NY Rangers Free Agency Rumors: 5 Players They Could Trade for Shea Weber

"You can't always get what you want. But if you try sometimes, you just mind find, you get what you need."

Mick Jagger and Keith Richards knew it back in 1969, when their all-time classic rock staple was released as part of the Rolling Stones legendary Let It Bleed album. 

Little did they know however, that those time-tested lyrics would pertain to the New York Rangers and their general manager, Glen Sather, in 2012.

For months now, Sather has been trying to pry Rick Nash away from the Columbus Blue Jackets. But Columbus general manager Scott Howson has asked for the Moon and more in return on more than one occasion.

Subsequently, Sather would not bite, and rightly so.He didn't want to give away the house. However, if the Rangers are going to trade major assets for just one player, they should look no further than Shea Weber of the Nashville Predators.

In fact, Larry Brooks of the New York Post wrote about it today, and suggested that there are currently five players who the Rangers would not send the other way in a deal for Weber:

Henrik Lundqvist

Ryan Callahan

Chris Kreider

Ryan McDonagh

Dan Girardi

Everyone else on the roster is in play, except for Brad Richards and Marian Gaborik, who have no move or no trade clauses built into their contracts.

So who could possibly be bound for the Sunbelt, if the Rangers were able to pull of a deal with the Preds for their all-world blue liner? Read on for the possibilities.

A Staal-Wart Defenseman

After missing the first 36 games of last season with post-concussion symptoms, Marc Staal came back for The Winter Classic against the Philadelphia Flyers and got better and better as the season progressed. He was a tower of strength in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and it seems as though he's all the way back to where he was before the injury.

Dubi Can Do Just About Anything

Even though Brandon Dubinsky had an injury-plagued 2012 campaign, he still remains a strong two-way forward who can move up and down the lineup. He's also an outstanding penalty killer, who utilizes his speed and strength to create shorthanded opportunities for the Blueshirts.

Center of Attention

Currently slotted as the Rangers number two center, Derek Stepan is a solid positional player who has 96 points in his pocket for his first two NHL seasons. He would leave a void in the pivot position for the boys from Broadway; however, in order to get a player of Shea Weber's caliber, certain sacrifices would have to be made.

MDZ Is Strong on D

After he endured the dreaded sophomore slump that saw him sent to the minors after being named to the NHL's All-Rookie team in 2010, Michael Dell Zotto had a strong bounce back season in 2012. A smooth-skating defenseman with some offensive flair would have to go the other way in a deal for Weber. And Del Zotto has shown that he has the ability to put up points—10 goals and 31 helpers for the Rangers this past season.

The Swede with World-Class Speed

The Rangers would hate to give up Carl Hagelin in any deal, but may have to in order to bag a player like Shea Weber. Carl Hagelin not only has those wondrous wheels, but he uses them to his advantage to back up opposing defenseman and to beat other players to pucks in the corners and along the walls.

He had 14 goals and 24 assists in only 64 games with the big club, after a late November call up from the Connecticut Whale.