New York Rangers Quarter Century All Trade Deadline Team

Editor's Note: The National Hockey League is honoring the best players of the last 25 years by presenting a Quarter Century Team for each NHL club. The New York Rangers Quarter Century Team is scheduled to be released on Saturday, January 26. Blueshirt Banter will be presenting our own Rangers Quarter Century Team on Friday, January 25. We'll also be presenting a few other versions in a Rangers Quarter Century Team series, starting today with this All Trade Deadline Team.

When you’re a big market team like the New York Rangers, it’s rare that you’re not in the conversation when it comes to trade deadline time. As we kick off our Rangers Quarter Century Team series, we’re going to take a look at who makes our All Trade Deadline Team.

Now, a couple of ground rules regarding the criteria to be considered as a trade deadline acquisition. While the player didn’t necessarily need to be acquired on trade deadline day, they did need to be acquired the same calendar year as the official trade deadline. So, for example, if a player was acquired in the winter of 2013, they wouldn't be considered a trade deadline acquisition for 2014. Impact and longevity are certainly considered but with most of these players being pure rentals, the overall quality of player will also be a big factor. 

With that, let’s get into it! 

First Team: 

LW: Jaromir Jagr

C: Derick Brassard

RW: Martin St. Louis 

RD: Kevin Klein

LD: Keith Yandle 

G: Mike Dunham*

Jaromir Jagr

The Rangers acquired one of the greatest players of all time just 23 days into 2004, straight up for Anson Carter. On the one hand, you could file Jagr under examples of the Rangers acquiring players past their prime, as he was 31 when he joined the Rangers. But on the other hand, Jagr went on to spend another decade in the NHL and is still playing professional hockey to date, hence his absence from the Hockey Hall of Fame. On top of that, Jagr averaged close to a point-per-game in his 31 games with the Rangers the year he was acquired and went on to average 96 points across the next three seasons. This is weighed heavily by his 123 point campaign in 2005-2006, which set a number of Rangers records, but was just the third best season of Jagr’s incredible NHL career. 

To this day, Jagr holds the Rangers all-time record for most goals in a season, netting 54 in the 2005-06 campaign that finally got the team back in the playoff picture. Although it ended in a first round exit, Jagr helped carry the Rangers out of the early-2000s dark ages. And while he would spend the next three seasons in the KHL, the Rangers continued to make the playoffs during that time. Chris Kreider has been the only Ranger since to come anywhere close to Jagr’s franchise leading 54 goal season, potting 52 in 2021-22. While Jagr's impact with the Rangers was short, he’s without question one of the most notable trade acquisitions in franchise history. That top line with him, Michael Nylander, and Martin Straka was such a fun one and the start of brighter days on Broadway. 

Derick Brassard

The Rangers definitely took a gamble with their decision to trade Marian Gaborik, who at his best was as good of a top line right winger as you could envision. However, John Tortorella was not happy with Gaborik, specifically with his efforts in previous playoff runs. Thankfully, the Rangers were able to get back a respectable haul in Derek Dorsett, John Moore, and, of course, Derick Brassard when Gaborik was shipped to the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2013. Brad Richards was already starting to decline, which made acquiring another center a good idea. That decision paid dividends for the Rangers as they bought out Richards just two seasons later and Brassard became a huge playoff performer in the heart of their deep playoff runs in the mid 2010s’. All three players acquired in that deal were not only valuable, but helped the Rangers get more important players and assets down the road, including Mika Zibanejad when Brassard was sent to the Ottawa Senators. Which, recent problems aside, is still the biggest Rangers trade steal of all time. 

Brassard was responsible for some truly significant playoff moments in Rangers history and was a consistent playoff contributor between 2013-2016. Across 59 playoff games in New York, Brassard registered a total of 18 goals and 26 assists. His chemistry with Mats Zuccarello helped anchor the Rangers offense throughout his tenure and made for some truly memorable moments for Rangers fans across the last quarter century. 

Martin St. Louis

The term blockbuster gets thrown around a lot when it comes to describing big trades but the Ryan Callahan for Martin St. Louis swap of 2014 was about as blockbuster as it comes. The Rangers were competing to be one of the top team’s in their division in the 2013-14 season and to help solidify themselves as true Cup contenders, they went out and got a future Hall of Famer who had done it before in Martin St. Louis. While he would only go on to play a season and a half in New York, St. Louis was responsible for some of the most exciting playoff moments in team history and was a key part of the team that went on to win the 2015 Presidents’ Trophy. 

