The Rangers are officially over a quarter of the way through the season and so far, it has not been so good. After an incredibly disappointing third period collapse on home ice against the Edmonton Oilers, the Rangers have now lost two in a row, leaving them at a tally of 10-8-4 on the season. That’s four points away from a .500 record which is downright unacceptable for a team who was two wins away from heading to the Stanley Cup Finals five months ago. Understandably, fans have not been thrilled with this team’s performance and rightfully so. However, it’s becoming more and more of a problem the further into the season we get and while consistency and team identity are certainly becoming issues, the concern of whether this current group can fix things is truly a question at this point.
So the question has to be asked, can the Rangers afford to wait until the trade deadline to make a move, or is the time for a change up now? Given the success this team had last season and the goals they set for this season, the plan at this year's trade deadline would once again be for them to be buyers. However with how things are going, Rangers’ management may not be able to afford to wait until March to do something. One of the biggest issues with this team going into the season was their lack of cap space and as a result, the Rangers already lost Dryden Hunt to waivers and have now traded Ryan Reaves to Minnesota. One thing Reaves helped this team with significantly was forming an identity that helped them become the team that went on a deep playoff run last season. With him spending most nights in the press box and now off the team all together, on top of the numerous individual struggles players have faced this season, the team seems to once again be lacking an identity.
On paper, this team should not be struggling as much as they are. Between Zibanejad, Panarin, Kreider and Trocheck, the Rangers have the pieces to put together a pretty strong top six with the kid line at three, and a well balanced fourth line. That just hasn’t been the case thus far. Panarin hasn’t scored in the month of November, Zibanejad hasn’t been able to capitalize as effortlessly on the power play as he has in the past, and Kreider, Trocheck have been streaky and should have more to give. Even at their best, this team really hasn’t blown anyone away in this first quarter of the season and there hasn’t been any signs of things getting better. Injuries leaving Ryan Lindgren and Vincent Trocheck day-to-day are all the more reason for team management to consider exploring opportunities to shake things up and make the team better sooner rather than later.
Problem is, the Rangers don’t necessarily have a ton of room for change. None of Zibanejad, Trocheck, Kreider, Panarin or Goodrow are going anywhere just as Chytil, Kakko and Lafreniere aren’t. The only assets the Rangers really have to make moves with are their draft picks, and Vitaly Kravtsov who is expected to be a healthy scratch for the sixth game in a row. Whether or not Kravtsov is actually on the trade block is unclear but given how his season has gone and how Gallant is currently preferring a lineup without him, it makes more sense to trade him at this point. The Rangers need an improvement on defense, and can benefit from a top six right winger. If this team wants to compete in the playoffs again, they’re likely at their best if they keep the Kid Line together, finding pieces to complement each pair of their top four forwards. In the meantime, moving two of the three kids to the right side of the top two lines can certainly suffice, leaving the improvement of the team’s defensive group the more pressing issue.
In terms of position, it’s clear what the team needs but their problems won’t immediately be fixed by adding to this team. On top of that, they need to trade wisely given their shortage of tradable assets and making moves mid season is never as easy as it is on deadline day. If they’re going to make a move before the new year, they need to ensure that the player they are acquiring is either going to make them significantly better off the jump, or is someone that can spark this team in the locker room. That’s not to say that the Rangers need an enforcer type of player to play the role that Reaves did, but they do need someone that can play with heart and fire this team up. While the last thing this team needs is another role player to take ice time away from the kids, a Tyler Motte type of player would certainly be in the conversation for what this team could use.
A guy like Justin Williams would be a great example of the kind of player the team can use right now but unfortunately for the Rangers, there just aren’t many players of that caliber available right now, especially at Right Wing. Part of what makes trading at this point in the season so difficult is many teams are still trying to decide where they fall and if there is any chance of them making a run at playoffs. As I scroll through Cap Friendly in attempts to find players that could be a good fit for the Rangers, many of them are either on team’s that likely aren’t looking to sell players for picks, or are rival teams the Rangers tend not to often make trades with. Christian Fischer, is one name the Rangers should begin to put feelers out for. The late-twenties right winger has only played with the Coyotes throughout his career and from what many people in the hockey world have said, he’s a great player off the ice. While he’s not a guy the Rangers should want to add for their top-six, he is a guy that could provide a spark for this team that could have some upside with a change of scenery.
On the back end, Seattle’s Carson Soucy could be a nice improvement for the Rangers back end and could complement the type of player Braden Schneider’s becoming very nicely. The ongoing battle between Libor Hajek and Zac Jones is all fun and games until the team hits rock bottom and is out of a playoff spot. While Jones can and should have a very bright future in the NHL, we’re twenty games in and he hasn’t secured a consistent spot in the lineup. Trade Hajek, send him to Hartford, whatever you have to do, this team isn’t going to get very far without an improvement on the back end.
There’s still the Salary Cap to keep in mind and because of it, trading for a Carson Soucy or pretty much anybody not on a league minimum or two way deal would be pretty difficult but again, with how this team has performed so far, can they afford to wait? They play the Devils tonight, who have lost a small handful of games this season and have some upcoming match-ups that can pose as threats. If this team doesn’t have their overdue wake up call, we could be truly panicking come Christmas. Tonight is going to be a huge test for this team and could very well be the final straw if things don’t go well. Whether or not they’re up for, will remain to be seen.
Chris Feldman
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