With an NHL trade freeze beginning Saturday at 3 p.m. — the same day lists of protected players for the Las Vegas expansion draft must be submitted — the Rangers are still hunting for a top-shelf, righthanded defenseman.
Some names keep coursing through the rumor mill: Winnipeg’s Jacob Trouba, Colorado’s Tyson Barrie, Carolina’s Justin Faulk, and of course, unrestricted free agent Kevin Shattenkirk, the former St. Louis Blues and Capitals blueliner. Any one of them would be a great fit, with Shattenkirk being the most costly, in terms of dollars. The other three would require a swap, and the name that apparently keeps surfacing, according to two NHL sources familiar with the discussions among teams, is Rangers center Derek Stepan.