General manager Chris Drury and the Rangers could go a number of different directions as they look to take the team to the next level this offseason.
New York has their sights set on bringing in a top-line winger, with a potential reunion with four-time All-Star Patrick Kane on the table, but they’ll likely have to move around some more cap space.
They’ve already freed up some room with fourth line center Barclay Goodrow heading back to the San Jose Sharks after being claimed off waivers. And now in an effort to potentially open up even more space, they’ve reportedly made Jacob Trouba and Kaapo Kakko available in the right deal, according to Vince Mercogliano of USA Today Sports.
Mercogliano notes that RFA defenseman Ryan Lindgren and any prospect not named Gabe Perrault could also be on the table in potential trades this offseason, but he says Kakko seems most likely to go.
The 23-year-old restricted free agent signed a cheap one-year deal with the club earlier this month, but it appears they may still be prepared to go their separate ways, as he’s gotten off to an extremely disappointing start to his pro career after being selected second overall.
Kakko mainly played with Will Cuylle and Alex Wennberg on the third line after returning from a lower-body injury last season, and while he brought tough forechecking and defensive prowess, he only contributed 19 points across 61 games.
Most Ranger fans would rather see the team move on from Trouba this offseason, but the third-year captain may prove to be much more difficult to ship out, as he does hold a partial no-trade clause in his contract.
The hard-hitting veteran has also seen his play drastically decline over the past few seasons and his cap hit, which rises to $8 million this season, is simply too much to be paying a third-line defenseman.
Finding a taker for Trouba would not only be a huge boost for the Rangers money-wise, but it would also improve their defensive corps drastically heading into next season.
Things could heat up over the next few days as the first round of the NHL Draft is set to take place on Friday night.
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