The New York Rangers had a very active 2024 Trade Deadline. From acquiring Alex Wennberg to bringing in Chad Ruhwedel, as well as making a minor swap with the Minnesota Wild involving Turner Elson and Nic Petan, the Rangers did a lot in hopes of getting better and making a push for a Stanley Cup. In this Rangers Roundtable, we spoke to Rangers writers Lucas Standel and Sam Henes and got their responses to a few questions.
How Did the Rangers Do at the Deadline?
Lucas: The Rangers did the best they could given the circumstances. They were able to get the third-line center they wanted in Wennberg and they didn’t have to give up a first-round pick like the Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks or Winnipeg Jets did when they traded for centers like Adam Henrique and Sean Monahan. They also got a good depth defenseman in Ruhwedel for a cheap price, who has lots of regular season and playoff experience and can easily slot into the third defensive pair if he needs to.
The big issue many fans had with the deadline was that they could not get Jake Guentzel. He was instead traded to the Hurricanes, who are right behind the Rangers in the Metropolitan Division. Fans have to realize that the Canes had a deeper prospect pool and could trade away the prospects that they did and still not hurt themselves going forward. Trading for Guentzel would have hurt the Rangers much more in the future because of what they were going to have to give up. They also didn’t want to have to pay the high price to get Frank Vatrano from the Anaheim Ducks. So they settled with getting Jack Roslovic from the Columbus Blue Jackets, which was a good move as he looked great in his first game as a Ranger.
Related: New York Rangers 2024 Trade Deadline Recap
Sam: Reminiscent of his approach during the 2022 Trade Deadline, general manager (GM) Chris Drury opted for enhancing the team’s depth over chasing marquee names. By acquiring players like Roslovic and Wennberg, he mirrored his previous acquisitions of Vatrano and Copp, focusing on bolstering the supporting cast rather than adding headline stars. Ruhwedel’s acquisition serves a similar purpose to bringing in Justin Braun, strengthening the defensive line without splurging. Furthermore, although not acquired through a trade, the addition of Matt Rempe is evocative of Tyler Motte’s role, marking an astute enhancement to the squad’s composition.
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