to Utah Hockey Club
Mika Zibanejad (6y @ $8.50m)
Reilly Smith (expiring @ $3.75m)
Matt Rempe (expiring but RFA @ $0.82m) waivers 2025
( Rangers add, you tell me what the fair price is )
TOTAL CAP = $13.07m
to New York Rangers
Barrett Hayton (2y then RFA @ $2.65m)
Nick Schmaltz (2y @ $5.85m)
Alex Kerfoot (expiring @ $3.50m)
TOTAL CAP = $12.00m
This move helps the Rangers move on from Zibanejad's huge contract as he's declining. It makes the team younger, provides more cap and roster flexibility long-term, and opens up $1.07m in cap space for this season.
What would NYR have to give to UTA to make this a fair trade?
This is really bad for Utah. I don't know what the Rangers could possibly give them to take on Zibby's boat anchor of a contract, but it would be multiple first round picks.
But you also have Utah, inexplicably, giving the Rangers Barrett Hayton, too. Considering they are getting back a massive cap dump, a 33-year old extremely mediocre soon to be a free agent and an AHL tough guy, I can't imagine what reason the Utah side would possibly have for doing the trade at all, never mind surrendering a valuable piece in Hayton and useful middle six guys in Kerfoot and Schmaltz.
This is just a terrible, terrible trade for Utah. They get nothing of value, at all, and they take on a radioactive nightmare of a six-year deal for Libby.
This is really atrocious.