Late yesterday afternoon the Rangers were approached by a GM who was intent on getting a deal done. The Washington Capitals GM came to the Rangers with a serious offer, one that gets your attention better than a group of Hooters waitresses on a hot summer afternoon. "We were floored by the offer. I was seriously planning on riding this out and hoping the team would figure itself out. But the offer that Moreno came to me with, well, I had to stop and think about it... but not for long." said Rangers' GM Nagle.

In the end the massive trade ended up like this:

The New York Rangers send star forward Linus Omark, and star defenseman Slater Koekkoek to the Captals in exchange for star forward Matt Puempel, young defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker, prospects Wyatt Johnston, Michael Pezzetta, Sasha Pastujov, and Connor Clifton. They also received Washingtons 1st round pick in 2030, their second round picks in 2030 and 2031, and their third round picks in 2030 and 2031. 

"This trade keeps us competetive this season, and gives us a fully stocked cupboard for the farm system that we desperately lack. Draft picks are iffy at best, and Washington's first will be in the lower tier, however, in order to get a good crop, you need to plant a lot of seeds, and this trade positions us for a long time." said GM Nagle

BUT WAIT! There's more!

Once the trade juices got flowing, GM Nagle approached the GM of the Columbus Blue Jackets on a potential trade involving star defenseman Jacob Slavin. The GM of the BJs was seriously interested on acquiring the stud defenseman earlier last week, but in a moment of cold feet, GM Nagle walked away vowing that he would come back to the table should the conditions change. With the blockbuster deal with Washington in the books, the conditions changed.

Once again, with filling the prospect pool up to the brim, GM Nagle and GM Moriarty got down to striking a deal, and after a few give and takes, the second blockbuster of the evening went down like this.

The Rangers parted ways with star defenceman Jacob Slavin, goaltender Jonas Johansson, veteran farm hands Michael Forney, Christian Djoos, and Mark Cundari. They received prospects Cole Sillinger, Zachary L'Heureux, Mackie Samoskevich, young goaltender Isaiah Saville, veteran defenseman (for cap purposes) Ben Lovejoy and finally the Blue Jackets first round pick in 2030.

"The key in this trade was moreso the immediate return instead of the long-term. The Jacket's pick will be in the 20's if not 30's overall, so the chances to get an impact player there are next to none. However, with Sillinger and Saville, and to a lesser extend Samo we get a couple of kids who could be ready as soon as next year." said GM Nagle of his return for Slavin. "I really didn't want to part with Slavvy, he is a great player signed to a great deal. Defencemen don't grow on trees in this league, so I had to sell high right now for the future of our club." added the GM.

After these two mega deals, the Rangers will still ice a competitive club this year and next. Perhaps the moves will spur the team to get back on the winning track. But the more impressive fact is that they will now have a stocked farm system, with eight draft picks in the upcoming draft, and four in 2031. This will pretty much stock an entire farm team full of sub-21 aged players, and will start what is hoped to be, a continual flow of young talent for the Rangers to pull from. To the relief of the fan base, I think it's safe to say that a "scorched-earth" rebuild can now be put away for good.