I haven’t delved into my opinion on the way the Rangers stumbled through this season or the reasons why it went down like it did. With that said, let’s begin to approach all things Rangers this summer from back to front. Let’s take a look at five moves – most of which would be controversial to some degree, to some fans – that could help the Rangers ‘rebuild on the fly’ (p.s. this is such a hockey term, no?).
Let’s do this one move per day for the next few days shall we?
Move #1: Trade Kevin Hayes
Kevin Hayes is a very talented player. Kevin Hayes had a strong rookie season. Kevin Hayes wasn’t deployed properly last year. Kevin Hayes has *sick* playmaking skills. All true. But… Kevin Hayes also has question marks around his work ethic, his defensive game and Kevin Hayes is one of a handful Rangers that aren’t guaranteed major roles moving forward that could still fetch a strong return.
The Rangers probably don’t really know what they have in Kevin Hayes yet, especially given that they probably are still unsure of his best position, and moving him could really haunt them down the road but trading Hayes is more about attending to other positions of need than it is about one talented, inconsistent young forward whose ceiling his hard to gauge.
If the Rangers are truly committed to JT Miller, Chris Kreider & Mats Zuccarello in their top six, and they decide to stick with Rick Nash then there is no space on the wing in the top six for Hayes any time soon. If “saviour” Pavel Buchnevich becomes what the Rangers hope (and let’s face it here, need) him to be, then things are even looking ominous for Hayes in a top nine capacity on the wing. In short, as a winger Hayes is arguably a luxury.
You’re thinking center aren’t you? Again, unless the Rangers make an unexpected about-turn on either Derek Stepan or Derick Brassard there’s no way Hayes gets into a top six role as a center any time soon and Oscar Lindberg is a viable 3C option. This is all without considering that the team looks for top nine F help externally this summer.
With a probable roster shake-up on the horizon Hayes figures to face even more competition before we even discuss the short to mid term merits of any current prospects in the system. Once again, does this make Hayes a luxury on a cap -strapped team or is he enviable depth every contender needs? Or both?
We don’t need to delve too deeply into the mess that the Rangers defense has become. Just know that that’s exactly what it is, a mess and it needs help. Enter Hayes. Kevin Hayes is a 6’5, 24 year old former first round draft pick with an already solid body of work to his name, a 45 point rookie season, with 22 playoff games under his best, about to be on a bridge contract and who can play multiple positions. His ceiling is also pretty high albeit difficult to determine. You don’t think the Rangers couldn’t generate a market for Hayes?
The Rangers need to decide the following: a) can they afford to pay Hayes? b) is he worth keeping as depth? c) Can he outgrow his peers (i.e. Miller & Kreider)? Or is he d) best parlayed into assets in a trade to help the problematic blueline?
Whether its draft picks, prospects or established NHL talent; even allowing time to remove my Rangers rose tinted (aka homer) glasses for a few seconds, surely Hayes would fetch the Rangers a solid return, even after an underwhelming second year in the NHL.
If the Rangers are comfortable with their top six then Hayes is the most moveable, yet still attractive (and importantly to teams looking to buy, cost controlled) commodity they have on the current roster and hey, you have to give to receive.
Trading Hayes helps the Rangers take a leap forward, if the return is right. It’s a move the team should consider.
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