Rangers shake things up

Rangers made two rather big trades on 6th of March, 2020.

It was known to the league that Rangers had been looking for a bottom pair defenseman for a while. Many experiments were conducted during the first half of the season. Players like Dean Kukan and Joe Morrow were claimed from waivers to fill a spot, guys like Brett Kulak were traded for. Even call ups like Ryan Lindgren and Jeremy Lauzon. None of them really had worked out. Lindgren and Lauzon remain in the organization and they will be big club players in the future but they are not ready this year. Kukan and Kulak were either traded or claimed off waivers. Joe Morrow was claimed recently and had played 3 games with Rangers so far for average of 11 minutes of ice time. Nothing to gloat about. Then we had Brendan Smith who can play Right Wing and Defense so Rangers turned to him even though they liked him on 4th line spot. 
Then a new oppurtunity presented itself. Two seperate trade talks started to make sense for Rangers GM Martin Auzins. Those had a chance to basically swap a defender in Ryan Ellis for Keith Yandle. And then swap Jonathan Marchessault for depth on wing and defense with added futures. Yandle and Ellis for sure are not the same defender and bring different qualities to the game.  Ellis had respectable 17 points in  in 28 matchups for the Rangers. And he was top penalty killer too. But Rangers were looking at the bigger picture. First of all salary difference is 2.5mil between Ellis and Yandle and Rangers had superstars in John Carlson and Seth Jones ahead of Ellis so he would never be a top guy on Rangers depth chart. 

Second - Rangers was never going to resign Ellis because they only have one tag available - other one tied up to Mats Zucarello. Getting Jesper Fast who is signed for next 4 seasons was also really valuable for Rangers bottom six and should contribute in many ways but points aren’t everything and Fast will never be expected to be among the Rangers most productive wingers. Over the years, he’s proven he can move up and down the lineup in addition to being a quality penalty killer and someone with a work ethic than only be described as inspirational and infectious.

Getting Jesper Fast who is signed for next 4 seasons was also really valuable for Rangers bottom six and should contribute in many ways but points aren’t everything and Fast will never be expected to be among the Rangers most productive wingers. Over the years, he’s proven he can move up and down the lineup in addition to being a quality penalty killer and someone with a work ethic than only be described as inspirational and infectious.

Rangers also were not going to resign Jonathan Marchessault. Rangers brought him back after a very good start to previous year with the Rangers - 28 points in 29 games. He was taught to be leaned on heavily for secondary offense but did not deliver to standards that Rangers had hoped for as he only had 17 points in 39 games while being featured in top 6 all year long. And looking at future Andrei Svechnikov will take that spot as soon as next year. And finally Rangers get a depth dman they wanted for this year and next in Olli Maata and Justin Holl. Maata is a reasonably signed bottom pair defenseman that can kill penalties too. Holl should feauture as soon as next year if he remains with the Rangers.

Rangers are 3-0-1 since the trades.

Also for the 27th time in EHE history - Brady Skjei you later.