Four New York Rangers veterans who are currently being targeted by this Atlantic Division team
Photo credit: Blueshirt Banter
The New York Rangers are 7th in the Metropolitan Division and need to reshape the lineup if they hope to remain in the playoff hunt. With recent news of dissent in the ranks, could moves be happening soon? GM Chris Drury hasn't shied away from trading key pieces before.
The Rangers are sitting 7th in the Metropolitan Division, with a 16-17-1 record in the NHL.
GM Chris Drury could seek to improve the lineup by re-tooling the team, through trades and moving assets recently acquired.
With the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Rangers being trade partners before, who could the Lightning target to improve their own lineup?
The New York Rangers have placed lifer Chris Kreider on the trade-block, and GM Chris Drury never walked it back.
The Lightning could benefit from someone like Kreider who is a lethal presence in front of the net, as he's worked his magic scoring goals on deflections. Gritty forwards like Kreider could improve the Lightning's already great power play.
In 2021-2022 the veteran forward scored 52 goals, while he scored 39 last season. This year his production has declined as he's only scored 12 points( 11 G, 1 A) in 30 games.
While Kreider has struggled to produce offensively this season, he still generates shots at a high rate. According to NHL EDGE, he ranks in the 85th percentile in shots with 80 and the 87th percentile in high-danger shots with 29. Even at 33, Kreider still has some speed in his game. He has recorded six 22+ mph bursts, which rank in the 91st percentile, while his 66 20-22 mph bursts rank in the 86th percentile.
With his recent scratch against the New Jersey Devils, the speculation is rising that GM Chris Drury could move the 33-year-old next.
Alexis Lafreniere
Last season Lafreniere scored 57 points( 29 G, 28 A) and like his teammates has been in a slump. Despite the strong start to 2024, he only has 14 points( 5 G, 9 A) and a -15. While he signed a hefty $52.15 Million deal recently, his cap hit now is a manageable $2.3 million and could fit under the Lightning's salary structure.
The move would let the New York Rangers clear cap space, and give him a fresh start while recouping assets for a forward who failed to live up to his draft selection.
Jimmy Vesey & Matt Rempe
The Lightning could add Jimmy Vesey to their bottom-six which is lacking in depth as they're currently relying on Mitchell Chaffe and Mike Eyssimont on the RW3 and RW4 positions.
Last season as a bottom-six forward he scored 26 points( 13, 13 A) and has failed to produce that clip again this year.
He could prove to be a solid two-way player on a team who are a regular playoff contender.
The Lightning could benefit from Matt Rempe, who could be developed by Jon Cooper properly. The move could take the spotlight off of the enforcer whose primary focus has been acting as a tough guy, instead of being properly developed as a top-six forward with opportunities on special teams which we saw him succeed at with the Hartford Wolfpack.
With the lifting of the roster freeze on Saturday the 28th, it'll be interesting to see where GM Chris Drury shifts his priorities and if major trades are on the horizon.
Previously on NYRangersInsider
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 26 | 1936 ANSWERS Four New York Rangers veterans who are currently being targeted by this Atlantic Division team Should GM Chris Drury trade any of the New York Rangers listed below? | ||
| Jimmy Vesey | 724 | 37.4 % |
| Matt Rempe | 368 | 19 % |
| Chris Kreider | 709 | 36.6 % |
| Alexis Lafreniere | 135 | 7 % |
| List of polls | ||
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