The New York Rangers are 2-2-0 on the young NHL season, but there are reasons for concern. They have not scored at Madison Square Garden yet this year, nearing an all-time NHL record to start a season. With the NHL Trade Deadline far away and the Mike Sullivan era in its infancy, the Rangers can make a big-time trade to shake things up. Who should they look at to improve the offense?
The Rangers have an expensive forward unit that will be hard to trade from. They did move on from Chris Kreider in the offseason and have captain JT Miller in his first full year. But clearly, they need young scoring to add to their bottom six. Chris Drury does not have much trade capital left to get a top-end talent, but maybe striking early saves him some picks.
The Rangers just lost Vincent Trochek to LTIR and Will Borgen to day-to-day, so adding a forward right now will raise the floor of this team before the nightmares of 2024-25 come back. They are running Conor Sheary, Taylor Raddish, and Matt Rempe out as their bottom three right wingers, which desperately needs to change.
The problem with making an early-season trade is that most teams think they can make the playoffs. So finding the right trade candidate requires a few different things that are not as important at the NHL Trade Deadline. There will be more players available at the deadline, but the Rangers need a lift right now.
There is one player who has requested a trade that the Rangers should ask about. But could they pay enough to sway a divisional rival? Or will they go somewhere else for their scoring winger?
The Rangers should target Yegor Chinakhov
The Columbus Blue Jackets nearly stunned the world and made the playoffs in 2024-25. Heading into the new season, the vibes and expectations are high in Ohio. But one player has already requested a trade. Yegor Chinakhov was a surprise first-round pick in 2020 and has been disappointing so far.
Technically, Chinakhov has rescinded his request for a trade. But the Rangers should still call the Blue Jackets and offer a mid-round pick for the disgruntled winger. He scored 16 goals in 2023-24 before new coach Dean Evason took over last season. While the entire team improved under Evason, Chinakov saw his playing time and offensive output slashed. If Mike Sullivan likes what he sees, there is plenty of playing time available on Broadway.
The Blue Jackets may refuse to trade a young, talented winger within the Metropolitan Division. A reasonable response to that would be, “Why is he a healthy scratch, then?” But that involves too much logic. So, what should Chris Drury do if that is the response he gets from Don Waddell?
The Rangers could wait a few weeks until the San Jose Sharks tumble deep into the basement of the Western Conference. Then, Alexander Wennberg and Jeff Skinner could be available. Skinner finally got playoff experience in Edmonton last year, but was quickly cast aside after a rough Stanley Cup Final. Wennberg spent 19 games with the Rangers after the 2024 trade deadline, scoring just five points in 19 games.
The Rangers would need to clear some cap space to fit Pavel Zacha, but he can fill some holes in the bottom of their lineup. That does not get a goal scorer in the right positions, as he is more of a two-way center. But warm bodies may be what Sullivan and Drury are seeking to get this team on the right track.
The NHL Trade Deadline is months away, and by then, the Rangers could be out of the playoff race. They need to find scoring now to make the playoffs, and Chinakhov is a cheap and easy fix to their problem.
