New York Rangers: The Deadline 2018

A bit of surprise, the New York Rangers were very active buyers.
Let’s take a look at what the Rangers did.

Everyone knew it was coming, but it has been much different to actually see it occur: The New York Rangers are buyers. 
Rangers completed three trades this deadline with one/two more falling apart on behalf of Rangers GM repeated violation of the league CBA.

The first trade the Rangers made was 2018 3rd round pick which for Cole Cassels and a 2018 5th round pick. Getting Cassels was a somewhat of an unexpected trade. Cassels has become an interesting story, not necessarily for the right reasons. This is a guy that was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins organization/Traded to New York Rangers/Traded to Ottawa Senators two and half years ago to a good amount of fan fare and expectations, only to figuratively fall flat on his face, though not without good reason. There were injury problems stemming from an abdominal injury he played with in the OHL playoffs, and then there were mental hurdles that came alongside the struggles he was having on the ice.Cassels accumulated just 5 games that first season. Following the campaign, much was made about why Cassels struggled so much. He worked diligently in the off-season to prepare himself for training camp (something he’d been unable to do the previous summer due to his injury recovery), intent on becoming a more essential member of the Senators. Unfortunately, his sophomore season isn't going too much better, tallying five goals and 15 points in 58 games. At this point, Cassels essentially became a write-off as a prospect. It was a precipitous fall from grace for a young player that many fans hoped would appear in the EHE in 2017-18 after his stellar final season in junior, or even make the Senators out of camp. Though he’d become a reliable defensive player, a high leverage faceoff man, and an essential member of the penalty kill, Cassels continued to struggle to produce. What happens to Cassels next depends on a couple of things. How will the Ranegrs value his results in the last month compared to the previous two years of his pro career? Will he hit a hot stretch be enough to warrant him a look on the big club? This is a storyline that we’ll want to watch as the season progresses. Hopefully this is a sign of good things to come.

Second trade saw gritty winger Tom Pyatt join the Blueshirts. He was rumored for a while to be a trade piece. Pyatt was a fantastic Canuck, playing well above expectations at a low $0.85 million cap hit. 

The biggest trade of the year for the Rangers, Drew Doughty was accquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs in a large package deal. The Rangers dealt D prospect Nicholas Meloche, F Prospect Roope Hintz, Brandon Davidson, as well as a second round pick in 2018. Davidson was a big club warm body returnee for Leafs. Meloche and Hintz were second round picks in previous draft years. 
2-time All star. High levels of skill, toughness, endurance, and leadership. Doughty, 28, has been one of the best defensemen in the EHE for a number of seasons.

How does the lineup look past the deadline?

See below.