A Look at the Trade Market As Rangers Need a Shakeup
As the Rangers’ inconsistency becomes impossible to ignore, attention turns to a thin trade board, limited assets, and a handful of imperfect—but plausible—options if New York decides it has to do something.
Even as the New York Rangers continue to play jump rope on the line of hot and cold, it’s as clear now as it’s been all season that this team—as currently constructed—does not have what it takes to be considered a serious threat in the Eastern Conference. As we addressed in last month’s roundtable, the Rangers probably should be looking to sell more than anything but given what we know about how this team operates, the chances of that are rather slim.
Regardless of the direction Chris Drury wants to go with this team, it’s becoming painfully obvious that something needs to change, and hopefully the recalls of Gabe Perreault and Brennan Othmann help that. At the same time, nights like their outing with Vancouver Canucks are growing intolerable, and if they can’t get the best out of this roster then they need to find a way to shake things up.
I’ve been, as many folks have, a big believer that this trade market is in a bit of a tough situation. Up until the Quinn Hughes blockbuster that took place last week, it really felt as though teams were not looking to make changes ahead of the Olympic break. Of course now that Hughes has been moved and many teams had their tails wagging about that possibility—Rangers included—the chances of more moves taking place certainly increased. Sure enough, a pair of significant trades have already been made.
Chris Johnston of The Athletic had released a second version of the NHL’s trade board. On that list, were 32 names (Mason Marchment and Phillip Danault have since been traded), and with Brennan Othmann coming in as the lone Ranger at 31. There aren’t many names on this list that come as a surprise, nor are there many options that would directly benefit the Rangers.
Still, if Drury is on the hunt for a trade, these are some of the names that could be the most realistic options available. Of the 32 names Johnston lists, here are five of the best fits for the Rangers and what it might cost them.
(Author's Note: I had originally constructed this list before the holiday roster freeze took place at the start of the weekend. My top target for the Rangers was Seattle Kraken forward Mason Marchment, who has since been dealt to the Columbus Blue Jackets. This has a bit of a cascading effect on the rest of the list seeing as it seems that Columbus is a team that's buying—at least for now.)
Toronto Maple Leafs - Matias Maccielli
Listed in the number 11 spot on Johnston’s list, Matias Maccielli was acquired by the Toronto Maple Leafs over the summer as they began to navigate a retool. The 25-year-old winger was a fourth round pick by the Arizona Coyotes in 2019 and had a pair of strong seasons there before the team moved to Utah. His game dropped a bit after the move which resulted him being dealt to Toronto over the summer for a conditional third.
An offensively skilled forward, Maccielli has been regarded as extremely underrated, despite falling out of favor with the Leafs current coaching staff. In 247 career games, Maccielli already has 140 points, which in itself is pretty remarkable—especially with regard to the team's he played for. In just 23 games played in Toronto this year, he put up four goals and six assists for ten points. The problem is, the Leafs are one of the biggest disasters in the league right now, and he hasn't been able to act as a solution for them. He's spent weeks as a healthy scratch and just hasn't seemed to click under Craig Berube's system.
What Would It Cost the Rangers?
Considering that he's not even playing for the Leafs on a nightly basis, I can't imagine Toronto would get anything more than what they gave up to get him in the first place. If the Leafs paid a conditional third round pick, perhaps the Rangers start the conversation with a fourth and see where it goes from there. Maccielli is in the final year of a three year deal with an AAV of $3.425 million. The Rangers might have to shed some cap space of their own to make the money work, unless the Leafs end up retaining some salary. They could also include Jusso Parssinen to help make the money work.
With the Leafs falling off a cliff, they become a very intriguing trade partner for the Rangers in many respects. A skilled playmaker like Maccielli could work for them, especially on a line with Artemi Panarin. Additionally, there are more depth players in Toronto that could help the Rangers, as there are higher end talent. Depending on how deeply the Leafs want to tear things down, they're a team Chris Drury and the Rangers should absolutely remain in touch with. We'll have more trade content, specific to the Rangers and Leafs coming soon so I won't get too into it now but Maccelli would certainly be a good start to the conversation.
