One thing that Jack Eichel knew as he approached Tuesday’s Garden match against Rangers is that he would not hear an 18,000 fan serenade with a “We Don’t Want You!” corner, the way Rick Nash was when he came to town with the Blue Jackets eight days before the 2011-12 deadline and scored the equalizer with 1:33 remaining in regulation before Derek Stepan won in overtime for the good guys .
(How would Eichel know that? Well, only 1,800 fans would be in the building for this one.)
At that time, Big 61 was the apple of the Rangers’ eye, the winger seen by then general manager Glen Sather as the missing link to the team’s aspirations at the Stanley Cup. It was something that made headlines, with the Blueshirts willing to give up a rather large package to add the winger to the first place team.
The Rangers, as reported at the time, offered Brandon Dubinsky, JT Miller, Tim Erixon, Christian Thomas and the selection of the first round of 2011 in exchange for Nash, who had a no-trade clause and could therefore choose his destination later that he asked to leave the perennial reconstruction in Columbus.
But the general manager of the Jackets at the time, Scott Howson, was greedy. He wanted more. In fact, he asked for Ryan McDonagh or Michael Del Zotto, plus Stepan or Carl Hagelin, plus the rights of BC junior Chris Kreider, plus Dubinsky, plus a first-round player.
It was relatively easy for the Rangers to reject this outrageous demand. The fans did not necessarily oppose the acquisition of Nash, per se, but did not want to participate in the separation of the Black-and-Blueshirts team that emerged as the surprise team in the NHL. (Surprise; so coach John Tortorella didn’t want to split the team either.)
Rangers made it to the conference finals before being defeated in six games by Devils. Months later, of course, Sather got his man (and a third round that would become Pavel Buchnevich) for Dubinsky’s package, Artem Anisimov, Erixon and a first round that represented the equivalent of the pre-term offer.
Advance through various concussions, a Presidents’ Trophy, a trip to the World Cup final and Nash’s disappointing playoff production before his negotiation with the 2018 Bruins deadline, and nine years later, Eichel is the apple of the eyes of the Rangers.
The center wants to leave while he and his perpetually oppressed sabers make their way to Manhattan in the midst of what certainly looks like their tenth consecutive season out of the playoffs and the sixth in a row since Eichel was selected second overall behind Connor McDavid in the 2015 draft. Buffalo’s first-year GM Kevyn Adams may not be in a hurry to accommodate Eichel.
But when it becomes real, the Rangers will be at the front of the suit line, either before the April 12 deadline or during the off-season. It is very typical for a Ranger to hunt for shiny objects, but there is a difference here. Eichel would not be superfluous. It would not be a luxury item. It is necessary. He is also 24 years old. No, Marcel Dionne, here.
The mysterious death of Mika Zibanejad created an urgency for the Blueshirts to solve their problems in between. It is no longer about Ryan Strome’s viability as the long-term second-tier center. It is no longer about taking care of deep issues in the organization. Instead, it is the first-rate point that the hierarchy thought it had made with the emergence of Zibanejad in the past two seasons.
Of course, there was an insane finish last year that produced a season of 41 goals and 75 points in what has become a schedule of 70 games in which Zibanejad has played 57 matches. This reinforced Zibanejad’s credentials as a top center. In the past two years, the 27-year-old Swede has scored 149 points (71-78), the 20th best in the overall NHL.
But this year? Well, as of Monday, 166 attackers have been on the ice for at least 235: 00 at five against five, according to NaturalStattrick.com. Zibanejad was 166th and last in production, with a point (an assist) at 237: 10. Zibanejad, of course, has another year on his contract before becoming a free agent after 2021-2022. It would seem impossible for the Rangers to extend it over the summer.
This creates the urgent need for a first-rate center. Now, you can notice that Eichel is 149th among the attackers qualified in the production of five against five with five points (1-4), but this is largely a product of organizational dysfunction as much as any deficit in his game. Nobody questions his status as a stallion.
The Rangers would have to pay for Eichel, who has five more years left in a deal that has a fixed cost of $ 10 million, no doubt. It is almost impossible to imagine a scenario in which the Blueshirts could fit the product BU – which he played for David Quinn – under the cap, unless Zibanejad (with a movement ban clause) is part of the package by going the other way. But summer is coming and the possibilities will be endless, albeit expensive. Expensive Nash type.
On Tuesday, 1,800 fans may have even shouted, “Yes, we want you! Yes, we need you! “