The Rangers have three healthy goaltenders on the roster, which is a headache to manage in the long run: Hendrick Lundqvist, Igor Shesterkin, and Alexander Georgiev.
If they intend to make Shesterkin the top goalie, they ought to trade one. Henrik Lundqvist comes with an $8.5 million cap hit through 2020-21, so even if the Rangers were willing to eat half of it, they would probably have a very difficult time finding a trade partner.
Georgiev would be far easier to move, but doing so would only make sense if the Rangers are sticking to Igor Shesterkin.
There are a few teams that can use Georgiev and one of them is the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Leafs recently lost Frederik Andersen to injury and are starting Michael Hutchinson, who isn’t a viable starter for a team with playoff aspirations.
The Leafs have immense talent on their roster but would presumably be reluctant to trade any more than an average piece for Georgiev. The Rangers would have to rely on draft picks as a return and reportedly have a high asking price. Georgiev, 23, has had a mixed bag in his career. He has a 30-27 record with a .913 save percentage and four career shutouts. He has shown flashes of absolute brilliance, especially against Toronto, and has immense potential.
The Rangers would probably demand a first-round pick or multiple second-round picks. The Leafs would have to decide if it’s worth that much for them to pick up a goalie of the future who is cheap and controllable. Alexander is better than a backup but not quite starter caliber.
Only time will tell if the Leafs pull the trigger but if they want and need him then the Rangers should be very open to pull this trade off.
