The New York Rangers need a right-handed shot to supplement their power play, which will allow a player like Brandon Pirri to excel once again. With Mika Zibanejad on track to return from injury no earlier than mid-January, the Rangers might have to make a small move to fill Zibanejad’s void on the left side of the power play.
The Rangers’ right-handed forwards including Marek Hrivik, Jesper Fast, and Derek Stepan are all playing vital roles on this team right now, but lack the tools to be slotted as a trigger man on the power play.
With a tight salary cap, a player of Ovechkin’s caliber will not be an option, but here are some potential right-handed trade targets.
Chris Stewart– Minnesota Wild- Cap Hit $1.15 million
There was a time that Chris Stewart was a solid second/ third line player scoring a career high 28 goals with the Colorado Avalanche. That was over a half-decade ago, but Stewart still provides great depth for any team. The grinder as a respectable five goals and eight points this season, while playing on the Wild’s fourth line. It is a low risk move too, as Stewart could serve as a more effective player than Hrivik or Matt Puempel in case of further injuries.
Patrick Eaves– Dallas Stars- Cap Hit $1 million
This might be the most intriguing name on this list, as Eaves value might not be any higher than it ever has in his career. The speculation of these trades is to find the cheapest, most of effective, right-handed options, but Eaves might be worth spending a little extra on due to his impressive six power play goals on the year, making for a great option on the second power play unit when Zibanejad returns.
Kris Versteeg– Calgary Flames- Cap Hit $950,000
Versteeg is another name whose career has tapered after several successful seasons in the league, but can still be effective if slotted correctly. Just as he has the lowest cap hit on this list, he also has the lowest value.
Versteeg could be a great addition to the power play, but it is hard to slot him in the rest of the lineup. That being said, if the Rangers can make a low-risk trade, Versteeg should be their target.
Radim Vrbata– Arizona Coyotes- Cap Hit $1 million
Vrbata is the most proven scorer on this list and is currently leading a Coyotes team that is among the league’s worst. If the Rangers were to trade for the 35-year-old Czech forward, they must be careful not to overshoot on who they are shipping out.
Like Eaves though, Vrbata provides even more versatility to the lineup when Zibanejad returns.
The Waiting Game- New York Rangers- Cap Hit $0
The Rangers have done a decent job holding onto their position at the top of the Metropolitan division, despite being hampered with injuries. If they can continue to win most their games, even if they are ugly wins, they might be able to get the most out of doing nothing.
Right now, the power play is struggling and a player like Pirri cannot excel without someone else in the lineup for opposing penalty killers to worry about. It will be interesting to see how general manager Jeff Gorton handles his roster in the upcoming weeks.
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