MONTREAL — Just days before Monday’s 3 p.m. trade deadline, the Rangers aren’t taking any chances. Both Rick Nash and Michael Grabner were out of the Rangers’ lineup Thursday night against the Canadiens for precautionary reasons as the team prepares to move the pending unrestricted free agents, not taking the risk of a potential injury jeopardizing a trade.
Nash and Grabner each participated in Thursday’s morning skate. Vinni Lettieri was summoned from AHL Hartford to play Thursday night so the Rangers had 12 forwards to dress.
The Rangers earlier this month announced their plan to rebuild and on Tuesday traded Nick Holden to Boston for a third-round pick and Rob O’Gara, who was set for his Rangers debut Thursday.
Rick Nash is expected to be gone at the trade deadline as Rangers look to get the rebuild started.
(Trevor Hagan/AP)Nash, who has stated multiple times his preference to remain a Ranger, submitted his trade list to the club upon request more than two weeks ago and has been bracing for a move. He is the top rental on the market, though the speedy Grabner’s $1.65 million cap hit is more palatable for teams in a salary-cap crunch. Grabner leads the Rangers with 25 goals this season.
The cloud hovering over the Rangers’ locker room in recent weeks has led to players wondering at all hours of the day who will stay and who will go.
“It’s hard to sleep sometimes and you think a lot, but at the end of the day it’s a part of the game, and when you’re not performing at the level the team should be or hoping to be, it’s more than normal that these discussions and all the rumors come up,” Mats Zuccarello, himself the subject of rumors, said Thursday morning. “Just have to deal with it.”
Michael Grabner
(John Russell/NHLI via Getty Images)Knowing that management is building for the future regardless of how it impacts the rest of this season is new for a group used to gearing up for playoff runs. They also know that their performance — the Rangers had lost 14 of 19 games entering Thursday and haven’t won more than two consecutive games in two months — has created this awkward scenario.
“We’re all human beings, so it’s hard not to let it get into us,” Zuccarello said. “You think about it at night and you think about it during the day, what’s gonna happen. A lot of people have been here for many years and got strong relationships and friendships. It’s gonna be tough if something happens and if you’re gonna be going or whatever. But it’s nothing we can control right now.”
Zuccarello was asked what fans have said to him since the team made its announcement on Feb. 8.
“Some people say get the hell out of here and then some people want you to stay,” he said. “So I think it’s mixed feelings about everyone. Hopefully the fans are just enjoying the rebuild and hopefully it’s gonna be good in the future. It’s hard for me to talk about. I don’t really know what’s going on. I just have to wait and see if I’m gonna be here or not.”