New York Rangers: The pros and cons of trading for Evgeni Malkin
By Ed Stein
The Wrap
There are good reasons both for and against the New York Rangers trading for Malkin. Although he’s headstrong and enigmatic, his results on the ice are undeniable. Yes misses time with injuries, but when in the lineup, Geno is a scoring force of nature.
Rangers fans will flock to the Garden and buy number 71 jerseys in droves if he comes to town. Malkin is almost 33, how long can he sustain his level of play and if he isn’t up to what they expect, how long is it before the MSG faithful are once again disgruntled?
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As is the case with most big decisions in sports (and life) it comes down to risk vs reward, or more simply bang for the buck. Malkin will score goals, he’ll make other players look fantastic on the offensive end, and put butts in seats.
At this point, the cost to make it happen will be way too high. The Rangers are invested in their rebuild and are putting together a team to compete for many years, not just the three or four he may be with the team.
Sure the young players will learn lots from him, but how many will be left to do so. Either Kaapo Kakko or Jack Hughes will become part of the organization this summer. Whichever one of them it is, has the potential to be the same kind of ticket and swag selling player as Malkin is now.
Adding a big-time scorer isn’t the Rangers issue here, they definitely should add some veteran scoring talent to this roster. In the end, the cost of Geno in terms of what the Rangers would have to send back is too steep at this stage of their rebuild. Maybe if the Blueshirts were further along in their development and were a player or two away from cup contention it would be a different story.
Next. Jets post-draft/free agency offense analysis. dark
Gorton should say nyet to trading for Malkin.