scratch with picks. Kakko would make the most sense for the Rangers, they'd just be swapping for a better right winger. The Rangers would happily send Chytil, but swapping him for Kane leaves them even worse off at center than they were, because that means Strome is a goner and they have no money for a 2C. The Rangers have good prospects and if they were willing to part with a first rounder and a lower round pick, too, I can see it getting done that way. I also think from the trades Chicago has made that is what they are actually looking for.