It won't be easy, but a recent report from ESPN suggests that New York Rangers GM Jeff Gorton is looking to "shake things up" on his roster ahead of the NHL trade deadline.
Per ESPN's Craig Custance, the "sense" from other NHL GMs and personnel men is that Gorton wants to ensure that the Rangers, a team that despite consistently finishing as one of the best teams in the East, hasn't been able to get over the hump, finally take that big step into the Cup finals.
"Watch the Rangers," one source told Custance.
Of course, just what deals Gorton is looking for/at is a mystery. Under Gorton's predecessor Glen Sather, the team repeatedly kicked the can down the road. They don't have a 2016 first-round pick as a result and, as Custance notes, should probably avoid investing sorely-needed draft picks in veteran pick-ups. They also have just about $274,500 in cap space, according to General Fanager.
Gorton could, as most of the NHL is said to be doing, look for some dollar in, dollar out deals, but the trick will be finding a player the Rangers are willing to part with that another NHL team is actually interested in acquiring.
Veteran defenseman Dan Boyle has a $4.5 million cap hit, a no-move clause and "no desire" to leave New York, according to Custance. The 39-year-old blueliner has struggled this season and is at the tail end of his career and likely a player Gorton would want to move if he could. It's unlikely both that Gorton would be able to get much of anything for Boyle or even be able to convince the grizzled vet to accept a trade.
Keith Yandle is a player that other NHL GM's apparently believe could be had "for the right price." His cap hit is less than $3 million and he remains a gifted defenseman. The Rangers acquired Yandle ahead of last season's trade deadline, along with defenseman Chris Summers and a 2016 fourth-round pick in exchange for defenseman John Moore, Anthony Duclair, a 2016 first-round pick and a 2015 second-round pick.
Moving him again would probably garner a decent haul, despite his limited offensive production this season. In 36 games, Yandle has managed just one goal.
It wouldn't be surprising to see Sather load up ahead of the trade deadline in an attempt to take a run at the Cup, especially considering the team has fallen short in the Eastern Conference Finals two of the last four seasons and lost out on the Cup to the Los Angeles Kings in 2013-14, but it won't be easy to pull off. The moves of the recent past have left the Rangers in a tight spot, and any player the Rangers bring in is going to have to be matched by money, and talent, going out.
