The New York Rangers are currently in a retool. Due to this, they moved on from multiple players during this season. Star forward Artemi Panarin was the most notable player that the Rangers traded, but they also moved on from Carson Soucy, Sam Carrick, and Brennan Othmann.
There is also a chance that the Rangers will continue to trade away more of their current players this offseason. Among the Rangers’ top trade candidates heading into the summer are Vincent Trocheck, Braden Schneider, Mika Zibanejad, and Alexis Lafreniere.
Yet, it is also important to note that the Rangers are not in a full-on rebuild. They are looking to strengthen their roster for the long-term, and they are now being viewed as a potential trade destination for one of the NHL’s best defensemen.
New York Rangers Named Potential Trade Destination for Wild’s Quinn Hughes
In a recent article for Bleacher Report, Lyle Fitzsimmons took a look at six potential landing spots for Minnesota Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes if he does not sign a contract extension with the Central Division squad by next season’s trade deadline. Among the teams that Fitzsimmons listed as a possible trade destination for Hughes was the Rangers.
“And it’s a GM in Chris Drury who was genuinely interested in dealing for Hughes before the Wild swooped in and landed him from the Canucks,” Fitzsimmons wrote. “They’re not as near to another parade as some of the others on our list. But nothing matches the energy of a city that never sleeps, and New York’s hockey brass has never met a blockbuster it didn’t like.”
If the Rangers landed Hughes next season, there is no question that he would be a massive addition to their blueline. He would instantly become their No. 1 defenseman and could form an elite top pairing with Adam Fox, assuming he wouldn’t go the other way to Minnesota. Hughes would be the kind of addition that could help the Rangers get back to being a legitimate playoff team.
Hughes is young enough that he would fit perfectly on a retooling team like the Rangers, too. The 2018 seventh-overall pick turns 27 in October, so he has multiple years left in his prime. Because of this, he is exactly the kind of superstar defenseman that the Rangers should look to acquire and lock up to a long-term extension.
In 74 games this season split between the Vancouver Canucks and Wild, Hughes recorded seven goals, 69 assists, and 76 points. He also had 15 points in 11 playoff games.
Rangers Acquiring Hughes Would Make Their Rivalry With the Devils Even Better
If the Rangers landed Hughes from the Wild, it would create a major new storyline for their rivalry with the New Jersey Devils. Quinn’s brothers, Jack and Luke Hughes, of course, both play for the Devils. Thus, Quinn heading to New York would make for quite the story.
The Rangers and Devils are well-known for their intense rivalry, and the Rangers bringing in Quinn would give it new life. However, with how well he has fit in with the Wild, there is no question that Minnesota is going to work incredibly hard to get him locked up to a contract extension.
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