The Rangers are open for business
Larry Brooks of NY Post: The New York Rangers are open for business and they are looking to add to their prospects and draft picks.
Forward Kevin Hayes is a pending unrestricted free agent after signing a one-year, $5.175 million this offseason.
Forward Mats Zuccarello and defenseman Adam McQuaid are also pending UFAs.
If Rangers management believes their rebuild will take more than three years to make them into a playoff contender, there will be lots of movement at the trade deadline.
A long-term deal for Hayes could be for six years at between $5.7 and $6.2 million.
What is the trade value for Hayes? They are deep at center and at left defense and could use help on the wing and at right defense.
Hayes would like to stay and is okay with holding talks in-season.
“I’m watching this develop, and it would be cool to be here for this rebuild. I want to be part of the future,” Hayes told The Post on Wednesday, before the club flight to Chicago for Thursday’s opener or a four-game trip. “I’m going to stay out of it, my agent will do the talking, and nothing can happen until Jan. 1 anyway, but I would love for them to talk starting that day and get a deal done.”
Pending free agent defenseman market is shrinking
TSN: Pierre LeBrun was on TSN’s Hockey Insiders and was asked about the shrinking free agent defenseman market.
“This was supposed to be the great class of 2019, where we had all these great and superstar defencemen on the market. It’s shrinking by the day.
There’s still a big dog left in Erik Karlsson, who has yet to make a decision. I’m told that his camp and the San Jose Sharks have agreed that ‘hey, let’s wait till January’ to pick up the conversation about Karlsson’s future.
There has been very little dialogue between Tyler Myers‘s agent, J.P. Barry, and the Winnipeg Jets. Hey, Winnipeg had a busy off-season, but I’m told that Barry is slated to speak to Winnipeg general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff in the near future.
Jake Gardiner, we know that last week his agent, Pat Brisson, was in Toronto and met with Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas, but of course, Gardiner is on the backburner while they figure out William Nylander, Auston Matthewsand Mitchell Marner. Bottom line, it’s hard to get a top-four defender and it’s going to be even harder on July 1.”