MID-SEASON NY RANGERS TRADES -- BEST OVER PAST 25-YEARS

MID-SEASON NY RANGERS TRADES -- BEST OVER PAST 25-YEARS

By: Matthew Blittner

With the NY Rangers currently playing in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, many people are likely wondering how this team was put together and why are they among the final eight teams left standing out of 31.

A team's construction is usually the primary responsibility of the General Manager.

A GM can construct his roster through moves such as: trades, free agent signings, drafting, call-ups/demotions, and waiver claims.

So, for your reading pleasure, I have listed four of the top Rangers' mid-season trades over the last 25-years, that directly led to either a Stanley Cup Championship, or a deep playoff run.

These trades are listed in chronological order with the the oldest one first, and for your entertainment, I have included a rating for each. Enjoy!

1) MARCH 21, 1994 -- RANGERS PREP FOR STANLEY CUP RUN, ACQUIRE FOUR PLAYERS. Looking to shore up the team for the upcoming Stanley Cup Playoffs, GM Neil Smith and Coach Mike Keenan could not agree how to go about this. Eventually, Keenan won out, and Smith pulled off three trades that had significant impacts on the team. 

First, he traded star-to-be Tony Amonte to Chicago for Stephane Matteau and Brian Noonan. Then he traded Mike Gartner -- whom he had just acquired four years earlier -- to Toronto for Glenn Anderson. Finally, he went back to the well that proved to be Edmonton and raided them yet again, this time by sending them Todd Marchant and receiving Craig MacTavish. 

The acquisition of Matteau, would prove especially important, as he wound up playing the hero in both Game 3 and Game 7 in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Devils. 

Game 3 saw Matteau score, on a young rookie goaltender that you might have heard of before, Martin Brodeur, the double-overtime game-winning goal which gave the Blueshirts a 2-1 series lead. 

Game 7 can stake the claim to being one of the greatest games ever played. In what can only be described as Deja Vu, Matteau again victimized poor Brodeur in double-overtime to send the Rangers to the Stanley Cup Final. 

This move, as well as the others would prove to be vital to the team’s Stanley Cup aspirations. 

RATING: 5/5

2) APRIL 3, 2013 -- BLOCKBUSTER TRADE WITH BLUE JACKETS ADDS GRIT AND DEPTH. Entering the season as heavy favorites to advance to the Stanley Cup Final -- after falling to New Jersey in the Eastern Conference Finals the year previous -- the Blueshirts had to first deal with a lockout that caused the start of the season to be delayed and the schedule reduced to 48 games. 

After struggling to incorporate their new offensive toy Rick Nash into John Tortorella’s system and hovering around .500, the team decided to add some grit to the roster and sent Marian Gaborik, Blake Parlett and Steve Delisle to Columbus in exchange for three of Nash’s former Blue Jacket teammates: Derick Brassard, Derek Dorsett, John Moore, as well as a 2014 6th round draft pick. 

After the deal, the team would go 10-3-1 and qualify for the playoffs as the sixth seed in the East. Downing Washington in the first round, the Blueshirts took on Boston in the Conference Semi-Finals where they lost four games to one, which eventually helped lead to the ouster of Coach John Tortorella, and the subsequent hiring of Alain Vigneault in what was essentially a coach swap, as Tortorella then was hired by Vancouver to replace Vigneault. 

RATING: 4/5

3) MARCH 5, 2014 -- CAPTAIN FOR CAPTAIN SWAP, BLUESHIRTS TRADE CALLAHAN FOR ST. LOUIS. In their first year under new Coach Alain Vigneault, the Rangers started out poorly as they had to deal with an extended West Coast trip to start the season, thanks to some final renovations at Madison Square Garden. The team began to gain traction in November, and eventually went into the Olympic break in February sporting a 33-24-3 record. 

