Rangers netminder officially requests a trade
After a sensational run to the Eastern Conference Finals, the Rangers are expected to undergo some significant changes this summer. Earlier on Friday, it was reported that both Ryan Strome and Andrew Copp are expected to test free agency and now, according to The Athletic's Arthur Staple, Rangers RFA goaltender Alexandar Georgiev has requested a trade out of New York as well.
Georgiev was once thought to be the heir apparent when Henrik Lundqvist was nearing the end of his career, until Igor Shesterkin burst onto the scene. Georgiev has played in 129 career regular seaon games for the Rangers, but only 86 games over the past 3 seasons, while Shesterkin has taken the lion's share of the starting work. Georgiev just completed a 2-year deal that paid him $2.425M per season and with the Rangers in a cap crunch and Georgiev having arbitration rights, it was likely he was going to be moved anyway.
There is a problem, however. What Georgiev's trade request does is lower the return the Rangers will be able to get for him in trade. The Oilers and Leafs have both been interested in acquiring him previously but the asking price has remained high. Most recently it was reported the Rangers wanted an early round pick and a very good prospect. That most certainly has changed due to Georgiev's request and less than stellar play this season. In 129 career games he has posted a 2.94 GAA and a .908 SV%.
At 26 years old, Georgiev is an ideal fit for the Leafs as a backup or a 1B. He has a larger body of work than other UFA goalies like Ville Husso and would not command as much on a longer term deal as Jack Campbell will. The question is, are the Leafs better served trading for Georgiev's rights, or should they chance waiting to see if the Rangers leave the disgruntled young goalie without a qualifying offer, which would set him up to become an unrestricted free agent in less than 2 weeks time?
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 1 | 804 ANSWERS Rangers netminder officially requests a trade Is Alexandar Georgiev a viable option for the Leafs this summer? | ||
| Yes | 615 | 76.5 % |
| No | 189 | 23.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
