MARLBORO, NY – On Wednesday I really noticed that my nighttime television viewing centers on one thing and one thing only… hockey! It was an epiphany of sorts since there was nary a game to be broadcast this night in question. I couldn’t even find a college game and felt annoyed. Fu Puck Heads like myself in the metropolitan New York area are spoiled to have three NHL teams and when we miss a night it leaves a great void. Today, I’m here to opine on NHL Trades Rumors and the Rangers and a rumored trade being bandied about with the still red hot Boston Bruins.
It appears that the Blueshirts top defenseman Ryan McDonagh is on the block and will be part of the Rangers reboot. Apparently, he is willing to move to two teams: the Tampa Bay Lightning (where all former Rangers seem to land) and my beloved Boston Bruins. Both of these teams sit atop the Atlantic Division separated by three points with Boston having three games in hand and creates a possible bidding war for McDonagh’s services.
Word has it the Rangers are asking for Boston’s second pair defenseman Brandon Carlo, a big body who logs major minutes, is a lock down blueliner but offers little in the way of offense. In addition to the 21 year-old Carlo, the Rangers want can’t miss prospect Trent Frederic and a first-round draft pick.
If the Bruins go for this I’ll be extremely surprised for a number of reasons. McDonagh, 28, has played a lot of hockey. When you throw in all those grinding playoff games and that he has been a scratch in the last three Rangers games with an upper body injury, the signs are he may be starting to physically break down. Signed through 2019, he’ll be looking to cash in on a new contract. But Boston will have to start paying their own talent and may not – and shouldn’t – “rent” McDonagh for this post-season run plus one year. Carlo is the big chip in this trad,e but in two years he’ll be paired with Charlie McAvoy to set up the Bruins for years at defense and historically the Bruins have always been built from the blueline on out.
Frederic was deemed to be a reach where he was drafted in the first round of the 2016 draft but has shown to justify the lofty selection while competing and producing in international play and at the college level. The Bruins are very deep at forward in the AHL and have other prospects knocking on the NHL door like Ryan Donato who, like Frederic, is untouchable in trades. There are plenty of other choices to entice the Rangers but with Carlo being the main player in this trade I just don’t see the Bruins willingness to move him.
Boston’s first round pick will be a late one so that isn’t much of a problem to holding up any trade. The Bruins have been the NHL’s hottest team since mid November when injuries subsided and the young players got their feet wet and possibly feel adding a piece for a Stanley Cup run is unnecessary. Team chemistry is an aspect management may not want to tinker with as they have recently stated. Getting into a bidding war with rival Tampa Bay means upping the pay return for the Rangers but the asking price for McDonagh is way too high. Ain’t gonna happen Rangers fans!
