So much can happen between now and the Feb. 24 trade deadline, but one thing is for certain — Jeff Gorton’s phone will be ringing off the hook.
As the Rangers’ general manager and his team continued their bye-week, which followed All-Star weekend in St. Louis, they remained focused on the future rather than the present. That, of course, does not change the mindset of the current players and coach, who are striving to make a postseason run. But the club has a handful of obvious trade pieces that will be talked about constantly from now until the deadline, so let’s look at each and concoct some possible landing spots if they do get dealt:
LW Chris Kreider, 28 | Unrestricted free agent
He is the third-longest tenured Ranger, behind Henrik Lundqvist and Marc Staal, and has become one of the most respected voices in the locker room.