This one could be a game changer for one National Hockey League franchise.
While it was never a secret that the New York Rangers would face some difficulties regarding the National Hockey League Expansion Draft for the Las Vegas Golden Knights, there are now solid rumors that the Rangers are at least discussing the possibility of a trade prior to the draft.
The problem for New York is backup goaltender Antti Raanta who is coming off an incredible season where he stepped in for injured starter Henrik Lundqvist. Despite Lundqvist's incredible value as a brand there's no disputing the simple fact that, during the regular season, Raanta outperformed Lundqvist when he was called upon.
Now the Rangers face the risk of losing Raanta for nothing to Las Vegas, and teams in desperate need of help in goal are already calling the Rangers to get a deal done. From Larry Brooks of the New York Post:
[pub]
The Flames and the Jets are believed to be among the clubs who have contacted the Rangers regarding a pre-expansion draft trade for Raanta, but management has not yet committed to dealing him or has not yet received an offer pushing them to that conclusion.
The window is closing for the Rangers to make a move, and inaction in this case is not a solution as it would cause them to lose Raanta for nothing, it will be very interesting to see what they do here.