However, after failing to sign Captain Ryan Callahan to an extension the Blueshirts decided to the trade the fan favorite leader as well as a 2014 conditional 2nd round draft pick and a 2015 1st round draft pick to Tampa Bay for their own Captain Martin St. Louis, who himself had issues with the Tampa front office. Although, he did not have much of an impact on the scoresheet throughout his first 19 games in a Ranger uniform, St. Louis proved to be just what the doctor ordered. 

After beating the rival Flyers in the first round, the Rangers advanced to face Pittsburgh in the Conference Semi-Finals and winning Game 1 in overtime. Unfortunately it was all downhill from there as they found themselves staring down a 3-1 deficit in the series after losing Game 4. 

After that loss put them on the brink of elimination, word came through that St. Louis' mother had died. Being the brave soldier he was, St. Louis returned to the lineup in time for Game 5, and though he didn’t score in the contest, his presence inspired the team and spurred them to victory. He would return to MSG for Game 6 still looking to stave off elimination, and would score the first goal of the game, sending the crowd into a frenzy, as the Rangers would force a Game 7 with a 3-1 win in Game 6. 

On to the next round, the Rangers faced the Montreal Canadiens in the Eastern Conference Finals. In Game 4, looking to extend their lead in the series to three games to one, St. Louis provided the dramatic game-winner in sudden-death overtime. 

Eventually felling the Canadiens in six games, the Rangers would go on to face the LA Kings in the Stanley Cup Final, their first appearance in the Final since their magical ‘93-’94 ride. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be as the Blueshirts fell in five games. 

RATING: 4.5/5

4) MARCH 1, 2015 -- BUSY DEADLINE DAY, RANGERS GO ALL IN ON SEASON, ACQUIRE KEITH YANDLE FROM ARIZONA. In the midst of one of their most successful regular seasons in franchise history, then Rangers' General Manager Glenn Sather made three trades on deadline day, none bigger than the acquisition of puck moving defenseman Keith Yandle. 

In a season that would see them win the President's Trophy Championship for the first time since their magical Cup year of 1993-94, the Blueshirts felt that in order to finally put themselves over the top, they needed a defenseman who could contribute on the offensive side of the puck as well. 

Having gone to the Cup Final in a losing effort the year previous, and a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals two years before that, the Rangers felt that this was they missing piece. 

A team's window of opportunity only stays open so long and while that window is open they needed to go for it. So, Sather sent John Moore, a 2016 1st round draft pick, a 2015 2nd round draft pick, and the big piece, star blue chip prospect Anthony Duclair to Arizona in exchange for Keith Yandle, Chris Summers, and a 2015 4th round draft pick. Yandle was just what the Rangers were looking for -- A defenseman who could not only matchup with the opposition's top guys, but that could also move the puck up the ice and score as well. 

To further solidify the depth of the team, Sather would also trade a 2016 4th round draft pick to San Jose for James Sheppard, and send Lee Stempniak to Winnipeg for Carl Klingberg. But it was obvious that the center piece of the day was Yandle. 

With Yandle now in the fold, the Blueshirts continued about their winning ways, finishing the season with a franchise record 113 points and the President's Trophy. 

On to the playoffs and another confrontation with their rivals, the Penguins. There would be no need for dramatic comebacks this time as the Rangers won the series in five games. 

Next up were the Conference Semi-Finals and a familiar foe in the Washington Capitals. Wouldn't you know it, they once again found themselves facing a 3-1 series deficit in the second round after Game 4. Only this time there was no emotional catalyst to inspire this team to comeback. Alas, they still found a way to comeback, thanks to clutch performances by Chris Kreider, Ryan McDonagh, and the Game 7 hero Derek Stepan. 

Another trip to the Eastern Conference Finals, where their new rivals, the Tampa Bay Lightning, awaited them. After swapping captains at the deadline the year before, the Lightning then went out and signed Ranger defenseman Anton Stralman and Ranger center Brian Boyle in the offseason, adding an extra layer of intrigue to the new rivalry in the process. A hard fought back-and-forth series that went the full seven games, culminated with the Rangers shockingly losing Game 7 at home and once more falling short of their ultimate goal of winning the Stanley Cup.

RATING: 3.75/5