David Pagnotta
of TheFourthPeriod reported via twitter last night that the New York
Rangers were in attendance for the Leafs game against the Bruins. Normally I would think little of that as just
about every team scouts every other team, but since the Rangers do not have the
Leafs on the schedule in the near future it was somewhat curious. Add to that his follow-up which he had this tweet:
Food for thought... same 2 Rangers pro scouts here tonight were here last Tuesday, and 1 was here last Thursday.
That is a lot of time to spend
scouting a team unless you are at least considering some of their players and
with the time in the season it would have to be via a trade. The obvious question at that point becomes
who on the Leafs would the Rangers be scouting and/or looking to acquire in a
trade? The name I can predict pops to
the front of most heads in terms of who the Rangers should go after will be one
that is already in trade rumors; Kris Versteeg.
There is a lot to like about Versteeg as the 24 year old winger has
playoff experience, a championship ring and plays a gritty all-around game with
offensive skill. I said two years ago
that he is a lot like Callahan and we all know how beloved Ryan Callahan is in
Rangerland.
As I said Versteeg is a name that
has been coming up of late in rumors from the likes of Pierre LeBrun to he who
shall not be named. In his story Pierre
LeBrun kept the details vague other than to say that Burke was not shopping
Versteeg but had received a hard offer that caused him to pause and consider a
move he had not planned on making. The
fuzz on the other hand stuck a name on the idea of moving Versteeg, which was
that of Brayden Schenn from the L.A. Kings and if that is the hard offer that
LeBrun is speaking of and Burke did not immediately say yes to the deal he has
lost his mind and should quit or be fired.
There are a lot of good things
about Versteeg as a I referenced before, but if you have a lot of teams seeking
a player it forces a bidding war and you are bound to overpay. With all the good that Versteeg brings also
realize he is not a first liner on a good team, but more of a second or third
liner as he was in Chicago and as Callahan should be. Versteeg is likely a 20-25 goal 45-55 point
guy at his peak and really if the Rangers are going to give up anything legit
you need first line player.
Other guys from Toronto that the
Rangers could be interested in might include Mikhail Grabovski, Nikolai
Kulemin, and always the possibility of Tomas Kaberle.
Grabovski, 26, is a highly skilled
player that has good speed, but has never fully put it together over long
stretches. Right now he is having a very
solid season with a 14-14-28 line and while not spectacular has been effective
in the faceoff circle winning at a 47.1% rate.
Grabovski has one year remaining on his deal at 2.9 million against the
cap.
Kulemin, 24, is a good skater with
good speed while working hard on both ends and being willing to take the body
and play in the dirty areas. He would
actually be a very good fit for the system the Rangers are running in the mold
of a Fedotenko type player with more scoring ability. He currently has contributed 13-11-24 on the
season and has one season at 2.35 million left on his deal.
Kaberle, 32, is a player that has
long been rumored to be traded and still never has been, so I will not believe
anything involving him until a trade is done.
The upside to Kaberle is obvious in that he clearly solves the power
play quarterback problem considered on a lacking team he has 14 power play
assists as part of a 1-23-24 line. The
big negative is that he would cost a decent return though that seems to diminish
as they get closer to the end of his deal in which he is below market value.
Some will say Kessel but cannot
see them moving him with all they gave up to get him; Beauchmin is solid but
not worth 3.8 on the cap next year and Komisarek is vastly overpaid. Personally none of these names based on the
combination of money and prospects it would take to obtain them really excite
me, but Kulemin is probably the one if I had to pick one who should be
available for a mid-prospect or a pick and has a reasonable contract. Maybe I am missing something entirely, but I
do not really see why the Rangers are scouting the Leafs at all unless it is a
big move where they send Gaborik there and get players like Kadri and Luke
Schenn back. Nothing Toronto has really
elevates the Rangers above where they are, so overall I pass, but as always
trades depend on the cost of what you are getting so I am sure some combination
could make me want to say yes.
