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Yandle's Rights Head to South Beach for 2016 Pick and 2017 Conditional Pick |
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The Rangers tear down of their 2015 roster began Monday by trading the rights to future unrestricted Keith Yandle to the Florida Panthers for a 2016 sixth round draft pick and fourth round pick in 2017 if he signs with the Panthers. Given what we have seen to date with the Frederik Andersen going to Toronto for the 30th overall pick and 2017 second round pick and rights to Jimmy Vesey dealt to Buffalo for a third rounder, expect the next three days to be insane. Rumors already as to possible destinations for Rick Nash, including SJ, Nash, Mtl and Ana, have sprouted up on the web with more possible deals likely to occur.
Florida is looking for a puck-moving d-man and might have gotten the best available on the free agent market before he hits there in Yandle. With Brian Campbell possibly gone, Yandle would potentially become a top-pair d-man alongside Aaron Ekblad. One other twist has Campbell staying and Dimitri Kulikov and his $4.33 mil salary going elsewhere. It remains to be seen as to what Yandle gets in a deal, but rumors of six years at six-mil plus have been tossed around for a while.
New York acquired Yandle, Chris Summers, who was selected 29th in 2006, and a 2016 4th rounder in exchange for John Moore, Anthony Duclair, a second round pick in 2015 and a first-round pick in 2016. The cost in terms of players and picks was high but NY was in the all-in mode, viewing Yandle as the puck-moving defenseman the team needed to take that next step. Yandle was the team's best d-man in the playoffs, but it wasn't enough as NY fell to the Lightning in seven games. He was a high-risk, high-reward player who struggled at times in AV's system of quick passing rather than carrying the puck out of the zone. In addition, AV failed to give him the minutes he deserved, deciding to go with other less talented players. But, when on the ice, we also saw the high skill level Yandle possessed, especially in his ability make the first player miss and trigger the attack in the offensive zone.
The problem was the cost. Dealing the first - again - was hard enough but also parting with the teams best offensive product bordered on insane. When NY struggled to score and needed an infusion of youth. Duclair was in Arizona rather than Broadway. However, if you think Yandle was the missing piece, then by all means you have to go for it. That was the case then, not so much this year in the free agent signings along with the Eric Staal trade. The Rangers were fooled into believing they were a contender despite the advanced metrics and eye test that showed it not to be the case. In doing so, they decided to keep and not move Yandle at the deadline. I admit, I was one of those who didn't want him moved and felt a run could be forthcoming, but didn't like the Staal at the time. The thought process of dealing was proven as accurate, and now the return is a sixth rounder plus a conditional pick, which is in line with what Alex Goligoski brought back fto Dallas rom Arizona.
By holding onto Yandle, what they received is basically the best they could get. I would have loved more but that was not to be the case here based on the market. What looked to be a promising future in 2014 and 2015 dissipated quickly last season and now have become a mere memory. The defense still needs to be rebuilt and your second best defenseman now may be playing for a conference rival. Moves made in the past, which may have made sense there, depending on your view, has restricted keeping Yandle or acquiring Kevin Shattenkirk, who wants to be in NY.
GM Jeff Gorton has his work cut out for him in what can be viewed as a reclamation project. The lack of assets and cap necessitated the Yandle deal, even though many of us don't like it. That's a first step. Clearing other dead weight is the next one, made more difficult by the need to not only remain but become even more competitive. Finding takers for Nash or Staal or Girardi won't be easy. Finding takers willing to give much of value will be even harder. Failure to move one or three will draw the ire of the fanbase and also may mean that 2016-17 will be a season where NY aims for the Wild Card, nothing more. But it's easy to say in retrospect those original deals and signings shouldn't happened. Yes, I know the advanced metrics predicted all these signings were mistakes. Maybe that is the case and NY must be better in obtaining and using that information. What we can see is the Yandle trade is likely the first of what will be a crazy week.
Jeff Gorton's plan - if one exists - still remains to be seen.
New York Rangers Blogger • 
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