Entering the Christmas break, the Tampa Bay Lightning sit in fourth place in the Atlantic Division and are currently in the top spot for a wild card berth. However, if the team plans to avoid a first-round playoff exit, they should add some depth to a roster that many feel is not good enough to make a deep run. Regarding potential trade candidates, the Lightning can look to their next opponent, the New York Rangers.
After struggling to start the season, Rangers General Manager Chris Drury sent a memo to the NHL’s 31 other general managers on Nov. 24, indicating they were open for business. Since then, captain Jacob Trouba was dealt to the Anaheim Ducks on Dec. 8, while Kaapo Kakko was sent to the Seattle Kraken last week. When the NHL’s holiday roster freeze expires at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, the Rangers could make some more moves, and the Lightning should at least explore some options that would significantly improve their roster heading into the second half of the season.
Chris Kreider
It will take some salary cap work to get this done, but if the two teams can find a way to make this happen, the Lightning would add a significant veteran presence to their lineup and a player who does his best work in the playoffs. Kreider was a healthy scratch in the Rangers’ last game against the New Jersey Devils, adding speculation that the 33-year-old could be the next Blueshirt who is dealt (from “Reeling Rangers finally get a needed break from ‘miserable’ stretch,” The New York Post, Dec. 24, 2024).
While Kreider has struggled to produce offensively this season, he still generates shots at a high rate. According to NHL EDGE, he ranks in the 85th percentile in shots with 80 and the 87th percentile in high-danger shots with 29. Even at 33, Kreider still has some speed in his game. He has recorded six 22+ mph bursts, which rank in the 91st percentile, while his 66 20-22 mph bursts rank in the 86th percentile.
Kreider could be a goal machine and a difference-maker on a legitimate Stanley Cup contender like the Lightning. Management has shown that they are willing to make deals to put the team in a position to win it all, and adding a player like Kreider to the roster could do just that.
Alexis Lafreniere
The former first overall pick in 2021 started the season strong but has only five goals and nine assists and is minus-15 since signing his seven-year, $52.15 million contract extension. The good news is that the 23-year-old carries a budget-friendly $2.3 million cap hit this season, and a potential large bump in the salary cap next season could allow the Lightning to keep him without making any significant moves.
While Lafreniere has not lived up to expectations in the Big Apple, he did give a glimpse of what he can do in the NHL last season when he scored 28 goals and 57 points across 82 regular-season games. If you go with the idea that Lafraniere’s struggles this season coincide with the Rangers’ offensive struggles as a team, the Lightning could get a player who could post 60+ points in a season for years to come.
Jimmy Vesey
Adding the 31-year-old to the Lightning roster would add depth to their bottom six forward group. The Rangers would likely ask for a fourth or fifth-round pick, and he is in the final season of a two-year, $800,000 AAV deal before he becomes an unrestricted free agent at season’s end.
Vesey hasn’t had the same impact this season for the Rangers as he has in the last few years when he had a total of 24 goals through 80 games in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons. However, the ability to be a solid two-way player would give the Lightning some added depth, especially if injuries become an issue for the team.
Matt Rempe
This one may raise some eyebrows, especially after receiving an eight-game suspension for drilling Miro Heiskanen into the boards from behind and knocking the Dallas Stars defenseman to the ice, including an elbow to the head/neck area. However, there is a skill set beyond big hits and fighting that could benefit the Lightning.
Playing in a major market such as New York City carries a big spotlight. The 6-foot-8½ forward was expected to be an enforcer when he burst onto the NHL scene last season, and he did just that for the Blueshirts. However, there may have been too much focus on this area of his game rather than his skills.
Rempe bounced between the Rangers and their American Hockey League club in Hartford for the first six-and-a-half weeks of the season. However, while a member of the Wolf Pack, the 23-year-old did play well with the team as a top-six skater and a special teams contributor. He had three goals and two assists in his 18 games in Hartford, demonstrating that he can contribute in other ways besides putting big hits and fighting opponents.
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Playing in Tampa Bay would put less of a spotlight on Rempe, and head coach Jon Cooper and the organization would have the opportunity to refine and develop all of his hockey skills that would make him a productive team member, even if it is not for this season.
There will be a lot of trade speculation with the Rangers heading not only into Saturday’s (Dec. 28) lift of the roster freeze but also up until the trade deadline. The Lightning would be wise to look at some of the talented players the Rangers have to offer to bolster their roster for the rest of the season and in the future.
