The situation can change before the 3 p.m. trade deadline if Rangers general manager Glen Sather unexpectedly changes course and yields to Columbus’ demands for Rick Nash, but it does not appear as if Nash will be Broadway-bound before the Devils come to the Garden tonight for the latest round of the Battle of the Hudson.
Sather, who has no interest in dealing Boston College winger Chris Kreider and less than zero in moving either Ryan McDonagh or Michael Del Zotto, most certainly will check in with Columbus counterpart Scott Howson before the clock strikes 3, but unless the Blue Jackets reduce the asking price, Nash is more likely than not to remain where he is at least until June.
At the same time, Sather will seek to obtain spare parts to increase the depth of the conference-leading Rangers, who have no injury insurance up front and would like to add to the blue line. The front office, however, does not seem especially excited by the available options and the price it would cost to acquire them.
The Blueshirts do appear to have some interest in Washington’s Mike Knuble, who was shoved unceremoniously aside by coach Dale Hunter and carries the veteran presence so respected by coach John Tortorella and the goal-scoring pedigree sought by Sather.
But it’s unclear just what price Capitals GM George McPhee would require in exchange for the 39-year-old winger, who has scored three goals in 57 games of limited use, and who exactly would come out of the lineup to create a spot for Knuble, who spent a couple of years with the Rangers from 1998-2000.
Management loves the idea of renting Buffalo’s rugged 30-year-old, 6-foot-5 center Paul Gaustad, who fought Brandon Prust in the Rangers’ 3-2 overtime victory over the Sabres on Saturday, but there is no indication he is on the market. If available, the price is likely to be high.
The Rangers would like to add a defenseman, but are not particularly intrigued by the available blue-liners. The team is believed interested in Washington’s John Erskine if the Caps are willing to move him and his favorable contract, which has a year to go at a $1.5 million cap charge.
There might be limited interest in renting the Caps’ Dennis Wideman or Carolina’s Jaroslav Spacek, but there does not appear to be any in leasing Montreal’s Chris Campoli or the Hurricanes’ Bryan Allen.
If a defenseman can’t skate, he won’t play for Tortorella; hence, the Blueshirts might decide the best option on defense not currently on the roster is Tim Erixon, currently playing for the AHL Whale.
If the Blue Jackets’ Howson changes his tune, Sather will be all ears. But at the moment, the Rangers’ pre-deadline moves are far more likely to be those around the margins than of the blockbuster type.
And if Nash remains in Columbus, that means Brandon Dubinsky — who has known for two weeks he would be gone as part of the deal and whose game has simultaneously suffered — can have some hockey peace of mind and perhaps provide part of the punch the rest of the way that Sather has been seeking.