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Rangers to sit stars ahead of deadline despite illness that's hit team


You have to love this time of the year (unless you’re a fan of a team that isn’t playing well).

We’re in the middle of that magical week before the NHL trade deadline when the league’s bottom feeders toss their assets into the press box instead of playing them. It’s just what has to be done to minimize the risk of injury to these players while playoff contenders try to acquire them for the right price.

With a record of 26-26-8, the New York Rangers are comfortably 11 points out of the postseason picture and have made it clear that they’ll be sellers ahead of Monday’s deadline. As a result, three of their top contributors will not be on the ice when their team hosts the New Jersey Devils on Saturday afternoon.

While seeing Mats Zuccarello, Kevin Hayes and Adam McQuaid scratched isn’t shocking, it almost wasn’t possible.

The team is currently battling quite the flu bug and the organization was unsure whether or not they’d have enough healthy bodies available to play with these three sitting, according to TSN’s Bob McKenzie.

For those looking to buy, Zuccarello may be the trio’s most intriguing individual. The Norwegian winger has been a consistent point producer on a squad that has struggled at times this season. Before he was held off the scoresheet in his last two contests, he had collected at least one point in 13 of his last 14 games. He had seven goals and 22 points over that stretch.

At a cap hit of $4.5 million before he becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer, the 31-year-old could be a huge get for a team looking to make a run to the Stanley Cup.

Hayes, meanwhile, currently sits third on the team with 14 goals and 42 points in 51 games this season. Also a pending UFA, the power forward’s big frame will be a little more expensive at $5.175 million.

Both have spent their entire NHL careers with the Rangers. Zuccarello is in his ninth season with the organization and was a part of the 2014 team that lost to the Los Angeles Kings in the Stanley Cup Finals while Hayes is in his fifth season in the Big Apple.

Finally, McQuaid’s defensive focus also has the potential to assist a contender for a pretty reasonable price tag of $2.75 million.

At the other end of the ice, New Jersey’s Marcus Johansson will also be scratched for his second game in a row.

We’ve already seen the Ottawa Senators employ a similar approach to this time of the year as they’ve scratched intriguing UFAs Matt Stone and Ryan Dzingel for the last two games (as well as Matt Duchene for one game before he was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday).

(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

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