New York Rangers: Kevin Shatternkirk Trade Rumors Have Gone Away
After being closely linked to the New York Rangers for a little over a year, rumors of the Rangers and the St. Louis Blues working out a deal for the stud defenseman have completely disappeared.
The fan base of the New York Rangers and the media surrounding the team have finally come to this conclusion; the team’s number one need is a right-handed, puck-moving defenseman. One player that would fit that bill is New Rochelle native Kevin Shattenkirk.
The 27-year-old defenseman has been linked to Broadway ever since last season. He would be a perfect fit on the right side of Ryan McDonagh, while also being the perfect replacement for Keith Yandle.
Shattenkirk requested a trade last season due to the frustration of the two parties’ ongoing contract talks, which made his name be one of the most popular ones on the trade market.
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But now, it seems like these trade rumors never even happened.
After hearing Shattenkirk’s name be bellowed in columns or segments talking about trades everday last season and into the offseason, you never even hear Shattenkirk’s name in rumors anymore.
Shattenkirk was named an Assistant Captain back in August, when new Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo called him up. He seems to have embraced that role. “’Petro called and said, ‘I want you to be right there with me,’” Shattenkirk said in an interview with STLToday.com. “It just seemed like he really wanted me there, and that’s important to me to know that.”
Shattenkirk is having a stellar season so far. He has tallied 7 goals, 16 assists for a total of 23 points. 13 of those points came on the power play. His points total puts him on pace for 54 points, which would be a career high.
A point of impasse in rumored trade negotiations is Shattenkirk’s impending unrestricted free agency on July 1st. In these rumors, Rick Nash was the player the Rangers would most likely send the other way.
There are plenty of reasons to believe that a Nash and Shattenkirk deal would be impossible at this point. St. Louis would be concerned about Nash’s injuries coupling up, while also being weary of his cap hit. The Rangers would be weary to give up Nash–arguably their best forward so far this season–for an impending UFA.
There really is no telling what the trade market for Shattenkirk could be. Puck-moving defenseman with two-way abilities are valuable trade commodities. However, teams may fear that he would walk away for nothing in the offseason, lowering his trade value.
If the Rangers were to go and inquire about the 6-foot tall defender, they better make sure that they can agree to an extension with him before they decide to move him, a conversation that the Blues’ brass should be okay with.
A Kevin Shattenkirk to the Rangers move could be something very enticing to the New York native, but with his new leadership role in St. Louis, coupled with his team still winning, the chances of Shattenkirk being dealt are ever so slim. On top of that, the chances of the 8-year veteran re-signing in St. Louis look better with each passing day.
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