It's early runnings, but the Big Apple may draw interest from two of the hottest veteran right-wingers come the 2024 trade deadline.
The New York market is a magnet for top-flight talent in the National Hockey League. There is a possibility that the Rangers pursue right-wing options in Steven Stamkos and Mats Zuccarello if their forecasted depth chart underperforms.
According to the Associated Press, Steven Stamkos stated, "To be honest, I’m disappointed in the lack of talk in that regard,” Stamkos said Wednesday as Lightning players reported for the start of training camp. “It was something that I expressed at the end of last year that I wanted to get something done before training camp started."
The unsettling remarks prompted a response from Lightning GM Julien BriseBois, "Steven and I share a common goal of bringing the Cup back to Tampa — that’s our objective. In order for us to do that in future years, we’re going to need to spend our cap dollars as wisely as possible. In order for me to do that, I feel like I need to gather more information."
On the PuckTalkCS podcast, I brought up how it may be possible for the New York Rangers to look into Stamkos because of the quotes between management and the Lighting captain.
To make matters worse in Tampa, the Lightning will be without megastar goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy for two months.
As for Mats Zuccarello, the former fan-favorite would play in New York for pennies. Many believe that the 36-year-old's new contract (2x4.125$) puts to rest any rumors of "The Hobbit" returning to Manhattan.
They couldn't be more wrong. The Minnesota Wild will be competing in a division where they could easily fall out of a playoff race. The Avalanche and Stars have taken control of the Central Division, and teams like the St. Louis Blues and Winnipeg Jets could emerge as surprise teams.
The Rangers are always in the mix when it comes to big-ticket performers. Monitor these names as the season progresses.
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