Recently Vincent Parise of Puck Prose published an article of who he believes the New York Rangers must move on from.
While the Rangers are strong playoff contenders, there is always something that can be done to improve the team.
Parise suggests that the Rangers move on from their entire kid line, Alexis Lafreniere, Kaapo Kakko, and Filip Chytil. Each one is young and still developing but with the Rangers' top six being so loaded, none will ever get a true shot and will have their development stunted.
This is a difficult question to ask as each one still has an incredibly high ceiling. Chytil is currently the best of the trio and locked up for another four seasons but he also has the lowest ceiling amongst the three.
Lafreniere has the highest ceiling being a former first overall pick and having the capability to still be a 100-point player if he is given the right environment to develop. If the Rangers trade him, they would run the risk of trading away a superstar but they would also stop the bleeding if Lafreniere truly is a bust.
Finally, Kaapo Kakko is in a sweet spot in the middle. He is looking primed for a breakout year next year and could reasonably score 30 goals next year. His solid frame is also something that nearly guarantees that he will be an NHLer for a long time but maybe not as the star he was drafted to be.
At the end of the day, if the Rangers trade any of these players it would be for an immediate cup run but in trading any, they run the risk of being burned on the back end.
Seen first on Puck Prose - 3 players the New York Rangers should trade ASAP
POLL | ||
Which should the Rangers trade? | ||
Lafreniere | 25 | 48.1 % |
Kakko | 4 | 7.7 % |
Chytil | 4 | 7.7 % |
None | 19 | 36.5 % |
List of polls |