Rangers reportedly negotiating the trade of one of their star players.

There is a stunning rumor coming out of New York, one that would drastically change the direction of the Rangers franchise.

According to reporter Jimmy Murphy there are rumblings that the New York Rangers are currently talking to a Western Conference team about a trade that would see forward Derek Stepan, one of the faces of the franchise, moved to another organization.

While this may seem a little far fetched on the surface, it's important to note that the Rangers have decimated their farm system in the long-term after several deadline trades designed to push for a Stanley Cup Championship and major trades like these could allow them to rebuild or retool that system. Furthermore the timing makes sense, Stepan has a no movement clause that kicks in 2017.

Murphy has not elaborated on what team is involved, or what the Rangers are looking for in return, but a talented center with several more years of control is very  valuable asset in the National Hockey League. He carries a cap hit of $6.5 million until 2020-2021, but the Rangers could potentially retain salary.

[pub]