Daniel Carcillo Trade: A Deeper Look At The New York Rangers Most Recent Trade
A closer look at the Carcillo move.
Where were you when you heard the news? You know, the news that the New York Rangers shuffled a 7th round pick to the Los Angeles Kings for Daniel Carcillo. Me? I was in a furniture store, checking Twitter when I saw (and then subsequently confirmed) the report.
I, like many of you, initially panicked. What was the point? What was the thinking? Was this a solution? Was this really what the Rangers' brass thought was a problem that needed fixing?
And then I relaxed a little. Took some deep breaths. I listened to Alain Vigneault's comments and the team's reasoning and the move came a bit more into focus.
This is not a true solution, or at least not a solution to help the Rangers' real issues. Obviously the Rangers' brass (and Vigneault is a part of this too) thought the Rangers needed more toughness. So they made a move for Carcillo to play on the fourth line. This wasn't a move to replace Derek Dorsett, who was injured against the Pittsburgh Penguins, this wasn't a move to bring in a player who could provide an offensive spark and this wasn't a move to alleviate the Rangers' issues with consistency.
What this move signifies is the Rangers' true lack of toughness with Dorsett out. I refuse to believe face-punching players (or enforcers) create space for the skill players on the team. If you really believe that Rick Nash isn't scoring because the Rangers don't have a guy like Carcillo on the roster, well ... I don't have a joke for that. Or even a witty comment. Just ... no. That's now how it works.
But what Carcillo can do is bring some toughness to a team that has none of it. Look, I don't like him. You probably don't either. He has a loooong list of offenses that will make you cringe. I still haven't forgotten the Marian Gaborik incident. He has a dirty past. It is what it is.
However, he's definitely an upgrade in terms of toughness when it comes to Arron Asham or Micheal Haley. And he's more of an NHL player than the latter, too.
So what is this move? Well, it's nothing really. It's the Rangers addressing a need (toughness) for a low cost. It's a low risk move.
The Rangers are making moves forward. And while this move doesn't help any of the team's real problems, it does seem as though the team is in agreement that they need to do something. I wouldn't have made this move if I was the general manager, but I'm not the general manager, so it is what it is.
And right now it's nothing more than a nothing move. So be it.
