Who’s in and who’s out of post-deadline lineup?
It’s not a matter of if the Rangers will be adding new players prior to Friday’s 3 p.m. trade deadline – it’s just a matter of who.
The expectation among multiple league sources who spoke to lohud.com, part of the USA TODAY Network, is that team president Chris Drury will acquire at least two forwards and maybe even a depth defenseman, with bidding currently in the final stages for one of his targets, Seattle center Alex Wennberg. Those negotiations could come to a conclusion at any moment, with the Boston Bruins and Colorado Avalanche believed to New York’s primary competition. A complicating factor could be retention on Wennberg’s $4.5 million salary, with the Rangers hoping to have enough space leftover for other moves.
That’s because they’re also on the prowl for a top-six right winger, with Pittsburgh’s Jake Guentzel the ideal candidate and Anaheim’s Frank Vatrano next up on their wish list. They’ve expressed serious interest in both, according to multiple people with knowledge of the situation, who noted that the asking prices are quite high (especially for Guentzel, whose going rate is believed to be a first-round pick and multiple young assets). Drury strongly prefers not to part with any of his active NHL players (that includes Kaapo Kakko) or either of his top-two prospects, Brennan Othmann and Gabe Perreault, which could force him to pivot to lesscostly options.
While the clock is ticking for the Blueshirts to determine which available players best fit their needs (and how much they’re willing to give up for them), they also have to decide who from their current roster deserves to be in their playoff lineup. Head coach Peter Laviolette has used the same 12 forwards in all eight games since Blake Wheeler’s season-ending lower-body injury, but that streak will end by the time they play their next game Saturday at 7 p.m. against the visiting St. Louis
Blues.
Let’s examine the players on the bubble and analyze who’s in the best position to stick after the deadline. There’s a good chance only one of the following three will make the cut.
Jonny Brodzinski
The versatile forward’s breakthrough at 30 years old has been a feelgood story, earning him a well-deserved two-year contract extension
last month. But while the one-way deal ensures he’ll make the same salary whether he’s in the NHL or AHL, it doesn’t guarantee a spot in the lineup.
Brodzinski has cooled off following a six-points-in-seven-games stretch from late-January into mid-February, with no points in his last seven. In fact, the third line as a whole has slowed down lately, leading Laviolette to drop Brodzinski to the fourth line for Monday’s 4-2 loss to the Florida Panthers.
In what could be perceived as a sign of what’s to come, the 6-foot, 204pounder has gone back-to-back games logging less than 10 minutes time on ice after eclipsing that number in each of the previous 17. His xGF has also dipped under 50% (48.97%, according to Evolving Hockey) after an extended stretch above that dividing line.
Whether it’s Wennberg or anyone else, it’s highly probable a new center will arrive to replace Brodzinski on the third line. And if a right wing is acquired to play in the top six, the 3RW spot will likely go to Kaapo Kakko.
The question then becomes whether the Rangers view him as a fit on their fourth line. That will depend on the type of skill set Laviolette wants in that role. Brodzinski brings speed, an aggressive shot and a high work rate, but he can’t match the size and physicality of a couple rookies.
Adam Edström
If Laviolette prefers to go the big route, then Edström has a real chance of sticking.
The 6-foot-7, 234-pounder, along with fellow rookie Matt Rempe, has added elements that this Rangers’ lineup was previously lacking. His size and reach are obvious pluses, but there’s more to it than that. He moves very well for a man of his stature, with teammates already gushing about him as one of the better skaters on the team. And while Laviolette hasn’t completely taken the training wheels off yet, with the 23year-old averaging just 8:25 TOI through 11 games, there’s growing organizational belief that he’s a plus defensive forward with the potential to play a shutdown role.
Lastly, it’s impossible to overlook the ramped up physicality since Edström and Rempe were recalled last month. The Blueshirts were averaging 23.25 hits per 60 minutes at the time and 31.53 in the 10 games since, with their line providing an obvious jolt by hammering opponents on the forecheck and using their big bodies to cause havoc around the net.
That’s the kind of hard-to-playagainst spirit the Rangers have been seeking for their playoff lineup, and while Rempe has quickly captured the attention of the hockey world (more on him in a moment), Edström is considered further along in his all-around development.
Matt Rempe
This may not be what most fans want to read, many of whom have showered the 6-foot-8 rookie with love every time he touches the ice at Madison Square Garden, but logic points to Rempe as the first man out once a deal is made.
Just look at his usage, with a minuscule average of 5:01 TOI through his first eight games. Part of that is due to a whopping 39 penalty minutes, but it’s also been clear late in games that Laviolette
prefers to keep one rookie in the rotation (Edström) while playing the other sparingly (Rempe).
The 21-year-old has made significant strides and arrived at the NHL level quicker than anyone anticipated, but he’s still rough around the edges. He has to polish his game on both ends of the ice and continue learning how to use his size and aggression without spending too much time in the penalty box.
With all of that being said, the energy he’s brought to the lineup, the locker room and fan base is undeniable. Rempe is fearless − and it’s about more than just dropping the gloves against the NHL’s toughest enforcers. The fights have added a don’t-mess-with-us vibe to the team, but his eagerness to stick his nose into the fray and not back down from any challenge has been contagious. And while he doesn’t move quite as well as Edström, he’s still shown the mobility and length to close quickly and eat up chunks of ice.
A quick glance at the analytics reveals that Rempe’s 55.01% xGF towers over Edström’s 38.4%, but it’s hard to put much stock into such a small sample size. The bigger gauge will be which rookie has earned more of Laviolette’s trust, and he still may decide to play Brodzinski over both of them.
Some may be wondering about a much larger body of work from veteran Barclay Goodrow that’s resulted in a disappointing 39.04% xGF. It’s a valid concern, but it’s hard to imagine the Rangers removing a two-time champion before three depth players who began the season in the AHL. That will be more of a question for the offseason, not in the middle of a playoff push. Such a bold move would come with a real risk of disrupting locker-room chemistry, with Goodrow still bringing enough value as a penalty killer, faceoff man and gruntwork artist to justify a place on the fourth line.
As for Rempe, even if he becomes a healthy scratch or gets sent back to AHL Hartford, that doesn’t mean the Blueshirts can’t use him in a pinch. If a situation arises where they need to infuse the lineup with toughness, inserting him will be a sure-fire way to send that message.