Rangers Had Interest in Predators’ Tommy Novak Before Extension

The New York Rangers have been rather quiet as we head toward the March 8 trade deadline, but a recent report proves they have been doing their due diligence on players around the league. The Nashville Predators announced a new extension for forward Tommy Novak, which was a three-year deal worth $3.5 million per season. Before he chose to re-sign with the Predators, the Rangers were reportedly interested in acquiring his services and bringing him in for a postseason run. There isn’t any word as to what the return could have been, just that the Rangers had been keeping their eye on him.

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The Rangers will now have to turn their attention elsewhere, but this report proves they are looking to add forward depth. Players like Jordan Eberle, Alex Wennberg, and Anthony Duclair have all come up in trade discussions this season and could be of interest to the Rangers, but time will tell what they decide to end up doing.

The Rangers are lucky they don’t have many holes to fill heading into the trade deadline and can focus on their only real issue, which is depth in their bottom six. With Blake Wheeler out for the remainder of the season and Kaapo Kakko underperforming offensively, it’s no surprise they’re looking around.

Novak Could’ve Been a Huge Addition

Novak is a 26-year-old left-shot centreman who stands 6-foot-1, 179 pounds and was drafted by the Predators in the third round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft at 85th overall. In his junior career, he played in the NCAA with the University of Minnesota after one season in the United States Hockey League (USHL) with the Waterloo Black Hawks.

This season with the Predators, Novak is on pace for a career year, having scored 13 goals and adding 21 assists for 34 points through 51 games, and has been strong defensively. He would have been a positive addition to the Rangers’ bottom six and could’ve provided stability at both ends of the ice. The Rangers have the assets to make a trade for a solid depth forward work, so hopefully, they can pull the trigger on a deal before the deadline.