If the New York Rangers want to improve their defense in July, they have a way of doing so. They could improve their right side by trading for defenseman Rasmus Andersson and putting themselves back on the road to contention, as arguably the last few depth acquisitions have been placeholders in New York.
Rasmus Andersson occupies a familiar spot in the line-up for Rangers fans. 1st-pairing right-side, where Adam Fox typically resides.
Just imagine if the Rangers were to pull off a trade that would add a significant talent to the defensive depth, which looks quite a bit thin lately. Even with the prospects of keeping Braden Schneider on the right, the team is lacking in two-way players.
A role which Andersson would fulfill nicely, adding some bite and some offense where Will Borgen can't typically match. While Borgen has some great physicality to his play, he hasn't scored 31 goals in the last three seasons, where Andersson could add ancillary scoring.
Andersson, who, according to Elliotte Friedman, is looking for a new situation in the NHL, rather than staying to see the rebuild through.
Andersson could end up being a rental for a contending team, with a manageable cap hit at $4.55 million, a six-year deal he signed with GM Brad Treliving and the Flames in 2020.
Now, he's poised to make a significant move to a team that could afford him under their cap arrangement.
Andersson's deal contains a six-team no-trade clause, which we hope doesn't include the New York Rangers.
It's difficult to speculate what kind of value the Rangers would have to give up for him, but it's pretty typical; a draft pick, maybe a prospect, or a combination of both.
Which might be an expensive price for a rental, which is why if GM Chris Drury could pull it off, to make sure he's able to extend him beyond the one-year good-by date.
