A Sunday night mock trade sends Braden Schneider from the Rangers to Toronto, with Dakota Joshua and a 2027 second-round pick heading to Broadway.
It's a fan proposal from IceMetrix, not a reported deal. And it landed with the Maple Leafs riding a four-game win streak while the Rangers have dropped two straight.
The head-to-head adds fuel. Toronto edged New York 5-4 at home Thursday, then went into Edmonton and rolled 7-2 on Saturday.
That's where the Leafs' blue line comes in. Chris Tanev and Marshall Rifai are both on injured reserve, each listed out until at least Oct. 31.
So Jim Hiller is leaning harder on his veterans. Oliver Ekman-Larsson, 35, has one point and a -2 rating through 13 games.
Schneider is 25 and still has upside on paper. On the ice, he has two assists this season and went minus-5 over his last five games.
His $5,500,000 cap hit matches Marcus Pettersson's on the New York back end. Pettersson has the same two-assist line, so neither contract is buying much offense right now.
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Chris Drury has every reason to hang up on this package
Here's the snag for New York. Joshua has dressed for four AHL games with the Toronto Marlies this season and is still waiting on his first point.
He also carries a $3,250,000 cap hit through 2027-28. That's real money for a 30-year-old center with no NHL points to show this season.
Last season was better. He scored 10 goals in 55 games for Toronto, a fair return for a bottom-six forward.
But this is a bad trade for the Rangers, full stop. Moving a 25-year-old defenseman for a minor-league center and a second is like selling your snow tires in late October.
New York doesn't have bodies to spare on the back end either. Alberts Smits, 18, has played every game and sits at a -3 rating.
Adam Fox is doing the heavy lifting with 16 assists. Nobody else on that defense has more than six points.
Mike Sullivan's group has a stranger problem to solve first. The Rangers are 6-0-0 at home and 1-5-1 on the road.
Would shipping out Schneider fix that split? Not a chance.
On Toronto's side, the net cap hit climbs by $2,250,000 in this version. John Chayka would have to decide if one more defenseman is worth that bill.
Both teams play tonight, with the Leafs in Calgary and the Rangers hosting Los Angeles.
Tanev and Rifai returning on schedule would cool Toronto's need. Any delay, and a fan's mock trade starts sounding a lot less like fantasy.
Should Chris Drury say no to Dakota Joshua and a second for Braden Schneider?
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