It was a busy day for many teams in the NHL, as three big time trades were made. With Monday’s trade deadline quickly approaching, rumors are flying out faster than the speed of light. One of the more interesting rumors of the day came when Toronto Maple Leafs center Tyler Bozak was reportedly linked to the New York Rangers.

If the Rangers are smart, however, they will stay far, far away from Bozak.

Bozak would obviously solve the Rangers (supposed) lack of center depth. He would slide into the No. 3 center slot behind Derek Stepan and Derrick Brassard, and, in the process, knock Kevin Hayes over to his natural wing position. While this might seem nice, Bozak’s numbers are clearly the  product of playing with an elite scorer in Phil Kessel for the last couple of seasons. Per Adam Gretz, as of Feb. 13, Bozak had played 674 minutes of even strength hockey without Kessel on his line and only has three goals and eight assists in those minutes. That is pretty terrible for a player who is supposed to be a top-six forward.

Bozak would not be playing with any elite scorer if he were the Rangers’ third line center. He would most likely be slotted with Carl Hagelin and either Hayes or J.T. Miller. They are awesome role players and young, but none of them come close to Kessel’s scoring ability.

Add on top of all this that Bozak has four years left on a deal that pays him $4.2 million per year. Also, the Maple Leafs would likely ask for a couple of draft picks and a prospect, a price which is ludicrous for a player of Bozak’s talent. The Rangers are already up against the cap, and have to worry about re-signing Stepan, Mats Zuccarello, Carl Hagelin and Martin St. Louis.

If the Rangers are smart — and I pray to god that they are — they will stay away from Bozak. The combination of his contract and lack of production when apart from Kessel would be disastrous for the Rangers.