The NHL standings may say that the New York Rangers are only the sixth best team in the Eastern Conference, but if you've watched them play at any point in the last month, you'd know that's just not true.
They're young, talented and fast, fast, fast and, assuming the season's second-half doesn't bring some type of monumental collapse or a number of crippling injuries, seem well-positioned to make some serious noise in the playoffs again.
But according to the latest nugget from the NHL rumor mill, the Rangers and GM Glen Sather aren't satisfied with the dangerously able team they've already constructed.
TSN Insider Darren Dreger, appearing on Tuesday night's episode of Insider Trading, revealed that the Rangers are seeking a centerman and could have eyes for Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mike Santorelli.
"They're (Rangers) looking for a centerman and there might be a Leaf connection here. Keep in mind they tried to sign Mike Santorelli as an unrestricted free agent," said Dreger, per NicholsOnHockey.com. "All they had was $1 million, so the Leafs got him at $1.5 million. If things continue to go poorly for Toronto, maybe Santorelli becomes a deadline deal."
The 29-year-old Santorelli has nine goals and 17 assists for the Leafs in a second-line role this season.
The Leafs are riding a five-game losing streak despite having played better overall hockey since firing coach Randy Carlyle and replacing him with interim bench boss Peter Horachek.
Still, with the losses continuing to mount and the Leafs possibly falling out of playoff contention, ESPN's Pierre LeBrun is hearing that teams around the league are looking to "take advantage of the Leafs' situation."
Leafs GM Dave Nonis has, per LeBrun, spoken to a number of teams about deals already but not yet offered anything of real substance.
The expectation though is that a lesser deal or two will come down the pipe before the trade deadline - perhaps a deal involving Santorelli? - and that the major fireworks will go off once the season ends.
