On a day where trades seem to be announced every five minutes, someone check on New York Rangers GM Chris Drury to make sure he is awake. The NHL was somewhat turned on its head Tuesday, as deals were flying right and left, shaking up the first round. Following all those moves, New York’s pick in the first round potentially became clearer.
Here is a glance at which players moved in the past week: A wild week to say the least, with two days remaining until the actual draft. More moves would not be shocking.
On the flip side, however, this is where the Rangers stand just two years after a President’s Trophy and run to the ECF. You certainly can state that the team overachieved. But if you go that route, then saying this last two seasons have been ones of disappointment and disheartenment as the organization plummeted into a dark era that shows no quick signs of abatement.
Ottawa Pivots After Tkachuk Deal, Trades With San Jose
Tuesday started with San Jose dealing William Eklund, rumored to be on the block all offseason to date, to Ottawa for the ninth pick. The Senators flipped the pick they acquired from the Panthers in the Brady Tkachuk deal to obtain a solid, top-six winger. With the trade, any illusions that the Rangers could move up from 5 to 2 pretty much all but vanished. The Sharks are almost a lock to take Ivar Stenberg, who was #1 on my board at that spot, replacing Eklund.
In addition, at 9, San Jose may get whichever one of the top-ranked blueliners – Reid, Carels, Smits, Verheoff, or Rudolph – that slips to that pick. If need be, they can package the pick to move up in the draft. Braden Schneider probably no longer has the same attractiveness he may have had to the Sharks.
Caps Get Top-Six Winger
Pivoting quickly after missing out on Eklund, Washington acquired Jordan Kyrou from St. Louis. In the trade, the Blues acquired Connor McMichael (a top-nine forward), prospect Milton Gastrin, and the 16th selection on Friday. St. Louis added to their first-round stockpile, as they currently have four picks in that round. Barring additional trades, the Blues sit with picks 11, 15, 16, and 31, while the Capitals added a top-line winger, making that team stronger.
St. Louis could package picks to move up, and you wonder if New York would be willing to slide down from 5 to acquire additional selections Friday.
Byram To Chicago
After having a few hours to exhale, the bombshell hit. Bowen Byram, a restricted free agent, and Jordan Greenway went to Chicago. Byram getting traded was not a major surprise as Buffalo looked to possibly free up cap room to re-sign Alex Tuch or take a major swing in free agency or in the trade market. The shocking piece was the return.
Chicago dealt picks 4 and 45 in this year’s draft and defensemen Louis Crevier to acquire Byram. What??!! This is the first time in 18 years a team traded a top-five selection. While I like Byram a lot and think he will blossom into a first-pair blueliner in Chicago, trading the fourth overall selection to acquire him seems like a massive overpay, unless he blossoms into an All-NHL player.
Add in the cost of his contract on top of the picks surrendered to acquire him, and you can see why the consensus view is that Chicago and GM Kyle Davidson were fleeced. Needing a top-line winger for Connor Bedard, the Blackhawks pivoted in a direction few saw. A lesson to all based on history: don’t make deals like this with GM Jarmo Kekäläinen.
The first two picks are now basically locks to go Gavin McKenna to Toronto and Stenberg to San Jose. Picks three and four are unsettled. We could see Caleb Malhotra go to Vancouver, and if not, possibly end up with Buffalo. I do foresee Viggo Bjorck as a Sabre, meaning Chase Reid may slide to five to the Rangers.
Drury needs to revamp this team. This starts with dealing Vincent Trocheck. Moving Vinny T to LA seems likely, possibly for pick 17 and other assets. Right now, New York is in the outside looking in with no one really knowing the plan, if one really exists.
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