from Larry Brooks of the New York Post,

Maybe Zibanejad — who owns a full no-move clause in his contract — will turn this around over the next two months the way Jeter did 10 years ago. Even then, extension negotiations would be a pretty dicey affair. Can the team commit long-term at an appropriate price point in a flat-cap universe that is unforgiving when it comes to mistakes? And again, what would a mutually agreeable price point even be?

You probably know where this is going. That’s right, across I-80 West to I-90 North to 1-90 West right into Buffalo, where Jack Eichel could very well be ripe for the picking at the age of 24 and with five years remaining on his contract at an annual cap hit of $10 million.

If it gets to that with Eichel, who is going on his sixth year without a playoff appearance since his 2015 second-overall selection out of B.U., then the Rangers will need to be prepared for the conversation starting with Alexis Lafreniere.

Moving Eichel — and to the Rangers, no less — would create a public relations firestorm in Buffalo. Acquiring a player with both the special qualities and marquee appeal of Lafreniere might allow the franchise to minimize the damage. The Sabres aren’t moving their captain to New York for a handful of expendable parts.

But would the Blueshirts be willing to entertain that? Would they have the stomach for it? Maybe the better question is, would the hierarchy have much of a choice? If this is truly Zibanejad’s season, what in the world are the Rangers going to do?

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