Rumor: Trading For Stastny or Spezza Rangers Plan B If No Richards; Is Either The Answer?

Free agency is just 10 days away and the stories that surround the New York Rangers all revolve around Brad Richards and the chase to lure him to Broadway.  Stories either revolve around what it will take to bring Richards to New York or what the alternatives are if he goes elsewhere.  Today’s story revolves around the alternatives as according to Steve Zipay at Newsday, people familiar with the Richards situation say that the Rangers will turn to trading for Paul Stastny or Jason Spezza if they fail to secure the former Dallas Star.

The Rangers also could try to deal for a center (Ottawa's Jason Spezza or Colorado's Paul Stastny) if they believe they will be outbid by Los Angeles for top unrestricted free-agent target Brad Richards, people familiar with the issue said.

Does Rising Salary Cap Floor Make Wade Redden Trade Possible?

With yesterday’s reporting that the NHL salary cap for the 2011-12 season could rise to $64 million dollars much of the focus was on what it means to the Rangers immediate cap space to keep their restricted free agents and chase Brad Richards this summer.  The most intriguing thing about the cap announcement might be the increase in the cap floor to $48 million from the previous $43.4 million during the 2010-11 season. 

The reason that the rise in the cap floor is so interesting as there are a few teams out there that have tremendous amounts of cap room and not a lot of guys to sign that will make big dollars.  Various teams fit into this kind of situation, but two of the most obvious are the Florida Panthers who have hardly any payroll committed for next season, $18.3 million, and the New York Islanders who have payroll checking in at $36.8 million but have already 17 players under contract.

Both of these teams will add salary when they bring up high draft picks who have high incentives on their entry level deals.  Beyond that however neither team is known for attracting free agents to their club because of bad teams and ownership that has been unwilling to spend more than what is absolutely necessary.  The options on the table for them would be to overpay free agents so they can reach the salary cap floor, which they can afford, or become a de facto clearing house for bad contracts that other teams are looking to unload. 

Those factors lead to thoughts that were unthinkable in that the Rangers might have a way to rid themselves of Wade Redden by trading him to one of these teams that needs to add to their cap figures.  The Rangers obviously would get nothing of value in return for Redden and might have to sweeten the pot with a pick or prospect to get another team to take on the salary.  As maligned as Redden was for his play with the Rangers during his first two seasons on Broadway, he would still be an NHL defender if his salary were half of the $6.5 million he makes. 

With the work that Redden did in Hartford mentoring the Rangers defensive prospects, a young team in search of some leadership and teaching skills could have interest in dealing for him to help their young players as well as hit the cap floor.  If you are a rebuilding team like Florida who can obtain more assets to the rebuild (pick(s), prospect) and the veteran leadership to mentor the young players just for taking his salary to get in compliance with the floor of the cap, you might just do it.

Yes, it is still crazy to think Wade Redden could actually get dealt, but the financial requirements for teams to have payroll at $48 million makes the idea a little less impossible to believe.  Rangers’ General Manager Glen Sather has worked his trade magic before, which only adds to the hope that he could do it again with Redden.  Players like Mike Komisarek or Brian Campbell would be more likely to fit the bill of overpaid player to pump the cap floor that can contribute to more on the ice than Redden can, but more than since the day he signed the six-year, $39 million deal with the Rangers there is hope that the rising cap floor could force someone to take him on.

Rumor: Nikita Filatov Available For Low Return; Worth Game For Rangers?

The ability to acquire talent is something that every team must consider when the opportunity presents itself.  On natural talent alone, few if any prospects in the game today can match Nikita Filatov of the Columbus Blue Jackets.  Filatov was selected 6th overall in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, but has failed to live up to the potential that made him be chosen that high over the past three years. 

The frustration with Filatov has gotten to the point where Aaron Portzline of The Columbus Dispatch speculated yesterday that Filatov could be had for as little as a fourth rounder or a middle-prospect.

And then there's Nikita Filatov, who is quickly running out of time to prove his NHL worthiness. If the right offer is made - a fourth-round draft pick, a middling prospect or an aged veteran - Filatov will be sent packing.

Filatov is not the first high pick to fail to make it from the Columbus organization and the question becomes whether the issue is with him or how they develop players.  The answer is probably that blame exists on both sides of that equation.  Should the Rangers take the gamble and deal for Filatov if he is available?

There is a reason that a player of Filatov's talent is potentially available at this kind of price and that is mainly about maturity and effort concerns.  When you are the Rangers and the identity of your team is built around effort, it is certainly an issue because Filatove could quickly end up on the bad side of coach John Tortorella.  The other side of that equation however is the price tag that Portzline is speculating, which makes the gamble that it could work intriguing.  While he does not fit the mold of players the Rangers have shaped the team around and there are questions as to whether he can make it in the NHL, if you can trade from the massive defensive depth in the minors to acquire a talent like this, then the gamble is something worth doing.

A deal for Filatov would allow the Rangers to bring in a first round talent, at wholesale prices, and hope that their system is able to get the most out of the talent.  This is not trading a young, solid defender for Zherdev from a few years ago, but it is somewhat similar to dealing for Wolski as the discount price made the potential reward very intriguing.  There is no talk of giving up a piece that likely ever makes it in the NHL for the Rangers.  Trading from a position of strength, like the Rangers defensive prospects, in order to gamble on elite forward talent, which the organization lacks, is a smart move.  The comparison between the upside and downside to a move like this is a no brainer as while Filatov may has holes in his game, and may never reach his potential, the reward far outweighs what the team is risking.