Well, the New York Rangers just seem to be falling apart. The Winnipeg Jets? Well they seem to be doing the opposite, climbing up the standings. That’s why these two teams on opposite ends of the spectrum would be able to make a perfect trade.
These two teams are utter opposites. Opposite conference, one’s an original six and the other is fairly new (from 1999 or 2011, depends on who you ask), and the Winnipeg Jets sit at the top of the standings, while the New York Rangers hover around the bottom of the Eastern Conference. A team with good players falling in the standings means a yard sale, and there already have been reports coming out about it.
Taking a look at Kevin Hayes…
Kevin Hayes is currently proving himself to be one of the best rentals to be available on the market come the NHL Trade Deadline. This guy has never put up points the way he has this season, making him such a valuable player for any team trying to make a run this year. The only issue with Hayes is there’s a very good chance New York would want a high return for him, consisting of a first round pick, plus a prospect. He by no means is worth that, but could be a good pickup at the right price.
Kevin Hayes is a left handed center. Kevin stands at a whopping 6 foot 5 inches, and weighs in around 216 pounds. He’s a big body, and can be a huge physical presence in any game when needed. He also has what could be called a prolific shot, therefore is utilized on the powerplay at times.
Hayes has an astounding 33 points in 39 games, ten of those being genos (goals, for those who don’t know what genos are).
Could Mats Zuccarello be a smart investment…?
I said in a previous article that the Winnipeg Jets should pick up one more bottom six forward in order to have some insurance going into the playoffs. Mats Zuccarello isn’t necessarily a big guy, but the NHL is more about speed nowadays, and that’s something he has. Zuccarello could be a safe bet going into the playoffs if a few guys were to go down, unlike Kevin Hayes, who barely manages 39-43 points a season.
Zuccarello only has 14 points on the year, however he has only played 28 games. He has a .5 point per game average, which is very comparable to Bryan Little’s .54 PPG that has been accumulated in 41 games.
Zucc has always been at least a mid-fifties per season kind of player as far as points are concerned, which would make him a smart move towards the deadline.
Honestly, the Rangers probably don’t have any “untouchable players” at the moment, meaning anyone else is available. If another one of our d-men were to go down we could call them about their blueline, they just have so many options. This is why I’d like to see Cheveldayoff pick up the phone and make a deal with the blue shirts.