New York Rangers Top Defenseman Emerges In One-For-One Trade With The Vancouver Canucks

The New York Rangers have given Ryan Lindgren another year to "prove it" and the 27-year-old defenseman has failed to live up to expectations for the team this season.

His contract which pays him $4.5 million AAV will expire at the end of the season.

After six-long seasons with the Rangers, and being a top-pair defenseman with Adam Fox for the majority of his tenure, his time with the Rangers could be at an end, depending on how GM Chris Drury feels.

There's speculation that the Rangers will move on from him at the end of the season, as his small stature and physical style of play aren't conducive to a long-term career in the NHL, as injury-prone as he is.

If they plan on letting him walk in free agency, then they should trade him now. Don't let a future asset walk out for nothing, especially if you can get something in return.

Where could GM Chris Drury ship him?

With GM Chris Drury and Patrik Allvin connecting for a trade this season, they could find a way to make another deal.

This time for top-four defenseman Carson Soucy.

Since the Canucks acquired Marcus Pettersson, Soucy has been made available. He's a shutdown defenseman with some size at 6'5", 208 pounds.

The 30-year-old eats minutes, plays 18 TOI a night, and has no issues sacrificing the body, blocking 85 shots, and contributing 82 hits this year.

Best of all, his AAV is $3.3 million, a $1.2 million cost-savings on the salary cap for the Rangers.