Breaking down the Rangers’ assets for the NHL trade deadline

The New York Rangers made their plans for the 2018 NHL trade deadline clear Thursday by sending a letter to fans explaining why they’re going to rebuild. There’s no longer any doubt about which way the team will head in the short term, and that means big changes could be afoot in New York over the next few weeks.

There aren’t many teams that firmly look like sellers in the NHL right now, given how many teams are still in the playoff hunt. So the Rangers could be in a strong position to deal. There’s always an overpay or two from a hungry contender before the deadline each year. New York could have several opportunities to make those kinds of trades.

The Rangers don’t have any game-changing players other than goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, which is a big part of why they’re tearing down the roster in the first place. But he’s unlikely to be traded. The 35-year-old has a full no-movement clause and recently told reporters he doesn’t plan on waiving it even if the team rebuilds.

Barring a change of heart from Lundqvist, we can probably remove him from the equation as part of this roster overhaul. The same could go for the bloated contract of Marc Staal, who also has an NMC through the 2020-21 season.

But that still leaves the Rangers with a lot of pieces to consider moving, so let’s break down who could be on the move in the next few weeks. The non-rental pieces could also be available over the summer if the team doesn’t like the offers it receives this month. All salary cap data is provided by Cap Friendly.

Forward Rick Nash — $7.8 million cap hit
Forward Michael Grabner — $1.65 million cap hit
Defenseman Nick Holden — $1.65 million cap hit
Goaltender Ondrej Pavelec — $1.3 million
Forward David Desharnais — $1 million cap hit
Forward Cody McLeod — $800,000 cap hit
Forward Paul Carey — $650,000 cap hit

The big fish here is obviously Nash, who recently had to submit his 18-team no-trade list upon the team’s request. That leaves the Rangers with 12 teams that the highly paid winger can be traded to without his permission.

Nash was one of the league’s premier scorers a few years ago, but he’s slowed down recently. Over the past two-plus seasons, he’s recorded just 100 points in 181 games while taking in one of the highest cap hits in the league.

There’s still goal-scoring ability in the 33-year-old, who has 16 goals in 54 games this season. But the Rangers may need to retain salary to maximize their return given their market is already limited by his no-trade list.

Grabner and Holden also could appeal to other teams as more affordable rentals. Grabner is a speedy forward who can be fairly one-dimensional, but that one dimension is pretty good considering he’s scored 48 goals in 129 games with New York. Holden is a defensive defenseman who could slot into a team’s rotation and eat up minutes.

Defenseman Ryan McDonagh — $4.7 million cap hit through 2018-19
Forward Mats Zuccarello — $4.5 million cap hit through 2018-19

These are arguably the Rangers’ two biggest pieces because they’re good players in their primes who are signed beyond this season. The team doesn’t need to trade either one this month, but both were specifically named in the New York Post’s report on the team’s plans to blow up its roster.

It might take a big offer to pry either one loose, but it seems like these two could land New York its biggest returns. If the team wants to rebuild, neither of these players will be around for the next great Rangers team, so it might as well start fielding offers to see if anyone knocks its socks off.

Zuccarello leads the Rangers with 38 points, and McDonagh leads the team with 23:55 ice time per game, so they’d be huge losses. But they could also help add some major assets to the organization through trades.

Forward J.T. Miller — $2.75 million cap hit
Forward Kevin Hayes — $2.6 million cap hit
Forward Jimmy Vesey — $925,000 cap hit

All three of these players have played big roles for New York over the past couple of years to mixed results. The team has to make decisions on each of them as restricted free agents this offseason, so it’s possible it could prefer to trade one or more of them for other assets rather than commit to new contracts.

Miller, 24, would likely be the most valuable of the trio given he’s on his way to a second straight 50-point season, but Hayes’ size and two-way game would likely appeal to other teams as well.

The Rangers don’t need to trade any of these players, but they’ll surely listen to offers if other teams are interested.

Defenseman Marc Staal — $5.7 million through 2020-21
Defenseman Brendan Smith — $4.35 million through 2020-21

Two of the Rangers’ worst recent moves were the lucrative extensions for these two defensemen. Smith already was placed on waivers by New York Thursday, so there’s a small chance that he’s already gone in 24 hours. However, it’s unlikely anyone claims him given his contract, so the more likely route to his departure would require the Rangers retaining salary in a trade.

Staal has a full no-movement clause, as noted above, so finding a way to move him would be even more difficult. He may be willing to waive it now that the team has waved the white flag on the short term. But other teams probably won’t have much interest in a struggling third-pairing defenseman who has a $5.7 million cap hit for until 2021.

Forward Peter Holland — $675,000 through 2018-19
Defenseman Steven Kampfer — $650,000 through 2018-19

Neither of these players will likely be worth much to other teams, but they could all be moved in minor deals before the trade deadline if the Rangers see fit.

Defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk — $6.65 million through 2020-21
Forward Mika Zibanejad — $5.35 million through 2021-22
Forward Chris Kreider — $4.625 million through 2019-20
Forward Jesper Fast — $1.85 million through 2019-20
Forward Pavel Buchnevich — $925,000 through 2018-19
Forward Vinni Lettieri — $925,000 through 2018-19
Defenseman Brady Skjei — $925,000 through 2017-18
Defenseman Neal Pionk — $925,000 through 2018-19
Defenseman Anthony DeAngelo — $863,333 through 2018-19

The Rangers don’t have many great skaters to build around, but these seem like the eight who the team likely would prefer not to move. Other than Shattenkirk, who has a full no-movement clause, they’re all players age 26 or younger whose contracts don’t break the bank. Kreider is also out right now after undergoing surgery to treat a blood clot in his right arm.

You can imagine situations where other teams would make offers the Rangers couldn’t refuse, but these aren’t pieces that the team will likely shop around.

Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist — $8.5 million through 2020-21

As we explained above, this probably won’t happen. There’s a good chance he’s a Ranger for life.