The New York Rangers’ offseason has not entirely gone as expected. The Rangers fell two games short of the Stanley Cup Finals after a franchise-best regular season that featured 114 points and the President’s Trophy. After that, they were expected to make a massive splash to shake up the roster in hopes of getting over the hump.
General Manager Chris Drury got off to a good start by placing veteran forward Barclay Goodrow on waivers, getting his $3.641 million cap hit off the books, and bringing back Kaapo Kakko to a one-year, $2.4 million contract.
Despite opening some cap space, the anticipated and highly reported move of Jacob Trouba didn’t occur, and all the top free agents came off the board right in front of their eyes.
The Blueshirts did make some additions, trading for former Stanley Cup champion Reilly Smith and signing Sam Carrick, but that big splash didn’t occur via the open market.
Perhaps that big move could still come in a trade with the Calgary Flames.
The Rangers could acquire Mackenzie Weegar from the Calgary Flames
A hypothetical move that could be made is for the Rangers to acquire an elite two-way defenseman from the Calgary Flames, Mackenzie Weegar.
Weegar had another stellar campaign, with the Flames playing in all 82 games while scoring 20 goals and registering 32 assists while blocking 200 shots and recording 194 hits.
The 30-year-old has six years left at $6.25 million per year with a no-trade clause, so he would have to agree on a trade to the Blueshirts.
- Rangers head coach could be on thin ice amidst team’s struggles
- Rangers could be preparing to trade away young star winger after lineup change
- Rangers’ puzzling roster change should put head coach on the hot seat
What would it cost the Rangers to acquire Weegar?
Acquiring Weegar certainly would not be a low-cost move. For starters, the former second-overall pick, Kaapo Kakko, would be one of the key pieces, as the Flames have been linked to Kakko. This would give the Finish native a chance to blossom and give Calgary a potential elite young winger.
Trouba could go the other way if the Flames were not on his no-move list for salary purposes, but the circumstances surrounding a move of the Rangers captain are a bit complicated. The Flames would also require a solid prospect, and the Rangers’ 2022 second-round pick, Adam Sýkora, is just that. A mid-round pick could also be involved in the deal as well.
It would be quite a bit to give up for Weegar, but the Blueshirts are looking for a splash move to get them over the hump, and trading for the former all-star would be just that.
