Now this is truly the end of an era.
Because this latest move by Rangers GM Jeff Gorton sends away their captain and top-pair mainstay in Ryan McDonagh, traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning before Monday's 3 p.m. deadline, along with J.T. Miller in a blockbuster which brings back Vladislav Namestnikov, Brett Howden, Libor Hajek, a 2018 first-round pick and a conditional first-rounder in the 2019 draft.
It is the signature transaction so far of the Rangers' rebuild, their best foundational piece beyond the net used along with a versatile forward in Miller to get what the Rangers hope will be critical assets for the future. And yet this is also just the beginning.
"There is a lot of opportunity here to grow as a team and make our team better," Gorton said. "That's our goal; that's our mission; that's what we're going to do. I feel like we're just starting."
Ultimately all trades like this cannot be completely analyzed until the prospects in the trade fully develop, but on the surface the return seems a bit underwhelming since the Blueshirts traded their best chip, who is under control through next season at an incredibly reasonable $4.7 million cap hit, and did not bring back any of what are considered Tampa Bay's top young assets, NHL or otherwise. But these are players the Rangers obviously like and no doubt boost their pipeline.
Howden, a 19-year-old Canadian center, was a first-round pick in 2016 while Hajek, a 20-year-old Czech defenseman, was a second-round pick in 2016. Both players participated in the most recent World Junior Championships. The cupboard is now especially stocked with defensive prospects, Hajek joining Yegor Rykov from the Devils and Ryan Lindgren from the Bruins.
Namestnikov, 25, had 44 points in 62 games this season for Tampa Bay, and like Miller is an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent this summer.
The Rangers also now have three 2018 first-round picks along with two seconds and two thirds in what will be an extremely pivotal draft for the franchise. The conditional 2019 pick remains a first if the Lightning win the Stanley Cup this year or next, otherwise it becomes a second.
McDonagh, acquired on June 30, 2009 from Montreal in one of the best trades in Rangers history with Scott Gomez going the other way, was the captain for the last four seasons after Callahan was dealt to the Lightning.
The 28-year-old played 516 regular-season games and 96 playoff matches since making his NHL debut on Jan. 7, 2011. He shined brightest during a dominant 2013-14 campaign, helping lead the Blueshirts to a Stanley Cup Final appearance. McDonagh's last game as a Ranger was on Feb. 7 against Boston; he'd been out since with an upper-body injury, and injuries have helped cause what has thus far been a disappointing season for McDonagh, who could benefit from shouldering a slightly lesser load with the Lightning _ on which he reunites with his longtime defensive partner Dan Girardi, the previous Rangers captain Ryan Callahan and Anton Stralman.
"Dan texted me and was pretty excited, and I couldn't be more excited myself to get down (to Tampa) and be part of all their success," McDonagh said, via the Lightning. McDonagh said that Miller going with him "definitely sweetened everything."
The Rangers warned fans when announcing their Declaration of Reconstruction on Feb. 8 that familiar faces would be gone.
"It's a very difficult thing to do. It's a player that we view as a very special Ranger," Gorton said of McDonagh.
But these are the difficult decisions that must be made when revamping a roster. McDonagh departs a day after Rick Nash was dealt, and it follows what was the beginning of the Rangers' rebuilding process last summer with Derek Stepan being traded and Dan Girardi bought out.
If those latter two moves were considered Phase I of the Rangers' rebuild, then Phase II was just completed, and all in all it was a successful start. If they keep all three of their first-rounders, they'll make three first-round selections for the first time in franchise history.
Phase III is coming, and an era comes to a close.
