The New York Rangers are in their Stanley Cup window and one trade pitch has them acquiring a superstar defenseman.
The website PuckPedia‘s PuckGM tool lets users create their own trades. One user proposed a deal that would see the Rangers acquire Zach Werenski from the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Rangers acquire:
Blue Jackets acquire:
- Ryan Lindgren
- Gabe Perreault
- Filip Chytil
- Kaapo Kakko
- 2025 first-round pick
- 2026 third-round pick
The proposed deal is a blockbuster as the Rangers would acquire All-Star defenseman Werenski and NHL forward Voronkov. However, New York would part ways with two draft picks, their top prospect and NHL players Lindgren, Chytil, and Kakko.
Werenski is entering the third year of his six-year $57.5 million deal. The star defenseman would be a first or second-pairing defenseman in New York, and be the replacement for Jacob Trouba has been the subject of trade rumors. Last season, Werenski skated in 70 games recording 11 goals and 46 assists for 57 points.
Voronkov, meanwhile, just finished his rookie season with the Blue Jackets. In his rookie season, he skated in 75 games recording 18 goals and 16 assists for 34 points. He would be a middle-six forward for the Rangers.
In return, the big return for Columbus is the draft picks and top prospect Perreault. He was selected 23rd overall in the 2023 NHL draft. He will be returning to Boston College for the 2024-25 NHL season, and in his freshman season, he skated in 36 games recording 19 goals and 41 assists for 60 points.
Lindgren, meanwhile, is a defenseman who could replace Werenski on the blue line. The 26-year-old skated in 76 games recording 3 goals and 14 assists for 17 points.
Chytil and Kakko, meanwhile, are former first-round picks who haven’t lived up to the expectations with the Rangers. Both are young and a change of scenery could be needed, as both would be given bigger roles with the Blue Jackets.
Rangers Have Quiet Offseason
After losing in the Eastern Conference Finals and general manager Chris Drury saying nothing is off the table, the Rangers had a rather quiet offseason.
New York’s big splash of the offseason was acquiring forward Reilly Smith from the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Stanley Cup champion forward is expected to play in the top six for the Rangers.
“We’re very excited to get Reilly. A player we’ve been looking at and talking about for a while,” Drury said on a conference call, according to the New York Post. “Brings a lot of versatility to our lineup, has a winning pedigree having won in Vegas. A proven playoff performer and I think just fits in nicely with our entire group. We just were talking to a lot of different agents and a lot of balls in the air throughout the day, and just felt this was the best move we can make.”
Smith is coming off a season where he recorded 13 goals and 27 assists for 40 points in 76 games. He’s entering the final year of his three-year $15 million deal.
Despite all the trade rumors, Trouba is also a Ranger and will be part of the team’s opening night roster on October 1 against the New Jersey Devils.
Werenski Pays Tribute to Johnny Gaudreau
Blue Jackets star forward Johnny Gaudreau died on August 29, 2024, at age 31.
According to The Columbus Dispatch, Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau “were killed after a suspected drunk driver crashed into them on a rural road” where they were biking in Oldmans Township, New Jersey.
Following the heartbreaking news, the Blue Jackets held a press conference and Werenski gave a touching tribute to his former teammate.
“I’m going to miss watching him be an amazing dad,” Werenski said. “All of us are just going to miss Johnny so much. I just want to say thanks for letting me be a part of your life for two years.”
Werenski and Gaudreau were teammates for two seasons.
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Trade Pitch Has Rangers Acquiring Star $57 Million Defenseman in Blockbuster