Rangers' Trade Deadline Tiers: Summer Problems

Welcome to the final tier. The tier of really hard decisions, both because I think Rangers GM Chris Drury is going to have to game out the future, but also, in one case, because a player legally needs to agree with him to move on.

You all know one of them is Mika Zibanejad. So for all of you free subscribers, I will give you a small taste of what is ultimately a very lengthy thought on the subject. As for the others, I think you might be surprised by at least two of the names here, including one who isn't on the team right now.

Anyway, let's just jump in.

Mika Zibanejad

Yeah, you all knew he was leading this off.

I could write a million words about Mika Zibanejad, what he meant to this team, what he represented for a very long time, and what he's currently become. I speak about this a little on the 19th episode of the podcast this week, but Zibanejad's legacy is going to be tarnished by the past two years. And that's a shame.

It also doesn't really change where we are right now, and why there is a desperate need for him and the organization to part ways.

If you're a new fan, Zibanejad has a full no-movement clause until 2029, which means he cannot be waived, traded, or sent down to Hartford without his literal expressed approval. The Rangers can buy him out, but because his contract is so heavily laden with signing bonuses the cap relief for the Rangers would be less than $750K.

You have seen the very worst of Zibanejad this year, and for an about-to-be 32-year old with a contract that runs through 2030 at $8.5 million per year, that should be enough evidence to tell you that you need to get out from under that burden. Even with his small renaissance the past two weeks—part of that at RW1—you need to believe the evidence he's shown you about himself the past 20 months. There is a firm line in the sand that I think Drury also understands where Zibanejad becomes untradeable if his struggles continue. You can't buy him out and you can't send him down. The risks overwhelmingly outweigh the rewards.

When the J.T. Miller trade happened without Zibanejad going to Vancouver, it became clear this problem was being punted to the summer. Very few teams can afford to take Zibanejad's contract on in the middle of the year without major work, and Zibanejad would need to agree to go there anyway. This summer allows Drury to really open this up to A) more suitors around the league who have talked themselves into believing they're contenders and, more importantly, B) time to make it clear to Zibanejad he is not part of the plans and get him to waive his NMC. How will Drury do that? And why should the team financially separate from Zibanejad with the direction they're going in despite a rising cap?

Let's talk about it after the jump.