Part of the issue with K'Andre is that compromise the Rangers made out of necessity, to keep his cap him down a bit on that "bridge deal"...they were always borrowing on future credit and going to have to pay big on that next deal. Even if he doesn't have a tremendous season...i still think something around the Sanheim deal is the starting point for his next contract ask. Being an older comp signed awhile ago under a different cap environment...it wouldn't surprise me to even have him come in with the Hanifin deal as an asking price. Not sure he'll get it...but whatever you think of him as an toolsy and talented but definitely imperfect player, $6.25M+ seems very much plausible, and anywhere up to $7M on a long-term deal.
So that puts a damper on his "value" in trade i think. It also just really limits the prospective "market" of teams that can, or would want to afford a guy like him at that price as part of their "core" defence group.
Like, i'd certainly have interest in K'Andre as a player from a Vancouver perspective, but i don't think his likely salary demands beyond this year are something that would fit very well into the Canucks cap structure and current salary commitments. I think that'd be a bit of a sticking point with quite a few teams that might otherwise be interested.
I think bubble or lower teams that have a hard time attracting UFA's would value him greatly, even at those numbers.
Which is good for NYR as the picks are higher per rd, for example a high 2nd isnt to far off from a low 1st, and those teams should have decent prospects to pick from as well.
But thats a, Rangers are out of it TDL move, or a summer draft day move.
It would help us more to find a player for player swap, but then again, our cupboard is bare from Drurys spending, this team is far from 1 player making a difference, and we have a HUGE damned if you do - damned if you dont decision to make on Shesterkin.
If Im Dolan, im considering if Drury survives this season and possibly selling off what i can and start another rebuild with Lafrenierre, Fox, Schneider, Kakko, and Trochek as the leadership core and take the best deals as they come for everyone else. Maybe even trade for Blackwood and run him with Quick and bounce Shesterkin for as much as humanly possible.