It’s been more than 6 years since “The Letter.” That was the last time that Ranger fans had any real insight into what the organization was thinking ahead of the deadline. 2024 looks to be no different, despite plenty of opinions, prognostication, and tea leaf reading. A fatalistic bent has entered the chat, with some national bloggers proclaiming the Rangers as bad, with a bad goalie and a worse attitude, about to crash right out of the playoffs. While that may whip up the frenzy needed to attract a listening audience, the truth is much more nuanced.
January was the cruelest of months for the Rangers and for Igor Sheterkin in particular. A 5-7-2 record for the team and a .863 save percentage (according to Stat Muse) for Shesterkin saw the team limping into their bye week and the All-Star break. Their hot start, however, means that they still hold the top spot in the Metropolitan Division. And with no clear favorite emerging in the Eastern Conference, the Rangers control their destiny.
Focus among both the fan base and the professional prognosticators has been on looking for a third-line center to replace Fhilip Chytil, who was recently declared out for the rest of the season. The tiniest sliver of good news in the Chytil designation is the Rangers’ ability to spend his $4.4 million salary above the cap, meaning that they can afford to make some additions. The question most often debated is, whom should they pursue?
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The answers are growing more limited by the day, as Elias Lindholm, regarded by many as the top center in the potential trade pool of soon to be Unrestricted Free Agents, was traded from the Calgary Flames to the surging Vancouver Canucks for a good haul of players and a pick. Another highly touted name on the draft board, Sean Monahan of the Montreal Canadiens, is on his way West to the Winnipeg Jets for a first-round pick and a conditional 3rd round pick, as well.
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That has most of the focus shifting to Adam Henrique of the Anaheim Ducks as the most likely Ranger target. Henrique has been in the conversation all along, but the intensity around him as a target is already increasing, with Lindholm definitely and Monahan likely off the board. Despite the potential fit and the Rangers’ need, the weeks leading up to the trade deadline are always filled with twists and turns. Inevitably, someone, somewhere along the way, will have predicted what will happen, and they will have the pleasure of a time-stamped, pinned Tweet as a trophy. Until then, everybody waits.
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