by James DeBerardine

I know it’s early in the season, but people are beginning to ponder what moves could or should be made that could improve the overall quality of the team. Of course we don’t what injuries or trades will occur over the course of the season; so disregarding these, here are 5 hypothetical trades that could help the Rangers if they are still in a funk come Christmas. Keep in mind the Rangers have approximately $5 million in cap space that they can utilize. Enjoy.

Trade 1:
To the Rangers: Patrice Bergeron, 3rd Round Draft Pick 2009,
To the Bruins: Artem Anisimov, Marcel Hossa, Nigel Dawes, 2nd Round Draft Pick 2008,
Analysis: Jagr has yet to find a center he likes since Nylander’s departure, Bergeron plays a more European style of play and Jagr may benefit from this.

Trade 2:
To the Rangers: Alexei Kovalev,
To the Habs: Nigel Dawes. 2nd Round Draft Pick 2008
Analysis: Kovalev is considered one of the greatest Russians ever, however he has been having personality problems with the coaches he has had recently. But playing under Renney, who allows his European stars more freedom in play style may bring back his former glory years, a line of Kovalev ‘ Drury ‘ Jagr is intriguing at the very least.

Trade 3:
To the Rangers: Marc-Andre Bergeron, 4th Round Draft Pick 2009,
To the Isles: Lauri Korpikoski, Andrew Hutchinson, 3rd Round Draft Pick 2008
Analysis: This is the trade I feel most strongly about, Bergeron has all the tools that make up a premier offensive defenseman in today’s NHL: speed, a great shot, a great outlet pass, good ice vision, and a physical edge. All this comes at a minimal cap hit and I don’t see either of the two guys I propose giving up developing much under our current system.

Trade 4:
To the Rangers: Stu Barnes
To Dallas: Greg Moore, David Liffiton,
Analysis: Provides veteran leadership and someone who has played a lot of playoff games. Also anchors the PK unit so Renney does not have to use his more offensive forwards in this role.

Trade 5:
To the Rangers: Francois Beauchemin, 2nd Round Draft Pick,
To Anahiem: Nigel Dawes, Lauri Korpikoski, Andrew Hutchinson,
Analysis: The Rangers need blue line help that is for sure. Beauchemin is a very good defensive defenseman who plays a physical style; plus he has contributed offensively so far this season, 5 points in 12 games.

In conclusion, the Rangers may have their flaws, but they are few and far between. The core of the team is already set, and the only thing that we are really lacking is a solid defenseman. While 2 of these trades would remedy this problem, the others are just speculation on what would work best and improve our overall depth and standing. We certainly have a lot of prospects on both ends of the ice clamouring for a shot at the NHL level, which allows us a couple of chips to deal if we wanted to make some other moves.

I hope you enjoyed my speculations; I’m not trying to be Eklund and claim I have connections to every GM across the league; just thinking what would be a good fit here in New York.

Lets Go Rangers!