New York Rangers Will Not Receive a Better Offer for Lundkvist Than the One They Received in March
The Rangers' Nils Lundkvist has generated serious interest on the trade market since it was reported he would not report to training camp this summer. However, it is worth noting that he originally requested a trade in March, prior to the NHL's trade deadline. Now, his trade value has only diminished with the news of his intentions to hold out.
The Athletic reported a while back:
«But Drury, as he was with Vitali Kravtsov, is not willing to let go of one of the Rangers' top prospects for another lottery ticket just yet. That may change in two weeks when Lundkvist likely stays home, but for now, the Rangers are believed to be seeking a young player in return.»
Well, today it seems as thought the Rangers would be lucky to receive such an offer. Now that Lundkvist will not report to camp, other GMs will be reluctant to give GM Chris Drury an easy out on this one. One NHL scout told Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now that Lundkvist is a logical target for the Sharks.
While the Sharks do make sense as a landing spot, Peng suggests the Sharks could possibly offer Thomas Bordeleau -- which is preposterous -- or a second-round pick, which should be somewhat high up there, given that San Jose does projects out of the playoffs heading into the season. In light of that, the odds that New York can squeeze anything close to that sort of return seem small now.
Lundkvist was a 2018 first-round pick of the Rangers (#28), but he simply has not displayed the type of offensive upside for which he was drafted. In the SHL, Lundkvist scored 63 points in 97 games with Lulea HF before arriving in North America. His production dropped sharply since, managing just 15 points in 34 AHL games with Hartford last season and only four points in 25 games for the Rangers. Just 22, the Swede still has potential, but between his results and his trade request, his trade value has never been lower.
A smart team would do well to snag Lundkvist for a middling prospect or draft pick. He still requires plenty of development, but there is potential. The Rangers' blue-line is just too crowded, and the player wants a better opportunity for himself. Unfortunately for New York, failing to trade their disgruntled prospect might end up costing them in the long run.
| POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 10 | 333 ANSWERS New York Rangers Will Not Receive a Better Offer for Lundkvist Than the One They Received in March What is Nils Lundkvist's trade value? | ||
| Another NHL-ready prospect | 79 | 23.7 % |
| 1st Round Pick | 60 | 18 % |
| 2nd Round Pick | 103 | 30.9 % |
| 3rd Round Pick or Later | 91 | 27.3 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Kyle Connor | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Alex Tuch | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Owen Power | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Michael Bunting | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Drew Helleson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jirí Kulich | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Isac Lundestrom | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Vladislav Namestnikov | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Nino Niederreiter | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Gabriel Vilardi | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jason Zucker | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Leo Carlsson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Nikolaj Ehlers | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Ross Johnston | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Evgeni Malkin | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Josh Morrissey | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Cole Perfetti | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Bryan Rust | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Mark Scheifele | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Trevor Zegras | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 20 | 17 | 3 | - | 34 | |
Wild | 19 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 29 | |
Hurricanes | 19 | 14 | 5 | - | 28 | |
Devils | 22 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 28 | |
Capitals | 19 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 27 | |
Golden Knights | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Maple Leafs | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Rangers | 18 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 25 | |
Panthers | 20 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 25 | |
Flames | 20 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 25 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||