Trade deadline

[kreidertime]

Values seem to be high. Anderson brought back a first in a second and in my opinion, he’s solid but nothing spectacular. Sherwood brought back two number two picks.

 

[PorterPanzer]

Now's the time to trade Panarin

 

[JTM]

Agreed, now is the time to trade Panarin, and I wouldn't stop there, start making moves now. You don't want someone to get hurt, which knowing the Rangers luck will happen. It also helps the Rangers lose more games to maximize their draft pick as they trade players away. After their L last night, they are tied for 2nd worst team in the NHL based on points %.

Keep losing - go Kings go!!!

 

[kreidertime]

I am not convinced that the Rangers won't bring back Panarin. Honestly, it would increase his trade value for a team to think the Rangers won't offer him a contract next season and they have a chance to sign him. It's a slick move that Drury is probably too stupid to implement. If it's a re-tool, then not bringing him back is beyond moronic because this team won't score for jack shit without him on the team. If you deal him, it's a total rebuild.

 

[JTM]

By all accounts, and per his postgame comments after the win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday, Panarin wanted to remain with the Rangers and is a bit bewildered right now. No one knows what team or teams he’s willing to accept a trade to. Panarin could make this awfully difficult on the Rangers if he zeroes in on, say, only or two teams.

Here’s what Friedman thinks: “If you ask teams around the League … obviously, they don’t believe there a lot of places he wants to go. And secondly, what they do think is that his preference will be an extension … the early indication is that teams think he’d rather move once than twice, and his preference is an extension over two moves.”

Needless to say, that complicates things even more if Panarin only accepts a trade if he lands a huge extension with his new team.

 

[kreidertime]

I have little to no confidence in Drury to do the right moves. He's a fucking moron.

 

[strudwickisthebest]

I know they’ll have a tough time scoring but I think they need to move on from Panarin. He’s been great but he can’t get it done in the playoffs. ZB needs to go too. They’re window was 2021-2024 and it’s closed now

 

[Ranger71]

Zib came out and said he won't waive, so that ends that for now.

 

[Stepupstepan]

of course he said that entitled piece of shit. If I was Drury I would send his ass to the AHL.

 

[Greyvtrayn]

From a player's prospective, they ask for (and for some stupid reason often get) these NMC/NTCs in their contracts. They are under no obligation to waive that facet of their contract if they don't want to. Blame the GM who thought it was a good idea to include it in the contract in the first place. That is the real problem.
I wonder what percentage of high $ value contracts have a NMC baked in. Say, any player making over $6m AAV. Per AI: Roughly 9% of players had NMCs and 15% had NTCs in early 2025. But that is out of all contracts. You have to imagine the majority of them are the high AAV deals. From a quick check of a handful of teams, it seems like between 3 and 5 per team is common.

 

[JTM]

What Zibanejad says in January could be very different than what he says in February and early March. I'm not saying it will be, and I'm not saying he'll get traded, we all know Drury sucks and it's unlikely he'll be able to convince Zibanejad to go, or pull off a trade anyway, but I'm not dismissing it fully because of January comments. I think Zibanejad should be the # 1 non-UFA to try and move, if he can be convinced to waive his NMC.

And Zibanejad cannot be sent to the AHL without his permission since he has a full NMC, not just a NTC.

 

[JTM]

The trend these days for the better players is almost every new UFA/UFA to be contract includes some sort of NTC or NMC. If the NHL wants it to change, they need to take a stand together. Random teams not offering NTC's or NMC's here and there will not cut it as that team or teams will just miss out on top guys due to that stance. The better players have become used to getting that extra perk, which allows them to have control over where they, and their families, will be.

 

[kreidertime]

I’ve been saying for years that fucking idiot Dolan should say it’s an organizational policy there will not be any no movement clauses or no trade clauses given out to any player unless you’re under the age of 24 and he okays it.

 

[Stepupstepan]

NHL players union has too much power nowadays. I can’t recall when they started this nmc/ntc nonsense. The owners can only blame themselves

 

[kreidertime]

The fact that Zibanedouche won’t wave his NMC shows you he doesn’t give a shit about winning. You might actually have to send him to the minors or start scratching him.

 

[JTM]

Zibanejad cannot be sent to the minors without his permission; he has a full NMC. He can obviously be scratched though.

Let's see what happens over the next few weeks, maybe Drury's power of persuasion can change his mind...lol.

 

[Stepupstepan]

Mika has been a good ranger for the most part of his career but that contract he was given by Drury has made him too comfortable. This is one of the stupidest things Drury has ever done as the gm.

 

[JTM]

I have a bad feeling about what's going to happen here. We all know Drury is horrific at his job, and has even worse communication skills, if that's even possible. That leads me to believe he'll take the easy/weak road and trade guys like Lafreniere, Trocheck, and Schneider (all guys he doesn't have to convince to waive a NMC/NTC - Trocheck only has a 12 team NTC).

Since Drury is awful, he'll trade both Lafreniere and Schneider for pennies on the dollar at their lowest value. While he should get a decent return for a guy like Trocheck, although who knows with Drury, I expect contenders to want him for his play and contract, Trocheck will be a loss, and is down the list of guys who should go.

