There was no “We don’t want you!” the garden crowd chants addressed Jack Eichel on Tuesday night, the way Rick Nash was serene when he arrived in town with the Blue Jackets a week before the 2012 commercial deadline.
In fact, there was the occasional song, albeit a bit weak, that “We Want Eichel” escaped the audience, which was strong for the Rangers’ match against the Sabers, not that the Blueshirts hierarchy was performing a referendum during his 3-2 victory.
Not that anything that transpired in this one, which opened with a bang and then crawled to a wide end in which the Blueshirts sent three shots into the net during the final 30:28, would alter the dynamics of a possible megatrade from Eichel in New York.
Because, yes, the Rangers want it too.
However, for a few moments it seemed like the sight of Eichel, the unfortunate 24-year-old center who wants to leave Buffalo while working in a sixth year without acting in the playoffs since his second overall selection in the 2015 draft. of motivation for Mika Zibanejad, the Rangers’ tenure would be in grave danger if Eichel arrived in Manhattan.
Zibanejad, who entered the game with a five-on-five point to qualify in 166th place and last among NHL forwards with at least 235:00 play, threw Pavel Buchnevich for a semi-break in which the extreme turned just 28 seconds into the match for a 1-0 lead.
Then, after the Sabers tied 27 seconds later in a play in which Eichel took the assist, Zibanejad’s pre-control created a rotation that triggered a sequence in which Alexis Lafreniere earned the goal’s merit. 2-1 at 2:36.
Two changes for Zibanejad’s line and two goals. I can’t do it better than that. Unfortunately, this was almost for the drive from an offensive standpoint, not that the rest of the team was capable of doing much, other than Chris Kreider’s left dart at 9:32 of the second period with a 3-1 advantage. .
In fact, Zibanejad finished with just 16:36 time, his little ice addition in a full game since January 4, 2019. Back, at least for now, are the days when coach David Quinn leans back in Zibanejad 23 minutes a night.
Here’s the thing. Given the limitations of the limit, it is essentially impossible for the Rangers to accommodate both Eichel, the bright new apple for which they are at least semi-lustful, and Zibanejad. It will be / or … or maybe not in the not too distant future if the first 20 games are an exact description of what the Swede has become.
If Kevyn Adams, Buffalo’s freshman general manager, wants to move his team captain before the April 12 deadline instead of waiting until the low season, it would be nearly impossible for the Blueshirts to participate in the action unless they could somehow treat Zibanejad. , which possesses a complete non-movement clause.
Eichel, 24, whose season has hardly been a resounding success as he was surrounded by a dysfunction that has been a permanent companion since the Sabers last qualified in the postseason in 2011, has five years left. of contract with a fixed cost of $ 10. million per. It’s expensive, it’s okay, but at least the Rangers (or any acquiring team) won’t have to deal with arbitration or a potential free agency for the next half decade.
The cost will be decisive, as the Blueshirts reflect on how much they are willing to send the Buffalo way in exchange for a no doubt center in the middle. The Rangers thought they had their baby in Zibanejad, but the disappearance this season has made it essentially impossible for the club to extend their contract this summer a year ahead of the free agency. In other words, a long-term front-line center is needed.
There aren’t many franchise-type players traded at such a young age. Tyler Seguin was just 21 when he (and Rich Peverley) moved from the Bruins to the Stars after his third year in exchange for veteran Louie Eriksson and a handful of pieces, but he hadn’t settled down at the time. Nash was 28 when he came to the Rangers (with a third champion becoming Buchnevich) in exchange for Brandon Dubinsky, Artem Anisimov, Tim Erixon and a first-team player.
In fact, the last franchise player to switch at such a young age was Joe Thornton, who went from the Bruins to the Sharks at 26 in exchange for one of the most meh packs of all time, with Boston getting Brad Stuart, Marco Sturm and Wayne Primeau.
Where do the Rangers register to get the equivalent of that? Ah, I get it: Fantasyland.
The Blueshirts, so organizationally thin for the center, desperately need a headliner for the first unit. Eichel, who played his season at Boston University with Quinn as coach, marks all the boxes. The Sabers recognize the evil the Rangers want.
But Rangers GM Jeff Gorton will not be extorted. Once the fans didn’t want Nash and they got him. Nine years later, fans want Eichel. See me.