With a 1-4 road trip over, have the general manager Jeff Gorton and the New York Rangers decided to rebuild the Blueshirts?
Column. The Rangers are preparing to sell, sell, sell, and that means McDonagh, Nash, Zuccarello, Grabner. https://t.co/CQHMjl9pBn via @nypostsports
— Larry Brooks (@NYP_Brooksie) January 26, 2018
The New York Rangers have had their struggles all year, but with a horrible West Coast road trip that resulted in the Rangers slipping out of a playoff position, it appears the time has come, dare I say, for a Blueshirt fire sale?
Larry Brooks of the New York Post dropped a bombshell on Friday as he wrote that many New York Rangers, upcoming unrestricted free agents, and players still under contract, are all possibly on the market.
Column. The Rangers are preparing to sell, sell, sell, and that means McDonagh, Nash, Zuccarello, Grabner. https://t.co/CQHMjl9pBn via @nypostsports
— Larry Brooks (@NYP_Brooksie) January 26, 2018
“The Blueshirts, we’re told on good authority, view the Feb. 26 trade deadline as a unique opportunity to refresh the roster and replenish the organization, regardless of where the club stands in relation to a playoff spot.”
The Rangers have never been the team to look more to the future than to worry about the current lineup. The team has always worked on the concept that they could fine tune their current lineup and make a late run towards the playoffs and a Stanley Cup Final. Now it appears that the future is more important and any player can be dealt. This is a huge development in Rangerstown. Could the Rangers be willing to trade Mats Zuccarello or Ryan McDonagh? Would they ask the King, Henrik Lundqvist, for a list of teams he would consider going to play for?
Rick Nash would have to be asked for a 12-team list in order for him to be moved also, but for the other potential unrestricted free agents Michael Grabner, Nick Holden, David Desharnais and Ondrej Pavelec, they could be dealt without any restrictions. The Rangers could have a much different identity come the Feb. 26 trade deadline.
The Rangers appear to be willing to listen to offers for Zuccarello and McDonagh now cause they have high value and teams won’t have to be concerned about their contract status until the end of next season. Gorton would be able to get a lot of draft picks and players, especially for McDonagh.
It is all in the hands of the Organization now, but fans should be prepared because a blockbuster trade is in the process of happening.
