The wheels of the trade deadline continued to churn on Tuesday, as the San Jose Sharks sent winger Ryane Clowe to the New York Rangers in exchange for draft picks. Two of the picks are the Blueshirts second and third-round picks in this upcoming draft, while the Sharks can receive New York’s 2014 second-round pick if Clowe re-signs or the Rangers win two playoff rounds. If neither condition is met, then San Jose receives their fifth-round pick.
This signifies the end of an era for the struggling Clowe in the Bay Area, whose scoring peaked in the 2010-2011 season, where he scored 24 goals to go along with 62 points. Clowe has struggled tremendously this season, who has taken a league-high 65 shots without scoring a goal. He's on pace to break the record for most shot by a forward without scoring a goal. He was set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season and general manager Doug Wilson made the decision to get something for him instead of letting him walk for free.
On the other hand, this move for the Rangers is head-scratching to say the least. While they are receiving a power forward who has been slightly (maybe extremely) unlucky this year, he doesn’t address the Blueshirts major need, which is scoring depth. Clowe’s possession numbers have been strong all-year, and the hope here is that a change of scenery can rejuvenate the 30-year-old’s career.
The other problem is the salary cap. The vast majority of the Rangers’ roster become free agents over the course of the next two offseasons, and with the reduction in the cap on top of Clowe’s current cap hit, the Blueshirts will need to be creative in order to keep the core of their players under contract.