If you’ve been a fan of this team for the last quarter century, you’re likely recalling Marty’s famous Mother’s Day goal which came just days of his own mother’s passing. Truly one of the most special moments in Rangers history across the last 25 years and to this day, and one of my fondest memories as a fan. 

Keith Yandle

Going back to that Marian Gaborik trade, the Rangers went on to flip defenseman John Moore to the Arizona Coyotes (formerly Phoenix Coyotes, formerly Winnipeg Jets, and now Utah Hockey Club; seriously, what are we doing with this franchise?). At any rate, the Rangers attached Anthony Duclair, a lottery-protected first-round draft pick in 2016 and a second-round pick in 2015 to acquire Chris Summers and one of the most prominent offensive defensemen of the time, Keith Yandle. Again, this is another move that given the context, you make nine times out of ten (although probably should have made that first rounder a conditional pick). 

Yandle remained a Ranger for the following season, where the team was bounced in the first round by the Pittsburgh Penguins, who went on to win the whole thing. The Rangers moved on from Yandle the following season which was just the start of what eventually became the era of “The Letter." Nevertheless, there’s no question that Yandle was one of the most talented and exciting trade deadline pickups for the Rangers blue line. 

Kevin Klein

Fun fact: I had a fish in the early 2010s’ that I named Zotto. Needless to say, I was bummed when they traded Michael Del Zotto 1-for-1 with the Nashville Predators to bring in Kevin Klein. However, Klein went on to be a pivotal piece to some of the most enjoyable seasons Rangers fans have experienced in the last quarter century. He was a trustworthy two-way defender you could rely on in your own end but could contribute offensively at the same time. Klein would score 22 goals and 50 assists across four seasons with the Rangers. One of his most memorable moments came in an outing with the Pittsburgh Penguins about a decade ago when he lost a chunk of his ear yet went on to score the game-winning goal in overtime. 

Mike Dunham*

I’m technically breaking my rule here because Mike Dunham wasn’t a trade deadline acquisition. He was an “oh crap, Mike Richter’s hurt" acquisition. Very rarely in Rangers history did the team ever have true goaltending problems. Frankly, the only problems they’ve ever faced were having too many capable starting goaltenders. This was most definitely not the case during the dark ages of the early 2000s’. Mike Richter had blown out his knee and was never the same after that. Dan Blackburn, a personal childhood favorite of mine, was supposed to be goalie of the future but dealt with freak injuries of his own that brought his career to a premature end. This resulted in the Rangers having to go out and acquire Mike Dunham from the Nashville Predators.

Not only did Dunham not help the Rangers much, but they gave up Tomas Kloucek, Rem Murray, and the signing rights to a prospect by the name of Marek Zidlicky, who very well could have been the right-handed shot defenseman they spent years trying to find. As such, Dunham makes the first team with an asterisk and by default seeing as the Rangers didn’t acquire many goaltenders through trades, let alone the trade deadline.

Second Team: 

LW: Pavel Bure

C: Andrew Copp

RW: Vladimir Tarasenko 

RD: Sandis Ozolinsh

LD: Tom Poti

G: Steve Valiquette

Pavel Bure

Oh, what could have been. When most Rangers fans hear Pavel Bure, their first thought is likely the famous penalty shot in the 1994 Stanley Cup Final that Mike Richter saved to help his team go on to break the curse and hoist the Stanley Cup. However, in the Spring of 2002, the Rangers went out and spent a bundle of assets — Filip Novak, Igor Ulanov, a2002 1st round pick (#10-Eric Nystrom), a 2002 2nd round pick (#40-Rob Globke), and a 2003 4th round pick (#116-Guillaume Desbiens) — to acquire the Russian Rocket from the Florida Panthers just a few years after they nearly landed him in free agency. Despite a solid impact from Bure, the Rangers went on to finish the season three positions out of the Eastern Conference playoff race. Still, this trade wasn’t completely illogical considering Bure was still in his early thirties and could potentially be a key part of the Rangers moving forward. Unfortunately, he would suffer a knee injury in the 2003 preseason that became the start of an injury ridden campaign with the Rangers that eventually put an end to his great NHL career. 

