The Rangers’ season has started very badly, so much so that they are ready to move big pieces to try to get back on track. In the last few days, the names of Chris Kreider and Jacob Trouba were revealed as Rangers players who could move.
And when such players become available on the market, there is often talk of a possible trade with the Canadiens.
The player most targeted by analysts and fans is currently Jacob Trouba. However, we must ask ourselves what Montreal is prepared to give to acquire it.
For former NHL goaltender Martin Biron, it would be Arber Xhekaj and a prospect of the organization. This is what he revealed on the airwaves of Return of athletes at BPM Sports, Tuesday.
This offer is not crazy. Kent Hughes won’t always be able to play hero like he did by only sending out Jordan Harris to acquire Patrik Laine and a draft pick.
You will have to sacrifice something to improve the team. Xhekaj may be a crowd favorite due to his physical play, but he is extremely unstable on defense.
Biron believes that this transaction would preserve the physical contribution since Trouba knows how to hit very hard and he would automatically become a much more stable defender defensively than Xhekaj is.
However, this transaction remains a risk for Canadians. If the Rangers want to trade Trouba, it’s not for fun. At 30 years old, perhaps we shouldn’t expect him to still be on the team when the Canadiens are competitive.
Martin Biron, however, would like the Rangers to keep part of Trouba’s contract. He would like to receive Trouba at only $5 million per season, while his contract currently weighs $8 million on New York’s payroll.
The Rangers are probably looking to remain competitive, having excellent players on their roster. Holding $3 million in a vacuum is probably not in their plans.
We also have to wonder if Xhekaj is really a player that Rangers would be interested in. They already have Matt Rempe to take care of the fights and adding another brawler wouldn’t necessarily be the idea of the century.
It’s worth remembering that Jeff Gorton was the Rangers’ general manager when they acquired Trouba from the Jets in 2019. He could do it a second time with the help of Kent Hughes.
In burst
– Ovechkin liked to do the party!
– We would like him in Montreal.
– He deserves it.
