The New York Rangers went through an unusual trade deadline day. Between a re-signing, trade and the car accident that injured two of their key players, the Rangers were able to remain focus to defeat their rivals, the New York Islanders, by the score of 4-3 in overtime. Mika Zivanejad ripped a slapshot for the game-winner. Alexandar Georgiev made 42 saves for the Rangers, who have won four straight and are 8-1-0 in their past nine games. The Rangers trail the Columbus Blue Jackets by four points for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference.
A very chaotic trade deadline day for the New York Rangers
It was a bit of surprise when the Rangers announced that they were going to have a press conference, and Rangers President John Davidson announced the accident involving Igor Shesterkin and Pavel Buchnevich on Monday morning, ahead of the NHL’s trade deadline. Davidson also announced that the team had re-signed forward Chris Kreider to a seven-year extension. Kreider, who was set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, was considered the top available forward on the trade market. Davidson said the driver in front of the players made a U-turn that led to the collision. Airbags were deployed.
In addition to this, the Rangers traded defenseman Braky Skjei to Carolina for a first-round pick. Skjei is in the second season of a six-year contract. The 25-year-old has 23 points in 60 games this season. After this trade, The Rangers currently own 10 picks in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, which includes their own-first round pick, the first-round pick they will receive from Carolina, their own third-round pick, Dallas’ third-round pick, their own fourth-round pick, their own fifth-round pick, their own sixth-round pick, their own seventh-round pick, Nashville’s seventh-round pick, and Vancouver’s seventh-round pick. The biggest reason for the trade was that Skjei signed a six-year deal before last season that carried an AAV of $5.25 million, and the Rangers are going to need room to re-sign some of their restricted free agents who are in line for big raises, like defenseman Tony DeAngelo and forward Ryan Strome.