Exactly Prod. Cally's demands are what forced that trade period end of story. If Cally re-signs with TB we get a pick back. If we make the ECF we give up the 27th or 28th pick...no big deal IMO.
Here is the bottom line to me, and for some reason I really think it is missed by many in here...THE TIME IS NOW. The time is within the next 2 or 3 seasons. This is it. The 27th or 28th pick is simply not going to be this game changer next season or the season after that.
Hank is in his early 30's. Girardi is 30. Staal getting older. MSL has next year and maybe 1 more left. Nash is closing in on 30. McDonagh, Hags, and Stepan are now getting into their prime. Kreider is now entering his early prime. Miller has some NHL time under his belt. This is the time guys. The next 2 or 3 seasons that we must win a cup if we are going to do it.
Giving up the 27th or 28th pick in the draft, for a great ride of 6 weeks into the ECF, won't hurt that window at all. We are STILL waiting for our 1st rounder from a few years ago to make the NHL, McIlrath. Miller, another 1st rounder, while showing some promise, still isn't an NHL'er yet. And I am not knocking them as they are growing, just stating fact. So will the 27th or 28th pick in this draft really help us the next 2 or 3 seasons? HIGHLY doubtful.
So I have no issue with it. MSL is a special player. Yes he has struggled since becoming a Ranger, but he has been better recently, and you win with talents like MSL and Nash.
I think some Ranger fans need to realize where we are. I have said this for a while now. No one is saying F the future, as long as we have good young players like Kreider, Stepan, Hags, McDonagh, maybe MZA, maybe Brassard, and some solid kids in the minors that won't be the case, but we need to understand where we are now guys. This is the time. There is no wait for 4 or 5 years from now. Not when Hank just turned 32. We need to win in the next 3 years, not 5 years from now when Hank is 37 and Nash is 35.
I truly think some Ranger fans need to wrap their minds around that and around where we are at. This is the time. Not worrying about giving up the 27th or 28th pick in the draft. We added a special player, and I would make that deal every single day, double so when the fip side is giving a player like Cally 6 mill or more per season for 6 years.