WASHINGTON — The Rangers have not been part of a trade deadline circus like this since 2012, when nearly two weeks of intrigue accompanied the club’s pursuit of Rick Nash. Remember?
Names were bandied about after Nash had asked for a trade away from rebuilding Columbus. The Blue Jackets wanted Derek Stepan. They wanted Brandon Dubinsky. They asked for Ryan McDonagh or Michael Del Zotto. They demanded the rights to Chris Kreider, then in his junior year at Boston College. They wanted J.T. Miller.
They wanted way too much for Nash, who was in the second year of an eight-year contract carrying an annual $7.8 million cap hit. He had a no-move clause in place and so could choose his destination. (The deal, of course, was deferred until the summer with Dubinsky, Artem Anisimov, Tim Erixon and a first-rounder going the other way.)
And because Columbus originally wanted too much from the Original Black-and-Blueshirts squad that had established itself as a legitimate Stanley Cup contender under then-head coach John Tortorella, Nash was serenaded with a “We Don’t Want You!” chant from the Garden audience after he scored the tying goal late in regulation when the Blue Jackets came to New York eight days ahead of the deadline.
Imagine if the Blackhawks and Patrick Kane were going to be at the Garden this Sunday, five days ahead of the March 3 deadline. Three rings would not be enough to contain it all.
You should know that there were no concrete developments Friday in this ongoing saga. The Rangers did not place Vitali Kravtsov or Jake Leschyshyn on waivers, though neither of the “roster-management” guys participated in the club’s optional practice ahead of the Saturday afternoon match against the Capitals.
Suffice it to say, neither was given the option.
Similarly, Kane did not skate in the Blackhawks’ practice in San Jose, Calif., his absence cited as a “maintenance day.” Nevertheless, the wheels are turning. The Rangers hierarchy, led by president-general manager Chris Drury, has completed all of the required mathematical equations and all of the potential roster and lineup implications.
The Blueshirts are not somehow going to be caught pennies short when (and still if, until it isn’t) a deal is ready to go. There is a plan in place that may involve a 2024 conditional first-rounder, Zac Jones or both going the other way, even as one informant told us on Friday, “There is nothing definitive to report.”
Speculation has escalated through the week. The outside noise has made its way into the room. How could it not? That will continue to overshadow on-ice events if a trade is delayed until Friday, as it may have to be because of cap reality and roster constraints.
That wouldn’t be Drury’s first choice, but there may be no other realistic option as the Rangers prepare for a pair of back-to-backs within the next six days, getting the Kings at home on Sunday following Saturday at the Capitals before a game in Philadelphia on Wednesday preceding a match against the Senators at the Garden on Thursday.
The Rangers would have to go with 11 forwards and seven defensemen in those four games, just as they did in the 4-1 loss Thursday in Detroit, during which Ben Harpur logged 2:50 of ice time on four shifts.
“It’s not a big issue,” head coach Gerard Gallant said of going with that alignment. “We’ll see what we’re going to do with this situation [Saturday], but it’s not like our forwards are going to get exhausted.
“I think our forwards enjoyed playing three lines a lot in Detroit.”
If the Rangers maintain and bubble-wrap Kravtsov and Leschyshyn on the roster, but subsequently suffer an injury this week, they would have to play shorthanded. If, though, that pair are waived, then the Blueshirts would have relief coming under the emergency recall section of the collective bargaining agreement.
Only supposition, here, but attempting to get waivers on either would probably represent a gamble not even the franchise’s bookmaking sponsors would recommend. Any contending team in the league with some extra cap space could blow up a Rangers’ trade for Kane by claiming one or the other.
A contender without space could send a future draft pick to a non-contender with space in exchange for that club claiming Kravtsov or Leschyshyn.
Eleven years ago, the smoke surrounding Nash not only seeped into the room, but also largely filled it, given the core names on the roster that were part of the discussion. That’s different this time around, though roles certainly would be impacted if Kane joins the lineup. The athletes are hardly oblivious.
That represents an annual rite of NHL passage, though a particularly high-profile one this time around.
“I can’t say no, it always does this time of year,” Gallant said when asked if he thought the outside noise had pierced the players’ inner sanctum. “But at the end of the day, we’re trying to make our team better and that’s what matters.
“It’s going to be over in a week’s time, so you’ve just got to focus on playing the game.”
The Nash Noise ultimately abated, but not until the deadline came and went. Past as prelude.