Jiri Hudler Would Be Intriguing Addition To New York Rangers

The New York Rangers are entering the trade deadline as a wild card. They won’t be sellers but they might not be buyers. If they are buyers their options are limited, as they only have about $4 million in cap space at the moment but do have few draft picks other teams will covet. There are options, however, and one move for the Rangers that would make some sense is bringing in Jiri Hudler from the Calgary Flames.

If the Flames realize they should be sellers before the deadline they should make Hudler available, and they should have plenty of suitors for the 32-year-old forward. He can play both center and wing and is a playmaker who could — stop me if you’ve heard this before — instantly boost the Rangers’ streaky power play.

He isn’t the same player who went out and posted 76 points like he did in 2014-15, but he is still a playmaker who could add some offensive punch up front. In 52 games, Hudler has nine goals and 25 assists with one power play goal and seven power play assists.

He is far from a perfect addition for the Rangers. His size plays against him, listed at just 5-foot-10 and 183 pounds, and he isn’t physical at all. He is also very streaky like most offensive-minded players. He has a tendency to carry a team for a short spell and can record a point per night over a stretch but then disappear for stretches.

He would be a welcome addition, but the cost might be too high for a Rangers team that has mortgaged a lot of their future in recent attempts to bring home the Cup. Still, if the price is right he could be a nice addition.

Even if the Rangers do add Hudler they will still need help on the fourth line and penalty kill which are the biggest holes on the team at the moment. Perhaps a deal can be expanded and bring back another player to bolster that fourth line.

GM Jeff Gorton will need to figure out if the Rangers should sacrifice more of the team’s future for one more Cup run or stand pat and retool over the offseason when a clearer vision of next year’s cap is shown. But if Gorton does make a move, he could do a lot worse than Hudler.