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OFFICIAL: #NYR have recalled Connor Brickley from @WolfPackAHL. pic.twitter.com/n7lfSFc5vN
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) February 14, 2019
Quinn says Georgiev goes again tomorrow in Buffalo. Unsure if Brickley will play, or they go 7 D again. Also, Claesson not quite ready; Howden hasn’t started skating, but making progress. #NYR
— Brett Cyrgalis (@BrettCyrgalis) February 14, 2019
Updates from #NYR Coach Quinn:
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) February 14, 2019
-Namestnikov took a puck to the face during practice & left the ice but isn’t expected to miss any time.
-Claesson is “a lot closer to playing” but will not be in the lineup tomorrow.
-Georgie will be in net vs. the Sabres.
“I loved our energy today. I loved our mood today. Loved our work ethic balanced with having fun. Probably as energetic of a practice as we’ve had in a long time.”
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) February 14, 2019
Coach Quinn’s thoughts as #NYR hits the road for Buffalo. pic.twitter.com/m1ZnnDunOP
NYR getting good action on Zuccarello. Could go for a second rounder and a prospect perhaps. If the return on Kevin Hayes is soft, I could see NYR keeping him and trying to sign him. McQuad will go for at least what they gave up: 4th and 7th rders https://t.co/ngXvrZMBmU
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) February 14, 2019
What is the market for big-name rentals like Kevin Hayes and Wayne Simmonds going to be at the #TradeDeadline?@FriedgeHNIC names some teams with interest heading into the playoffs. #NHLTonight pic.twitter.com/uXlN2PpQ4k
— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) February 14, 2019
Bold NHL Trade Deadline predictions for all 31 teams, including where the top trade bait players will ultimately end up. Please congratulate me when my Pelican Brief-like revelation of the @GoldenKnights plans comes to pass. https://t.co/odm19QDgli
— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) February 13, 2019
The Rangers trade someone with term left. Yes, Kevin Hayes, Mats Zuccarello and Adam McQuaid are gonzo as pending free agents. But the Rangers dip a little deeper into roster for the rebuild and trade away a player with additional contract years. The hockey world hopes it's Chris Kreider. It'll probably end up being Vladislav Namestnikov.
Cap considerations: Ryan Strome, with one year remaining on his contract at $3.1 million, can be bought out at a one-third rate. A buyout would bring a cap charge of $433,333 next season and $533,333 in 2020-21, so you better believe the center is playing for his job on Broadway.
The laid-back Hayes seems to be taking this whole thing in stride. Unless negotiations between his camp and general manager Jeff Gorton find some new traction — which is to say, any traction — then it seems like the 26-year-old free-agent-to-be is the biggest piece the Blueshirts have going into the deadline. It would be a big gamble to keep him through the deadline and hope he re-signs in the summer, but it might be a risk Gorton is willing to take.
Zuccarello, meanwhile, has cleared his head after a conversation with management just over a month ago. His line with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider has carried almost all of the offensive load. Not only has it been the team’s best line but one of the league’s best during this torrid stretch.
It has raised Zuccarello’s value, both externally and internally, which hardly makes the decision to deal him any easier. The same can be said for Hayes, who maybe hasn’t been quite as good since returning from his upper-body injury, but has still been one of the team’s best skaters this season — if not the past three seasons.