Rangers could continue making moves

NEW YORK --The New York Rangers have already traded three veteran players in three separate deals in a span of six days. However, general manager Jeff Gorton didn't rule out the possibility that they'll have more trades to announce before the 2018 NHL Trade Deadline on Monday at 3 p.m. ET.
"I think there's a lot of work that can be done, that could be done," Gorton said Sunday, hours after trading forward Rick Nash to the Boston Bruins. "Will it get done? We'll see. There's a lot of time for this. As we move forward, there's other opportunities and times that work well too to do these kinds of deals."

RELATED: [Nash traded to Bruins by Rangers]
Gorton is acting on a plan to build the team for the future that he and president Glen Sather announced in a letter to the fans and in a subsequent press conference on Feb. 8. The Rangers have lost seven straight games following a 3-2 overtime loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday, and are in last place in the Metropolitan Division, seven points behind the Columbus Blue Jackets for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference.
Gorton has already traded Nash and defenseman Nick Holden to Boston and forward Michael Grabner to the New Jersey Devils. All three can become unrestricted free agents July 1.
There is speculation that Gorton could also trade defenseman Ryan McDonagh, the Rangers' captain, and forward Mats Zuccarello before the deadline. Each is signed through next season.

McDonagh missed his ninth consecutive game with an upper-body injury Sunday, but has been skating and coach Alain Vigneault said it's 50-50 if he is going to fly with the team to Vancouver on Monday.
"He's a player on our team right now and we're trying to get him back healthy," Gorton said.
Gorton wouldn't comment on if he's actively exploring the market to trade McDonagh, or anybody else on the team.
"I don't think it's the right thing to do to say anything about an individual player, whether we're trying to trade him or not," Gorton said. "We've got enough things going on around that room right now besides naming the guys and who's going to go where, who could go where. We'll keep that between us and if something happens we'll let you know."
Nash was traded for forwards Ryan Spooner, Matt Beleskey, defenseman Ryan Lindgren, Boston's first-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft and its seventh-round pick in the 2019 Draft.
The Rangers are retaining 50 percent of Nash's contract, which runs through the end of the season. The Bruins are retaining 50 percent of Beleskey's contract, which runs through the 2019-20 season.

Spooner, who had two assists in his Rangers debut Sunday, can become a restricted free agent after the season and Lindgren is a prospect playing at the University of Minnesota.
Grabner was traded for a second-round pick in 2018 and defenseman Yegor Rykov on Thursday. Rykov is signed to play for SKA St. Petersburg in the Kontinental Hockey League through next season.
In addition, Gorton traded Holden on Tuesday for a third-round pick in 2018 and defenseman Rob O'Gara, who has played in four consecutive games with New York.
The Rangers now have nine picks in the 2018 Draft, including six in the first three rounds, and four in the first two rounds.
"When we started down this and put a plan together, we attached value to our players and we went out in the market place," Gorton said. "I don't think we asked for too much in all these cases. I think we were able to get our prices and hopefully then some. We'll see. It's been about what we expected, to be fair."