With the All-Star break upon us, the New York Rangers sent three players to Hartford and could trade Ryan McDonagh.
Roster Moves
Teams are sending players that don’t need to go through waivers to the AHL to practice and get some playing time while the big clubs are off for the NHL All-Star break. The New York Rangers have done this, announcing via Twitter that Tony DeAngelo, Vinni Lettieri, and Peter Holland have been sent down.
OFFICIAL: #NYR have assigned defenseman Tony DeAngelo and forwards Peter Holland and Vinni Lettieri to @WolfPackAHL.
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) January 26, 2018
DeAngelo, the puck-moving defenseman who was acquired with the pick used on Lias Andersson for Derek Stepan and Antti Raanta, has three assists in 12 NHL games this season. He has two goals and 13 points with the Wolf Pack this season.
He was recalled from Hartford after Kevin Shattenkirk was injured, and has two assists in four games since coming back. He is likely to be recalled after the break.
Lettieri was signed as an NCAA free agent last season after playing at University of Minnesota. He scored in his NHL debut against the Detroit Red Wings and has one goal and four points in his first 10 NHL games.
However, he has only produced one assist in his last five games. The shoot-first winger has 12 goals and 21 points in 32 AHL games this season.
Peter Holland was acquired from the Montreal Canadiens for Adam Cracknell on Nov. 30. He has two assists in six games for the Rangers this season, and 35 goals with 83 points in 249 total NHL games.
He has five goals and 14 points in 16 games with the Wolf Pack this season, with AHL totals for the year of 13 goals and 33 points in 36 games.
Rangers could be sellers
Larry Brooks of the New York Post reports that the Rangers could be sellers, potentially moving Ryan McDonagh and Mats Zuccarello in addition to obvious trade candidates such as Rick Nash and Michael Grabner.
Of the four, McDonagh would come as the biggest shock to be traded. The captain has produced 24 points in 45 games, despite spending most of his ice time towing a Nick Holden-sized anchor. He’s signed through next season at an absolute steal of $4.7 million per year.
Zuccarello is also signed through next season, with a cap hit of $4.5 million. The diminutive winger has eight goals and 37 points in 49 games.
Nash, whose contract expires at the end of the season, has 15 goals and 25 points in 50 games this season. Grabner has 21 goals and 26 points in 49 games. This is also the final year of his contract.
Other Rangers News, Stories
- Brandon Spreckels writes for ESNY about what the Rangers could get for Kevin Hayes in a trade.
- ESNY’s Dominick Renna of ESNY takes Alain Vigneault to task for benching J.T. Miller against the Ducks.
- ESNY’s Frank Curto writes about the need to move on from Vigneault.
- Joe Fortunato of Blueshirt Banter talks about the need to rebuild, as this roster isn’t good enough to get Henrik Lundqvist a Stanley Cup.
