After weeks of waiting for the NHL trade deadline day to arrive, when it did, the Rangers moved aggressively by trading away forward Kevin Hayes and defenseman Adam McQuiad in separate deals that added to the rebuilding club's increasing stockpile of draft picks.
After having traded forward Mats Zuccarello to the Dallas Stars on Saturday night, the Rangers began Monday by sending Hayes, their No. 2 center and third-leading scorer, to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for a first-round draft pick in 2019, a conditional fourth-round pick in 2020, and 22-year-old winger Brendan Lemieux, the son of former Devils and Colorado Avalanche forward Claude Lemieux.
The Rangers then sent McQuaid to the very active Columbus Blue Jackets, and old friend John Tortorella, for defenseman Julius Bergman, plus a fourth-round and seventh-round draft picks this summer.
The deal for the 6-foot-5, 216-pound Hayes, who had 14 goals and 28 assists for 42 points in 51 games, gives the Rangers two first-round picks this summer. That number could go as high as four first-rounders if certain conditions are met from other deals. The Zuccarello deal Saturday brought back the Stars' second-round pick in 2019, but that pick would become a first-rounder if the Stars win two playoff rounds this spring. The Ryan McDonagh/J.T. Miller deal with Tampa Bay at last year's deadline included a second-round pick this summer that will become a first-round pick if the Lightning win the Stanley Cup this year.
At worst, the Rangers _ so far _ will have two first-round picks this summer (their own and Winnipeg's), and three second-rounders (their own, Dallas' and Tampa Bay's), and they will have replaced the fourth-round pick and the seventh-rounder they traded to Boston in September for McQuaid.
In addition, Lemieux, a 6-1, 210-pound left-shooting left wing who has nine goals, two assists, and 64 penalty minutes in 44 games this season with Winnipeg, would be a nice addition to their third line _ if the Rangers decide to keep him. There were reports that as soon as they acquired him, the Rangers were receiving calls from other teams seeking to acquire Lemieux, who turns 23 on March 15.
Hayes came to the Rangers as a free agent in the summer of 2014 after finishing four years at Boston College. He had been drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010, but went to college instead. When Chicago's exclusive rights to Hayes expired after he finished college, Hayes signed with the Rangers. Last summer, as a restricted free agent, Hayes signed a one-year, $5.125 million contract, which made him an unrestricted free agent this summer. The Rangers did talk to his agent about a possible contract extension this season but apparently decided they could not come to a long term contract agreement.
McQuaid, 32, had been acquired on the eve of training camp from the Bruins and proved to be a solid addition to the Rangers' blue line corps. The 6-4, 210-pound, right-handed shooter overcame a lower body injury suffered in late October to play in 36 games for the Rangers, scoring 2 goals with 3 assists and 33 penalty minutes, adding reliable defense and toughness as well as proving to be a stabilizing influence to defense partner Brady Skjei.
Bergman, 23, was acquired by Columbus from Ottawa on Friday before being moved again to the Rangers. Bergman has played in 223 career AHL games in five seasons with 16 goals, 51 assists and 151 penalty minutes.
