New York Rangers land Western Conference rivals' captain in a large trade pitch that's just surfaced

As the New York Rangers continue to heat up and creep closer to becoming a true Stanley Cup contender, they may be looking to make a few moves to ensure a successful playoff run, and now that the St. Louis Blues are "open for business," the Rangers could take advantage of the situation.

With that being said, insider Frank Seravalli stated on an episode of B/R Open Ice, the first player to be traded from the Blues could be captain Brayden Schenn. A player that the New York Rangers could be interested in, as he's a skilled veteran with Stanley Cup experience.

Here's a look at the proposed trade from Heavy.com:

The overall trade sees the Rangers send offensive prospect Brennan Othmann, goaltender prospect Dylan Garand, and a 2026 first-round pick, for a veteran with Playoff experience and a 22-year-old defensive prospect.

Brayden Schenn could easily become the Rangers' second-line center. At the moment, the Blueshirts are rolling with Mika Zibanejad as the top-line pivot and Vincent Trocheck in the 2C role.

So realistically, the Rangers would only be getting a veteran forward, who would most likely slot into the second line as a replacement for Mika Zibanejad. However, with that being said, Schenn carries a cap hit of $6.5 million a season and still has two years remaining on his contract.

Even if the Blues retain 50% on the final two years of Schenn's contract, the New York Rangers still can't afford his contract, as they only have about $500,000 in cap space
, meaning they would need to move a more valuable player.