It's not every day you hear that an NHL team is both prepping for the postseason and preparing to stand pat at the trade deadline, but such is life as the 2015-16 New York Rangers. For weeks now, the Rangers have been considered a team likely to "shake up" their core - a core assembled by Glen Sather, but now helmed by Jeff Gorton. Players like Chris Kreider and Keith Yandle have long be considered as possible trade candidates as Gorton tries to transform his very, very good Rangers roster into a great one. But it's starting to sound like Gorton is giving the impression that he's in no rush to make any trades with his team climbing the points ladder.
"I think this about the Rangers. They won again last night. Lundqvist looks great. I think they're all-in for this year. I do," Elliotte Friedman said, while appearing on Calgary's Sportsnet 960 on Monday, via Today's Slap Shot.
"There was a time I thought for sure Yandle was getting dealt. I'm not so sure anymore. I wonder if the Rangers are just going to go and take their chances."
A rumor emerged over the weekend that Kreider's named had popped up in trade talks with the Boston Bruins and, further, that he could potentially be dealt in exchange for Loui Eriksson. But after sniffing around, Friedman believes there's little-to-nothing of substance there. And really, it makes sense that the Rangers would want to hold onto Kreider. Yes, he's scheduled to hit restricted free agency next season, but he's a consistent offensive force who has stepped his game up significantly in the postseason for New York.
Over the last four playoff runs, Kreider has collected 18 goals and 31 points. Last year, he potted 7 goals as the Rangers ran through the Eastern Conference field, falling just short of the Cup Final.
A guy like Eriksson, as talented as he may be, has managed just 4 and 2 goals in three postseason appearances, only one of which came with Boston. There are no assurances he'd be able to turn it on like Kreider has.
Yandle's situation is similar, if a bit trickier. He's set for unrestricted free agency and with Marc Staal, Dan Girardi and Ryan McDonagh already on big money, long-term deals, and Kevin Klein signed through 2017-18, it won't be easy to keep Yandle from bolting.
Flipping him now will allow the Rangers to get value for him instead of just letting him walk in free agency, but it likely also significantly decreases New York's chances of making a serious playoff run.
As with Kreider, Gorton is forced to make a decision whether one final Cup run with his team as currently constructed is better for the franchise than recouping value and/or doing a bit of late season reshaping of a roster that has proven very good, but consistently fallen short of the ultimate goal over the last four seasons.
