The New York Rangers are now in an interesting situation. After their 3-2 victory over the Islanders on Thursday, the trade value for Alexandar Georgiev just went up. The young goaltender made 38 saves and Chris Kreider pounded in a rebound with 24 seconds left to lift the Blueshirts to the dramatic win over their arch-rival. Rumors continue to swirl about trades for Georgiev, including a pre-game report from Toronto stating the Maple Leafs are very interested. But the new question coming off Georgiev’s performance is why trade him?
Why Georgiev should stay with the New York Rangers
The rationale for this is somewhat simplistic. Georgiev already has a track record in the NHL. Igor Shesterkin may very well be a better NHL goalie, but he has only two NHL games under his belt.
Georgiev’s stats so far have been very good, especially against the rival Islanders. In five career starts against the Isles over the past two seasons, Georgiev is 4-1-0 with a 1.40 goals-against average and a .955 save percentage, having stopped 128 of 134 shots. You have to love a guy who can put up great numbers against one of your biggest rivals. Against the Metropolitan division, Georgiev has posted a 4-1 record with a 2.01 GAA and a .945 save percentage prior to last night’s game. In the three seasons with the Rangers, he has a 2.99 GAA and a .914 save percentage. While all of these stats make his trade value high, it is also a reason to consider hanging on to the 23 three-year-old who will not hurt you against future cap numbers.
What does the trade market look like for Georgiev?
According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, the Toronto Maple Leafs are among teams that interested in Georgiev. His report did mention a specific player, his sources have told him that the Rangers are asking for an NHL ready forward in return. Dreger also tweeted out after the Rangers beat the Isles, that as the Blueshirts keep winning and making a playoff push, they may keep key players instead of trading them. The good news is that the Rangers are in a really good position to be well compensated for any of the goaltenders they may end up trading.