For as much as the Edmonton Oilers were left on a high following a 6-2 win over the New York Rangers Saturday night, the same can’t be said for the team who rolled into Rogers Place that night.
The Oilers dismantled the Rangers with ease, racking up goal after goal, and now, it’s apparently sent New York into a tailspin, opening up the possibilities of a big trade.
Among the names the Rangers are apparently are considering trading are that of veteran winger Chris Kreider and Jacob Trouba, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported Monday morning, while “other options will be considered.
In the aftermath of their 6-2 loss in Edmonton on Saturday, the Rangers have made it very clear they are interested in making moves and shaking up their roster.
Among the names indicated are Chris Kreider and Jacob Trouba, although other options will be considered.
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) November 25, 2024
The Blueshirts aren’t in all that bad of a position heading into the new week, sitting with a 12-6-1 record and a .658 points percentage. But in a stacked Metropolitan Division that’s seen teams like the Washington Capitals and New Jersey Devils surge to start the season, the Rangers find themselves in a Wild Card position.
For a franchise that always has high expectations, this is far from where they want to be at this point in time. It doesn’t help that they’ve truly been a team showing two different sides. In their dozen wins, they’ve outscored teams 48-15, but in their seven losses, they’ve been outscored 25-17.
The Rangers sit with $2.45-million in cap space Monday morning, according to PuckPedia, and clearly have some decisions to make.
Kreider, 33, has three years remaining on a deal paying him $6.5-million, but has had an odd start to his season, to say the least. He’s racked up nine goals in 19 games, pacing him for 39 over an 82 game season, but those are the only points he has on the year. Zero assists. The Rangers are also doing a much worse job of driving play with him on the ice at even strength, controlling 45.3 percent of the shot attempt share, 48 percent of the scoring chance share, 43 percent of the expected goal share and 45 percent of the actual goal share, outscored 11-9. Once somebody who drove play at a rate above that of a high-end first line centre two seasons ago, his impact is now closer to that of a third-liner, according to Hockey Viz.
Trouba, 30, also has term and money on his deal left, with two remaining years and $8-million owed per season. He’s never been a consistent point producer, despite some spike seasons like the 2018-19 campaign in Winnipeg where he racked up 50 points, but he’s still on pace for a modest 26 points, having scored six assists in 19 games this year. His underlying numbers have also never been tremendous, but the Rangers are outscoring opponents 20-17 at even strength with him on the ice, with a 57.6 percent expected goal share. HockeyViz has his impacts, however, at that of a low-end third-pairing defenceman.
Trouba’s also no stranger to trade talks, having made trade requests in the past and also appearing on Daily Faceoff’s Trade Targets last spring.
Whatever moves the Rangers consider or make need to take into account goaltender Igor Shesterkin’s long-term plans, with the 28-year-old set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. He’s coming off a four-year, $5.67-million contract and is due for a raise that will, by all accounts, double what he’s earning. he’s more than worth it, as since that contract kicked in, he’s been one of, if not the best goalie in the league, with a 117-48-15 record, .920 save percentage and 2.42 goals against average.
If things continued to sour in New York, and Shesterkin indicated he may not want to remain with the franchise in the long-term, they would have to consider moving him ahead of the trade deadline to ensure they don’t lose value on him as an asset to their organization.
Of the three, Shesterkin would far and away be the player the Oilers would covet most, adding an elite, superstar goaltender to an already stacked roster. The only problem? The cost would surely be astronomical, likely needing to include multiple high-end draft picks and prospects in return.
Depth forwards like Filip Chytil, and Kaapo Kakko could fit into what the Oilers are looking for, as could defencemen like K’Andre Miller or Braden Schneider.
Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist, making up one-half of the DFO DFS Report. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.
