Now, here’s another thought that just occurred to me on the McDonagh front: If you’re the Rangers, and while it makes sense that perhaps your best offer will come in the off-season when more teams get involved, what if suddenly one of Erik Karlsson, Oliver Ekman-Larsson or Drew Doughty goes on the trade market? Like McDonagh, they are all UFAs in 2019, so this summer is a big window for one-year-out decisions. Right now, it doesn’t appear that any of those three players are available pre-trade deadline. The Coyotes are focused on signing OEL this summer, so they’ve made him an untouchable for this deadline; the Senators also are all about trying to sign Karlsson this summer, just as the Kings are with Doughty.

Therefore, the Rangers right now have the top defenceman on the trade market with McDonagh. If one or two of those other three stud blueliners arrives on the trade market this summer, how much does that limit your market and/or return if you’re New York?

-Pierre LeBrun of The Athlletic where can read all the latest trade talk (paid subscription).