The Rangers sat quietly — and then made the biggest splash of them all.
The Blueshirts pulled off a blockbuster trade just before the 3 p.m. deadline on Monday, sending captain Ryan McDonagh and forward J.T. Miller to the Lightning in exchange for a large haul, according to multiple reports.
It starts with current Lightning forward Vladislav Namestnikov, a 25-year-old in the midst of a career season (20 goals, 44 points) and set to be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights; 19-year-old center Brett Howden, who was a first-round pick (No. 27 overall) in 2016 currently playing in the WHL; 20-year-old defenseman Libor Hajek, a second-round pick (No.