To be clear, I'm not averse to dealing Lafreniere, but I don't see it as very smart because his value is very low right now, which makes me think the real value is keeping him and helping him reach his potential rather than dealing him for less.

I feel very similarly about Schneider. As I have written before, put him in a top 4 role or you might as well trade him. BY FAR I prefer the former and would put him in the top 4 and move Fox or Borgen, which my guess is Drury is incapable of doing because he doesn't have the skillset to convince them to waive their clauses, so I expect he'll deal Schneider for pennies on the dollar at low value as well.

My guess is you'll see Panarin and Soucy both go as UFA's, then Drury takes the easy/weak road, and he'll deal Lafreniere and Schneider for less value, and a valuable player to the Rangers in Trocheck, for mid-level value (he certainly won't maximize his value since Drury is awful).

Bottom line, I have zero faith in Drury to get this right.

 

[kreidertime]

Saw Lafreniere for Wright to Seattle. Case and point. Lafreniere should bring back Wright plus either a 1st or a 2nd and a good left handed D man prospect. He's accomplished a hell of a lot more than Wright.

 

[JTM]

Exactly my point, if that's the value for Lafreniere you DO NOT trade him. The smart move would be to keep him and work to help him reach his potential.

Unfortunately, pennies on the dollar easy/weak trades are exactly what I expect will happen with horrific in over his head Drury. We are F'd.

 

[Greyvtrayn]

His salary and years left make him very difficult to trade in my opinion.

 

[kreidertime]

He's 24. He's easy to trade.

 

[kreidertime]

San Jose has interest in Schneider. They also have some nice center prospects at the AHL who are about ready.

 

[JTM]

I also think Lafreniere would be very easy to trade. He's young with upside potential (which teams love and always believe they can unlock the potential), his salary is not bad as the cap will continue to rise every season AND it gives the team trading for him cap certainty as you know how much Lafreniere will cost for many seasons to come. The bigger issue/question is what can you get for him given his value is on the lower side currently based on his play. To me I only deal Lafreniere for a top-level return package, otherwise it makes MUCH more sense to keep him and help him reach his potential. It makes zero sense to me to deal Lafreniere for anything less than a grade A return, none.

As for Schneider, I feel almost the same way about him as I do Lafreniere with one big exception, if you are not going to play him in a top 4 role, which means one of Fox or Borgen need to go, then you might as well trade Schneider. But, if you do trade him, it better be for a top-level grade A return. I prefer to keep him, but the Rangers are so clueless, my guess is they prefer Borgen, which I find funny.

Since trading or keeping Lafreniere and Schneider involves weighing risk/reward, my guess is Drury will get them both wrong as we know he's inept and terrible at his jobs. They are also "easy" to trade, which is perfect for lazy and clueless Drury.

I'm telling you, the guys who will go will be the easy ones to trade. The UFA's to be, Soucy and Panarin AND the guys who don't have full NT or NM protection and have value like Schneider, Lafreniere, and Trocheck. In other words, inept clueless awful Drury will make all the wrong moves for pennies on the dollar return packages.

 

[JTM]

Drury has got to try and do something to convince one or two of the guys on this list to move, namely Zibanejad and Fox. And remember, they all have NMC's, so they cannot be sent to the minors without their approval, so that "leverage" is not an option.

In particular, Drury met on Friday with players holding full no-trade clauses. The players in question include captain J.T. Miller, Vladislav Gavrikov, Igor Shesterkin, Adam Fox, and Mika Zibanejad. As LeBrun stated, none of the aforementioned players expressed a willingness to waive their clauses.

What a mess!!! Thank you, Chris Drury.

 

[kreidertime]

Players who would rather stay on a losing team just goes to show you there’s no commitment to winning there.

 

[Stepupstepan]

Drury fucked up last year by resigning Igor to that dumb contract and getting J.T. Now he is meeting with them to see if they waive their clauses? lol

 

[Ranger71]

Schneider is a little overrated imo. Granted, he's been playing with some scrub partners, but he doesn't use his physicality enough, which was supposed to be a main part of his game. Not saying they should definitely move him, but he has another he needs to get to.

 

[Ranger71]

Anaheim seems into Panarin and are stacked with prospects. Maybe McQueen and a 1st for him.

 

[JTM]

Schneider has never really been given the long-term opportunity to play above the 3rd pair. Sure, he's had stints when Fox has been hurt, but never a top 4 role as his spot, but I agree, he has been up and down, all be it with usually questionable partners.

I am not averse to dealing Schneider, or Lafreniere for that matter, if the return is top notch. These are two guys I'm not dealing for average returns, which is what I would be willing to do to clear Zibanejad's $8.5M cap hit for 4 more seasons after this season. Same goes for Trocheck, I only deal him for a top-notch return, especially given the way he plays and his team friendly contract for 3 more seasons after this season. The only small caveat I add, is if they are locked into keeping Fox and Borgen, and won't move Schneider into the top 4, then I still want a very good return, but I lower my floor return for him a very tiny bit since he's wasted on the 3rd pair, and will be getting a raise as a RFA with arbitration rights this summer.