NY Rangers Trade Target Rightfully Lands on NHL Playoffs All-Bust Team

The NHL playoffs all-bust team features a player the New York Rangers could show interest in as a trade target.

Apr 18, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; The NHL 2026 Stanley Cup playoff logo as seen before the Pittsburgh Penguins host the Philadelphia Flyers in game one of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG Paints Arena. / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

This offseason is going to be a busy one for the New York Rangers, as they have a lot of holes to address in their lineup.

Early evaluations of the roster show they need help virtually everywhere, especially from a depth perspective. They are at least set at goaltender, where Igor Shesterkin remains one of the best in the business. An elite defensive pairing is also in place with Adam Fox and Vladislav Gavrikov.

Fans would love for the team to find a way to acquire a top-six forward to help elevate this offseason. One player who could shake loose on the trade market is Brady Tkachuk of the Ottawa Senators.

He would certainly bring star power to the Rangers’ lineup, but the team should have some pause about making a trade for him. Not only would the price be astronomical with a likely bidding war ensuing, but his postseason performance left a ton to be desired.

Brady Tkachuk underwhelmed for Senators this postseason

Apr 20, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Ottawa Senators left wing Brady Tkachuk (7) comes off the ice after the warmups before the game against the Carolina Hurricanes in game two of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Lenovo Center. / James Guillory-Imagn Images

So much so, he was selected by Sean McIndoe of The Athletic (subscription required) for the 2026 NHL Playoffs All-Bust Team, and with good reason. The Senators were swept in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs by the Carolina Hurricanes, and his struggles were a major reason why.

“It was only a few months ago that some were seriously suggesting he should be the captain of Team USA at the Olympics because he was a known big-game player. He’ll have to settle for being captain of our all-playoff-bust team instead,” McIndoe wrote.

Defeating a team as good as the Hurricanes was no small task, but it became a virtually impossible one for Ottawa with their star not performing up to standard. Tkachuk didn’t record a single point in the series; even worse, the Senators didn’t score a goal during five-on-five play with him on the ice.

Receiving that kind of production from your captain is a recipe for disaster in any playoff series, let alone in one against a team as good as Carolina, which had the most points in the Eastern Conference with 113. Only the Colorado Avalanche had more with 121.

The Senators have been eliminated in two straight postseasons in the first round. It is fair to wonder whether the juice is worth the squeeze when it comes to acquiring Tkachuk.

If he cannot get Ottawa over the hump in the Eastern Conference, can he do it with New York? Especially when taking into consideration how much it will cost to acquire him in a trade.

So many of the building blocks and assets within the franchise would have to be sacrificed to bring in Tkachuk, who hasn’t performed like that elite needlemover the trade price tag would suggest he is.