NHL Trade and Free Agency Rumors: Brad Richards and the State of the Rangers

It has been reported that it appears Brad Richards does not have the same amount of desire to play in Madison Square Garden as a member of the New York Rangers as the Rangers have for him. 

This news came from Larry Brooks of the New York Post via a tweet. Brooks says that Richards’ heart is in Tampa, and other factors led to a disinterest on his part. This was thought to be a necessary move by the majority but not by the minority.

Some of the minority include Jess Rubenstein of The Prospect Park, who is one of the most in-depth prospect analysts out there today. 

Rubenstein believes that locking up the Rangers core players for the long term is the only way they can succeed. In lieu of dropping a lump sum into Brad Richards’ bank account, the Rangers can pull off the following moves and will move towards playoff success.

The first priority is re-signing the key free agents who embody what it means to “Be A Ranger!” 

When you look at the 2008-09 Stanley Cup Winner, the Pittsburgh Penguins, they have something in common with what the Rangers are attempting to do now. This common theme is building depth.

The Penguins went through years of lackluster performances after the departure of Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr, aka Mario Jr. 

Through the draft, Pittsburgh was able to lock up Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Marc Andre Fleury, and countless others. When cap room and money was put into the team by new owner Mario Lemieux, it was used to lock up these players for the long haul.

The Penguins were able to add veterans along the way as they eventually went on to win the Stanley Cup.

The Rangers could do the same thing. When the Rangers are closer to competing for the Stanley Cup, they can potentially trade for pieces or sign free agents next July. The Rangers have so many young players and talent, and they need time to weed through the contenders and pretenders.

Regardless, champions are often measured not by the individual, but by the sum of its parts. This is why the Rangers must re-sign their key free agents.

The Rangers already have great pieces to lay a foundation on with Ryan Callahan, Brandon Dubinsky, Artem Anismov, Marc Staal, and Dan Girardi. 

These players were often referred to as the Pack. This clique was assembled of players from the Rangers’ AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack. The chemistry and friendship these players share make them very successful on the ice.

Through drafting and trades the Rangers added Derek Stepan, Ryan McDonagh, Michael Sauer, Brian Boyle , Mats Zuccarello, Dylan McIlrath, Carl Hagelin, Christian Thomas, Chris Kreider, and Oscar Lindberg into their system.

This is why the Rangers must re-sign their free agents. They are the future and will lead the way for the youngsters still in the system.

When Rubenstein was asked about the Richards situation, he had this to say:

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"Yes they (the Rangers) need a number one center but tossing money at a UFA (Richards) when you are not even a serious playoff contender is a waste of assets.”

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The Rangers right now finish on average anywhere from 5th to 8th in the Eastern Conference. They finish high enough to make the playoffs but not low enough to be “rewarded” with a quality draft pick.

If the Rangers were farther along, adding Richards would make sense. Rubenstein would go on to say:

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“If you are going for a Stanley Cup then yes, you add Richards not when when you can barely make the playoffs. By the time the kids (Kreider,Thomas, Stepan, etc.) have matured, Richards is 34-35 and then what?" 

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He believes that Derek Stepan has shown spurts of great talent and that he needs to be groomed for the No. 1 job. In addition to locking up their free agents, it would be wise to offer Stepan a respectable deal. A $12 million to $15 million deal ranging from four to five years would be very wise.

The Rangers have seen how a comparable player like Artem Anisimov has grown leaps and bounds since being initially called up. Giving Stepan a contract would increase his confidence and instill a sense that he is wanted. Other players the Rangers could consider locking up include young defenseman Ryan McDonagh, who was acquired when Scott Gomez was dealt to Montreal.

In his inaugural season Derek Stepan showed he was going to have a great career in the NHL. He scored a hat trick in his first career game against Ryan Miller.

Not many players, including Mark Messier, Mario Lemieux, and the “Great One” Wayne Gretzky, can put on their resume that they recorded a hat trick in their first game.

This is not meant to be a comparison, but Stepan possibly could become one of the better centers the NHL has seen over the last couple years.

Stepan has shown great poise, control, and on-ice vision during his short career. He is one of the big reasons why the US World Juniors team won gold over team Canada last winter. Despite being only 21, Stepan has shown he can be a leader.

He shows off such a great demeanor and attitude when being interviewed and questioned. He shows that he has what it takes. He leaves it all on the ice and has become a fan favorite instantly.

However, Glen Sather has a history of signing these big name free agents and doing a lot of wheeling and dealing. The only player on this limited market that the Rangers could consider is Steven Stamkos. He is a restricted free agent, so there isn’t much certainty associated with that.

There were rumors last year that a handshake deal was on the table that would have resulted in the Rangers acquiring the superstar center. 

Unfortunately for the Rangers, the deal broke down. If the Rangers can’t get Stamkos than the final move they should make is no move at all.

Waiting until next July would be most prudent of Glen Sather. There will be so many players up for grabs, not one player will dictate the going rate on the market. 

At this point Glen Sather would have more options like Alexander Semin, Dustin Penner, Ales Hemsky, Patrick Sharp, RJ Umberger, Chris Kunitz, Shawn Thornton, and countless others to consider. 

This would be the right time to consider additions because some of the prospects would have moved through the system and John Tortorella and Glen Sather would have gauged their potential and would have made a decision on their future.

Right now the Rangers have a lot of money in cap room. What good would it be to use all of this money to buy a wallet like Brad Richards? For the interim, the Rangers should not carry around their money in a fancy wallet, but keep it in the bank and use it as they need it.

Rome was not built in a day. Many fans may be disappointed when July 1st comes and goes and no big name player is signed for the short term. However five years from now they will be glad they made the investment in players like Stepan, Kreider, Callahan, Thomas, etc., because it will most assuredly pay off huge dividends. 

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