New York Rangers Trade Targets: Minnesota Wild not a Suitable Partner
With the All-Star break and trade deadline quickly approaching, the Rangers are still in need of a right-handed defenseman. While the Minnesota Wild have an abundance, forcing a swap makes little sense.
The Rangers’ last few games have been somewhat one-sided. In victory the Rangers’ defense has not played to the level of the offense. The Rangers were clinical in their finishing and Henrik Lundqvist has had a resurgence to his previous form, while Rangers’ defense played poorly.
The majority, or in the case the entire right side, has shown just how deficient the Rangers’ defense corps is. The Minnesota Wild have a fair few right-handed defensemen on their roster; however, trading for any of them would be a poor decision.
Matt Dumba
Youngster Matt Dumba seems like a great acquisition at first glance, but he has a few marks against him. His age is both a curse and a blessing. Dumba is 22 years old, so he has many strong years ahead of him. However, he already makes $2.5 M against the cap, and his contract expires after next season.
He will become a RFA, so he can command a large sum with the threat of a hold out. As for his play right now, he has scored 7 goals and 14 assists for 21 points in 47 games played. His Corsi numbers begin to betray him, however. He touts a 47.5 CF%, only higher than Dan Girardi’s abysmal possession stats.
Jared Spurgeon
Veteran Jared Spurgeon would be the only other proper pickup for the Rangers, but he also has a few prohibitive factors. Spurgeon is already 27 years old and has a very large contract. He is signed until the 2020-2021 season at $5.19 M against the cap.
His play also does not help his case. In 43 games, Spurgeon has scored 6 goals and 15 assists for 21 points. He also doesn’t carry a great CF%. His CF% is slightly worse than Dumba’s: 47.4
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Christian Folin
Christian Folin does not have a whole lot of NHL experience, even at the age of 25. This season, he has played only 34 games, posting 5 points.
Of all the right-handed defenseman on the Minnesota roster, Folin has the lowest CF%, at only 47.25. He only has the rest of this season on his contract before becoming a RFA.
Nate Prosser
At 30, the oldest of the group, Prosser has played the least amount of games this season, only clocking in 20 games. In those games, he has posted 2 assists for 2 points. However, he has the highest CF%: 49.4. Prosser is signed at a cheap $625k, but after this season he will become a UFA.
Trade Ideas
Well, as stated earlier on, the Rangers would be making a mistake if they were to force a trade for any of these defensemen. They all have sub 50 possession percentages; they all are either a bit too old to help the Rangers’ recent youth movement or in line for a much too large contract.
While the Rangers need a player to bolster the right side of defense, no one from the Wild would be much help.
