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McKenzie: What Rangers, Bruins want to trade for

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Multiple NHL GMs are at MSG for the matchup between the Bruins and the Rangers as the two Eastern Conference teams explore trade options.

With the Matt Duchene trade taken care of, could the Boston Bruins or New York Rangers make some moves of their own?

Hockey insider Bob McKenzie discussed what the Rangers and Bruins would look for on the trade market in the video above, and if nothing else, it seems like both teams want to make additions.

McKenzie notes that the Rangers were in on discussions regarding Duchene, but the asking price - which might have required brilliant young defenseman Brady Skjei going the other way - was far too rich for their liking.

Now that the Rangers are on a bit of a roll, McKenzie believes that any “rebuild” talk is put on hold. Instead, New York is hoping to add in immediate ways rather than planning for the longer-term future.

[The argument for a rebuild in New York]

The Bruins are open to a wide variety of possibilities to try to improve their team, according to McKenzie. Boston would like to improve at both forward and/or defense, and they’d be willing to do a player-for-player move or trade away prospects/picks. So just about anything.

At the same time, McKenzie notes that management would also like to get a better idea of what the Bruins might actually be capable of with all hands on deck. Patrice Bergeron ranks among players who’ve missed time while Brad Marchand (day-to-day), David Krejci (week-to-week), and David Backes (indefinite, possibly quite some time after colon surgery) are currently injured.

Some hurdles

So, it’s great that the Rangers and Bruins want to improve. Still, a few things must be considered.

For one thing, the Bruins might need to accept that injuries could be a consistent headache with core members. Bergeron, Rask, Krejci, and Backes are already past 30 and Marchand isn’t far behind at 29. Considering their careers, these guys have accrued a lot of mileage, and wear-and-tear is to be expected.

Beyond that, the Bruins don’t have a ton of cap space to work with, as you can see from Cap Friendly. A move would likely require some creativity and maybe a patient, open-minded GM on the other end.

The Rangers have more options, but it’s up to management to weigh options properly.

Rick Nash’s massive contract is set to expire, but New York needs to decide if they’re better off taking another swing or two at a window that might be closing or if they’d benefit more from “reloading.”
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Both the Rangers and Bruins want to do something, and from the looks of McKenzie’s update, that means pushing for immediate returns rather than future considerations.

Easier said than done.

As a bonus, enjoy this clip of Jeremy Roenick and Keith Jones sharing memories of being traded:


James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.