Like in any other business, it is easier to negotiate when one has leverage. In the case of the New York Rangers, the team’s front office held all of the trade leverage in rumored talks.
The team is at least one if not two years away from being a serious contender. This means that there was no urgent need to force through a trade like some other teams have had to.
The Ottawa Senators needed to trade forward Mike Hoffman, and had no leverage during the trade talks because of their situation. Now, the team has likely poisoned the relationship with star defenseman Erik Karlsson beyond repair.