In trying to navigate the beginning of a rebuild, the New York Rangers have to be smart about making trades. No matter how tempting it may be, they really should not be going for superstar players like John Tavares or Erik Karlsson.
The focus right now should be getting the team younger for the future. Acquiring draft picks, prospects and players who are just before their prime is probably the team’s best option.
However, young players can’t make up the entire roster every night. In addition, their smaller salaries don’t take up much cap room. With almost 30 million dollars of cap space currently, the Rangers could make some moves that will help fill their roster and the cap, while still helping them get younger.