It’s no secret that the Rangers are in some desperate need of help on defense, and with rumors constantly swirling, they may be attempting to strike a deal pretty soon. On Sunday, the Rangers had both Gordie Clark and Chris Drury in attendance for the Anaheim Ducks game in Brooklyn, and last night, the Ducks had some of their own personnel taking in the Rangers/Sharks game..
Fast forward to tonight, and once again, Clark and Drury are scouting the Ducks, but this time they were joined by Kevin Maxwell (Director of Professional Scouting). Normally we write off scouts being at games, mainly because it’s just a part of the job, and teams are constantly scouting.
However, things get interesting when teams start to send in their big guns, and it becomes a regular occurrence. Chris Drury and Gordie Clark don’t scout games regularly, so there’s obviously a reason they keep showing up when the Ducks are playing. There is obviously something cooking here between the two teams, but when it comes to who the Rangers are targeting, that’s where things get dicey.
The Ducks need to clear a hefty amount of cap space to re-sign Hampus Lindholm, so a deal for either Jacob Larsson or Josh Mason makes very little sense, unless it is apart of a bigger package. That essentially leaves Cam Fowler, and Sami Vatanen as viable options.
The Rangers have an abundance of forwards in the system, and in addition to clearing space, the Ducks are also very light on the left side of their lineup. So in terms of pieces, the Rangers moving some of their forward depth to bring in a top-four defenseman makes a ton of sense.
The real question is who the Rangers consider giving up, if there is a deal to be made. Would they part with a package that is centered around someone like J.T. Miller or Kevin Hayes to bring in Sami Vatanen?
It’s all speculation at this point, and there’s always a chance nothing gets done at all. But at the moment, there appears to be a ton of smoke surrounding the Ducks and Rangers, so it’s worth keeping an tabs on.