After making the run to the Eastern Conference Finals, the New York Rangers are already starting to see that changes are going to be needed. Two of the Rangers players requested a trade. With more troubles stemming from the locker room, it appears that the Rangers have some work to do in order to keep the team competitive. Julien Gauthier and Alexander Georgiev have reportedly asked the Rangers for a trade, according to Arthur Staple. Both a Gauthier and Georgiev trade could be likely.
What we’re hearing about the Rangers’ offseason, 2.0: Top-6 center targets, and could Kakko and Chytil be traded?
via @TheAthletic https://t.co/ZFgJnjrAlL
— Arthur Staple (@StapeAthletic) June 30, 2022
Julien Gauthier and Alexandar Georgiev Trade Possible
Julien Gauthier
Gauthier hasn’t had the NHL career he wanted. Drafted 21st overall in 2016, he spent the first few years of his career in the AHL, getting upwards of 40 points a season with the Charlotte Checkers. As soon as he made his way to the NHL, he didn’t have anywhere close to those numbers. His most points with the Rangers was 8 in the 2020-2021 season.
Alexandar Georgiev
Georgiev and Shesterkin were supposed to be the next big one-two punch in terms of goaltending, but that one two punch hasn’t gone exactly how it was supposed to. Georgiev only started two games this past playoffs, and a career GAA of 2.93. this past season was his worst in the NHL stats-wise, recording an .898 save percentage through 33 games.
What This Means
With both players wanting a fresh start, this puts the Rangers in an interesting situation. Gauthier is a piece they are willing to move from. He doesn’t contribute all that much offensively, and he hasn’t been great in terms of plus-minus. Obviously the piece that hurts the Rangers the most is Georgiev. He has been a solid backup for New York, but has been overshadowed by the success of Igor Shesterkin. A Georgiev trade would hurt the Rangers, but it has to be done for cap spaces and other reasons.
With both players looking for a fresh start, it is going to be a lot of working the phones for the Rangers front office. Although, there are a lot of backup goaltenders ok the market right now.
