New York Rangers' Acquisition of Keith Yandle Is Riskiest Deal in Recent Memory

The New York Rangers like to make a splash on deadline day, and team brass decided to get things done early this year.

Instead of waiting until the day of, general manager Glen Sather put all of his chips into the middle of the table and acquired Keith Yandle Sunday, March 1. Yandle, 28, is a talented offensive defender who is leading defensemen in many categories, and that could make him a very valuable asset for the Rangers.

Although his accolades are impressive, the Rangers paid a costly ransom for a player who is set to earn a new contract after next season whom they may not even be able to re-sign.

Mike Carlson/Getty Images

In order to acquire Yandle at half of his salary, the Blueshirts had to part with top prospect Anthony Duclair, John Moore, a 2015 second-round draft choice and a 2016 first-round draft choice.

Duclair was the most valuable piece of the return for the Arizona Coyotes, and the 19-year-old winger appeared in 18 games with the Blueshirts earlier this season. In addition to his play with the Rangers, Duclair played for Team Canada at the WJC, where he turned heads with new teammate Max Domi.

In addition to his promising skill set, Duclair was a valuable commodity for the Rangers because of his cap hit of $772,500. That is very important because the Rangers could use all of the young, cost-effective talent they can get. 

Mike Stobe/Getty Images

Although Yandle's cap hit of $2.625 million is a great value, it is still an extra $1,852,500 committed to the Rangers' already tight cap situation that doesn't include Derek Stepan, Carl Hagelin or Martin St. Louis.

The Rangers are a team that may be in a “win-now” mode, but their window after this season is slated to still be very open. Had the Rangers had kept Duclair, he would have been a member of a rather impressive cast of characters that is still going to be a contender in the coming years.

In addition to Duclair, here is what that group could have looked like: 

• Pavel Buchnevich, 20
• Brady Skjei, 21         
• J.T. Miller, 21
• Kevin Hayes, 22
• Chris Kreider, 23
• Oscar Lindberg, 23
• Jesper Fast, 23
• Derek Stepan, 24
• Ryan McDonagh, 25
• Carl Hagelin, 26
• Mats Zuccarello, 27
• Derick Brassard, 27

Older players such as Rick Nash, Marc Staal, Dan Girardi and Henrik Lundqvist, among others, would complement the above group, and there would then be the potential for free-agent acquisitions to finalize the opening-night roster.

As noted by the Rangers’ post-acquisition tweets, Yandle is a skilled offensive defenseman with an impressive pedigree:

"

#NYR Keith Yandle is tied for NHL lead in PP asts (24), is tied for 3rd in NHL in PP pts (26), & is tied for 10th in NHL in asts this season

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) March 1, 2015"

While that may be the case, if he doesn't make a drastic impact for the Rangers this season, the deal could really blow up in the team's face, especially if his acquisition prevents the team from re-signing key players.

That is because Yandle was a more of a luxury acquisition than a necessity. 

The Rangers have made blockbuster deals in consecutive seasons, and at some point their go big-or-go home approach is going to catch up with them. It hasn’t to this point, but the law of averages kicks in after multiple years of squandering young talent and draft choices.

It is entirely possible that Duclair ends up flopping, but he showed enough to suggest that he was going to be a real NHL player. He may not fully make his mark until three or four years from now, but he could have been an important piece for the Rangers that helps them win just as many Stanley Cups as Yandle could.

It appears thw major impetus for the Rangers to be in win-now mode is because Henrik Lundqvist is 33.

While that is something to be concerned about, aside from the vascular injury he is currently sidelined with, Lundqvist hasn’t suffered a major injury to date that will take time off of his career.  

In addition to his durability, goaltenders are in much better shape than they used to be, and it is entirely possible that he will still be an elite goalie at age 36 or 37. Dominik Hasek, for example, won a Stanley Cup at age 37 and 43.

Chris Osgood won a Cup with him at age 35, and there’s no reason why Lundqvist couldn’t win as an older goaltender with a good team in front of him.

Dave Sandford/Getty Images

While it is important for the Rangers to make the most of their success this season, adding Yandle wasn’t a dire move.

The Rangers' major needs for the deadline were to add a third-pairing defender for depth, and potentially a fourth-line forward or two. Anything other than that would have been icing on the cake.

The Blueshirts crossed off one of their needs when they announced a trade for James Sheppard from the San Jose Sharks, as he is a fourth-liner who can play center and wing.

Don Smith/Getty Images

At the end of the day, Yandle hasn’t played a game for the Rangers, so it is too early to judge the trade. However, there is going to be some pressure on him because he is being looked upon to be the final piece that helps the Rangers win the Stanley Cup.

It is a risky move that may or may not pay off, but it will look even worse years from now if Duclair is tearing it up in Glendale while no new banners are hanging from the rafters of Madison Square Garden.

Salary Information via Cap Central.