The New York Rangers have entered the All-Star Break in a strong position as they find themselves atop the Metropolitan Division with a two-point gap on the second-place Carolina Hurricanes. While the All-Star Weekend wasn’t expected to be busy as teams take a break and try to get refreshed for the second half of the season, it was exactly the opposite. It started with the Calgary Flames trading Elias Lindholm to the Vancouver Canucks for a massive package including Andrei Kuzmenko. That was followed up by the news of the Los Angeles Kings relieving Todd McLellan of his duties as head coach, and the Montreal Canadiens trading Sean Monahan to the Winnipeg Jets.
With three big names off the board now, the Rangers will still be looking to make the right moves to help themselves make a strong push for the Stanley Cup. There are still plenty of names that will be available to the Rangers leading up to the trade deadline and in this article, we will look at three players that the Rangers could still acquire.
Nic Dowd – Washington Capitals
The Rangers’ adding some depth up the middle would be ideal, and one name that could become available is Washington Capitals’ forward Nic Dowd. Dowd is a 33-year-old centreman from Huntsville, Alabama who stands 6-foot-2, 196 pounds, and was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the seventh round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft at 198th overall. He is a strong two-way player who has been a massive part of the Capitals’ bottom six since joining them in the 2018-19 season.
The Capitals may try to make a push for a playoff spot over the next couple of weeks, but if they find themselves on the outside looking in before the trade deadline, they could look to sell off some assets. Dowd will be a player whom plenty of teams inquire about as he provides a ton to a team’s depth chart. He is in the second season of a three-year contract worth $1.3 million so he is a very affordable asset, even for teams who are struggling to find cap space.
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At the time of this article, Dowd has scored 65 goals and added 75 assists for 140 points through 474 games which comes out to a 0.30 points-per-game average. While his offensive game doesn’t stand out by any means, any team looking to add a strong defensive forward should be looking his way, and the Rangers should be all over him. A deal for Dowd would likely look like the Rangers acquiring Dowd in exchange for a prospect and a third-round pick, as the Capitals will likely be aiming to build for the future should they choose to sell assets.
Anthony Duclair – San Jose Sharks
If the Rangers are looking to add some scoring to their bottom six, the San Jose Sharks have a forward in Anthony Duclair who could provide just that. He is a 28-year-old left-shot forward from Pointe-Claire, Quebec. He was drafted by the Rangers in the third round of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft at 80th overall after a solid season in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) with the Quebec Ramparts where he scored 20 goals and added 30 assists for 50 points through 55 games.
This season, Duclair has scored nine goals adding eight assists for 17 points through 46 games. The Sharks are lining up to be one of the bottom two teams in the league this season, so selling assets makes perfect sense. He is one of several players they may look to move, and the Rangers should consider a reunion with him this season. They have been struggling to find consistent offensive production from their bottom six forwards, and he could be a solution to that problem.
A trade for Duclair likely looks like the Rangers acquiring him in exchange for a prospect and a second-round pick. While there is always the possibility of retaining salary to maximize the return, the Sharks will likely not be looking to do so. They only have one retention slot left so having them retain would require the Rangers to overpay, and that’s not something they’ll want to do.
Jake Guentzel – Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jake Guenztel is another player the Rangers could consider acquiring. He is likely going to be a rental for the Rangers should they choose to inquire about him, and while it seems as though contract negotiations between the Penguins and Guentzel have gone cold, there is still a chance they rekindle their relationship and get an extension finished. He was listed at number 15 on the TSN Trade Bait List back in January and with players above him being traded and no extension news coming out, the likelihood of a trade has increased.
Guenztel has been electric throughout his career. This season, he has scored 22 goals and added 27 assists for 49 points through 46 games. Throughout his entire career, he has scored 219 goals and added 244 assists for 463 points through 499 games which comes out to a 0.93 points-per-game average. A trade between the two sides likely looks like Guentzel being moved to the Rangers, with an extension attached, in exchange for Barclay Goodrow, Kaapo Kakko, Matthew Robertson, a 2024 first-round pick, a 2024 fifth-round pick, and a 2027 second-round pick.
The Rangers will continue to enjoy their break as they have one more day off before they play the Colorado Avalanche on Monday (Feb. 5) as they look to have a strong second half of the regular season. They currently sit atop the Metropolitan Division and are hoping to stay there into the postseason, so hopefully, they make the right moves and can make a strong push for a Stanley Cup.