Report: New York Rangers have officially withdrawn from pursuit of top trade candidate and we now know why
Photo credit: Peter Carr/The Journal News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
NHL insider has just confirmed that the New York Rangers have officially backed off from trying to acquire forward from the Vancouver Canucks.
Chris Johnston's report on TSN's Insider Trading is that the New York Rangers made a real push, offering Vancouver a second-round pick plus a young player «with pedigree,» and it still wasn't enough. Vancouver kept the bar high, and the Rangers didn't get their man.
Chris Johnston on Insider Trading says #NYR offered Vancouver a young player with pedigree + 2nd RD pick for Kiefer Sherwood, that wasn't enough to get it done.
NYR most likely be out of the running now as they re-examine their direction as they sit last in the East.
NYR most likely be out of the running now as they re-examine their direction as they sit last in the East.
However, multiple reports have said the Canucks are aiming for a first-round pick return if they move him. The Rangers were aggressive, but the ask keeps pulling the deal out of reach.
Sherwood is a perfect deadline shiny object, since he's got 17 goals and 23 points in 44 games on a bargain $1.5 million cap hit. He's also on an expiring deal, which makes every interested team do the same risk math.
Chris Drury weighs Kiefer Sherwood against direction
The part that stings is how familiar this feels, chasing a quick fix while the season keeps slipping.
The Rangers are sitting last in the Eastern Conference, and the noise around «re-examining direction» isn't just talk anymore. When you're eating losses like this, even smart adds start to look like throwing good assets after bad.
So if Drury is truly deciding whether to sell before the Olympic break, paying a premium for a rental winger doesn't fit that story.
The prospect angle is what twists the knife, because «young player with pedigree» instantly makes fans think of names like Brennan Othmann. There's no confirmation it was him, but it tells you Vancouver wanted a real piece, not a throw-in.
If the Rangers pivot toward selling, the next milestone is clarity, one decisive move that shows the room what this season is.
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