Andrew Copp

Honestly, of all the trade deadline shopping the Rangers have done over the years, fewer acquisitions have hit the mark as much as Andrew Copp. The Rangers needed center depth behind Mika Zibanejad heading into the 2022 playoffs. Not only did they need center depth, but they needed players that fit the mold of what quantifies a productive playoff performer: grit, experience, adaptability, and, of course, good vibes. On top of Copp being a Swiss Army knife of sorts, he’s a guy that had plenty of playoff experience in Winnipeg and was good buddies with then Rangers captain and secret GM, Jacob Trouba. While some of those things mattered more than others, Copp was perfect for the Rangers in the 2022 postseason. While he wouldn’t stick around, it’s hard not to look back on that run fondly which makes it a solid trade for the history books. 

Vladimir Tarasenko 

Perhaps there’s some recency bias with this one but Vladimir Tarasenko was arguably one of the most exciting acquisitions for the Rangers, likely because he’s a player the Rangers should’ve drafted in the first place (Tarasenko was selected six picks after the Rangers took Dylan McIlrath 10th overall in 2010). Nevertheless, Tarasenko was acquired the year after the Rangers went on their surprise run to the Eastern Conference Final, which certainly accelerated the rebuild, to the point where the Rangers not only acquired Tarasenko that year, but Patrick Kane on top of that. Unfortunately, the Rangers fell flat and became a first round exit to the Devils and as a result, Tarasenko became a pure rental.

However, there was a long stretch during the summer where a reunion was still in the cards. Had the Rangers had a bit more room in the salary cap, there’s a real chance that Tarasenko could very well still be a Ranger right now. Alas, Tarasenko signed a one-year deal with the Senators where he was inevitably dealt again at the deadline and won a second Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers. *sigh* Despite the first round exit, trading for Tarasenko (and Niko Mikkola, also now a Cup Champion with Florida, because of course) is a move you make 10/10 times if you’re the New York Rangers. If we’re playing revisionist history, I do think it would have been worth finding a way to get Tarasenko signed to something in the neighborhood of a 3-year deal but, unfortunately, all teams eventually fall victim to the salary cap.

Tom Poti

I will say this about Tom Poti: Between this piece and another project Roberto and I have in the works for you all during the 4-Nations Face Off break, I have grown a greater appreciation for this player who I was quite indifferent about at the time. Again, we’re talking about the heart of the dark ages here, so when I say Tom Poti was once a top-pairing defenseman for the Rangers, that should paint a pretty clear picture of how messy this team was once at the time. The Rangers acquired Poti alongside Rem Murray in exchange for another former favorite of mine, Mike York. Of all defensemen the Rangers have acquired at the trade deadline, Poti was one that went on to stick around longer than any of them. 

Poti spent the next three seasons on Broadway where he registered career highs and averaged close to 32 points a season, which is all well and good, but it happened in the midst of a seven year playoff drought for the organization. Nevertheless, when all was said and done, Poti did his job with the Rangers and went on to retire with 824 games played in his career — a number that surprises me every time I pull up his career stats.

Sandis Ozolinsh

I’m going a bit rogue here with this last one as it’s difficult to narrow down to just four defensemen. The Rangers have picked up some truly elite names at the trade deadline over the years. Of course almost all of them came well towards the end of their careers. That list includes Bryan McCabe, Derek Morris, and Justin Braun. If we’re valuing longevity over name brand appeal, you could even put Paul Mara in the discussion. 

Sandis Ozolinsh may have only appeared in 41 games across two seasons with the Rangers but did help them get back to the playoffs in that first year following a seven-year playoff drought. While injuries got the best of him and resulted in him eventually being waived, Ozolinsh was a highly coveted offensive defenseman who brought valuable experience that included a Stanley Cup on his resume. Only 17 of his 564 career points across his 875 game career came with the Rangers but all things considered, he was worth a third round draft pick and is a legendary player to have suited up for the Blueshirts.

Steve Valiquette 

The back half of the 2003-04 season was a wildly strange transitional period for the Rangers. They brought on Jagr but dealt away the remaining bits of the 1994 legacy in Brian Leetch, and Alexei Kovalev, as well as other notable pieces like Vladimir Malakhov and Petr Nedved. Lost in all this, the Rangers made a goalie swap with the Edmonton Oilers which brought them an integral part of the current MSG broadcast, Steve Valiquette. While Vally’s impact with the Rangers on the ice was minimal, he and Jason LaBarbara made for a strong goalie tandem with the Hartford Wolf Pack. He has since become one of the brightest minds in the sport, doing wonders in the worlds of analytics and broadcasting. While Benoit Allaire may be the official "Goalie Guru", Vally is a close second and was a darn good goalie coach for myself and many others across the state of Connecticut back in the day.

Thoughts on our Quarter Century All Time Trade Deadline roster? Let us know who you think belongs in the conversation in the comments!