NHL Trade Rumors: Why the New York Rangers Should Avoid Ales Hemsky

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Tim Panaccio of CSNPhilly.com reported that during his talk with a Western Conference scout, he learned that the New York Rangers are in the running to trade for Ales Hemsky of the Edmonton Oilers.

Of course, the Rangers have been pretty clear about grabbing another forward to up the scoring for the final quarter of the season and to possibly help on the power play.

New York has been involved in talks with various teams to get this done.

However, if Glen Sather thinks this move can really make a difference to the Rangers on the ice, then I think he is fooling himself.

First of all, Hemsky is clearly a health risk. He only played a total of 69 games over the last two seasons and has missed 13 out of Edmonton's 60 this year. If he can't get himself out on the ice, he can't help the Rangers. It's pretty simple.

But what about if he is healthy? Can he help the Rangers by being a scoring threat?

What New York really needs to be looking for is a left winger, not a right winger. It wouldn't be the worst thing to have another forward for the right side, but it's not something to focus on with the trade deadline coming up.

But Hemsky? The man only has five goals on the whole season. This doesn't seem to be at all what the Rangers are looking for, so why are they kidding themselves spending time on this?

The only strong part of Hemsky's game is finding the guys who can put the puck in the net, which is, I admit, a good skill. However, the inconsistency of his game and the inconsistency of his ice time should turn the Rangers off to him, considering he isn't at all what they need.

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So what would a deal look like if the Rangers were going to actually try this? It's hard to say.

Hemsky has lost a lot of value over the last few years (since he has hardly played or scored), and the Rangers could get him for a reasonable price.  His contract is up at the end of this season, which is another reason New York might be showing some interest in him.

That said, if the Blueshirts want someone only for the last 20 games and the playoffs, Hemsky is not the guy they should pursue. He might play 16 games, score two goals and have five assists, but that isn't really going to do much for a team that has a legitimate shot at the Stanley Cup this year.

Of course, if the Rangers are truly desperate for a forward, I can see this move happening. The market is super slim right now, especially with the Carolina Hurricanes keeping Tuomo Ruutu.

Whatever happens with Ales Hemsky and the Rangers, I don't think anything could possibly be devastating or detrimental to the run for the cup. However, I am skeptical at how helpful and necessary a move like this would be. I hope Glen Sather doesn't make the move, but if he does, we'll see what happens.

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