Does J.T. Miller Change The Rangers Trade Deadline Plans?

Is this team back?

It's a simple question that the Rangers fan base is seemingly asking on an every-other-night basis at this point. I don’t think it’s worth spending too much time debating whether or not the Rangers are “back.” I’d suggest it’s pretty fair to say we know what this team is at this point and what they should do regarding the trade deadline will likely differ from what they plan on doing. Nevertheless, it is worth questioning if the big acquisition of J.T. Miller changes the Rangers plans of how they approach the deadline. 

It’s quite clear that a trade like that shows that this organization is looking to get back into the playoff picture and will hope to be competitive in the process. It’s also pretty evident that this team isn’t done. The J.T. Miller trade also brought them an additional defenseman in Erik Brannstrom who, similar to Zac Jones, is extremely capable of playing full-time NHL minutes. Factor in the Ryan Lindgren of it all, and the Rangers not only have a surplus of defenseman, but are now a bit short on centers, with the departure of Filip Chytil in the Miller trade and the decision to play Mika Zibanejad in the wing. This is true not just at the NHL level, but throughout the organization. Remember, the Rangers also just traded Ryder Korczak (a center) for Lucas Edmonds (a winger). 

Given that shortage of center depth, the Rangers could look to bring on yet another center to play a third line role—an idea that has been floated by the New York Post's Larry Brooks as something they could seriously be considering. 

As Brooks suggests, it doesn’t really make sense for the Rangers to spend big on a pure rental and, to be honest, there’s a case to be made that the center position isn’t even their most pressing need. You could always put Zibanejad back at center, bump up Sam Carrick from the fourth line, or give Bo Groulx a look at the NHL level. Unfortunately, Adam Edström, who is a natural center, won’t be an option as he’s at risk for missing the rest of the regular season with a lower-body injury. 

Nevertheless, there’s no question if the Rangers want to make the playoffs and improve this current roster, there are two major areas that need to be addressed: a true top pair defense partner for Adam Fox and a third line center. 

It bears repeating that the Rangers are not in a good enough position to consider spending draft picks and certain prospects on pure rentals like they have in years past. They are, however, in a position to consider some true hockey trades and have the assets to potentially pull one off. Here at Blueshirt Banter, we’re all more or less in agreement that players on expiring contracts such as Ryan Lindgren, Reilly Smith, and Jimmy Vesey are not integral pieces to this team now, in the playoffs if they get there, or long term. While it likely would be wise for them to try and sell them for high draft picks or prospects, the Rangers could also consider moving them for players other teams are open to trading. 

As mentioned earlier, the Rangers have Zac Jones and Eric Brannstrom, both NHL caliber players, on the depth charts behind Ryan Lindgren, and that’s not to mention Matthew Robertson or Connor Mackey. Oh, and Chad Ruhwedel? Still here too! The Rangers don’t need all of these players in a depth role and frankly, if they want to be better, they need an upgrade from Ryan Lindgren. I would love to believe there’s still a place for Zac Jones on this team long term but it feels pretty clear that ship has sailed. Both Lindgren and Jones should be on the table for potential trades when it comes to acquiring a center, a defenseman, or both. 

When you factor in Reilly Smith and even Jimmy Vesey, you have the pieces to potentially put together a larger trade to pick up both a center and a defenseman in one deal. With Zibanejad now on the wing and Arthur Kaliyev still in the conversation, Smith becomes a little less essential to the bigger picture. While the Rangers might be running out of use for these players, they are all names that other GM’s across the league would surely have interest in.

With that, let’s look at some one-stop-shopping options for the Rangers to potentially acquire both a third line center and a defense partner for Adam Fox.