Whom NYR, LA could trade for Rick Nash 
Last week the formerly dead NHL trade market took an upswing when it was reported that forward Rick Nash from the Columbus Blue Jackets could be put on the table leading up the Feb. 27 trade deadline. ESPN Insider colleague Craig Custance examined the top teams that could be in the market for Nash, listing the LA Kings and New York Rangers as the top two options.
A few weeks ago I wrote about a few teams and the top prospects that could be traded at the deadline, including Philadelphia and Toronto, two of the teams mentioned in the Custance blog. I did not, however, discuss the Kings or Rangers, so let's examine those two prospect systems today.
Prospects are defined as those in the NHL who are still Calder-eligible (less than 25 GP in one season, less than six in any two seasons) or are not playing in the NHL currently.
Notes gathered on the prospects are based on my observations and discussions with scouts and front-office executives.
New York Rangers
Despite having several top young players like Michael Del Zotto, Derek Stepan, Ryan McDonagh and Carl Hagelin in the NHL (the latter of whom would have been ranked third on this list) the Rangers still have a well-above-average system due to the addition this summer of elite defense prospect Tim Erixon, the progression of Chris Kreider and the breakout years of Michael St. Croix and Jesper Fasth. Mats Zuccarello still has a good shot to be a regular NHLer, and Jonathan Audy-Marchessault has been a great story this year in the AHL.
1. Tim Erixon, D, Connecticut (AHL)
I wrote about Erixon last month, stating he is the best defensive prospect not yet playing in the NHL. He's a tremendous puck-mover and thinker who plays very well in both ends. He's the kind of player who projects to shut down top opposing players, play a mistake-free game, show good puck movement out of his own end and end up being a great power-play unit option from the back end.
To see which top prospects on the New York Rangers and Los Angeles Kings could be on the trading block for Rick Nash, you must be an ESPN Insider
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Grant Sonier
Grant Sonier has scouted for six NHL organizations over the past 13 years, most recently for the Atlanta Thrashers during the 2010-11 season. He is a special contributor to ESPN Insider.
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Doug McIntyre
Doug McIntyre is a staff writer with ESPN The Magazine. Though he mostly covers soccer his first love is the coolest game on Earth. Still a rink rat, Doug played college hockey, briefly, with Iona 's now-defunct NCAA program. He lives in Montreal.
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Lars-Ove Haraldsson
Born and raised in Sweden, Lars-Ove Haraldsson played minor hockey growing up and later at the junior level. He hails from Ytterby, a small town just 25 minutes north of Gothenburg. This tiny hockey community has produced four accomplished NHL players (Mikael Andersson, Niklas Andersson, P.J. Axelsson and Fredrik Sjostrom).
A freelance writer, Haraldsson works as a floor manager for national live sport television productions. He has covered seven World Championships and three Stanley Cup finals. He now resides in Kungalv, minutes away from the neighborhood where he grew up.
Alvin Chang
Alvin Chang has been a contributor to ESPN Insider since the summer of 2009. He currently serves as a writer for NHL Rumor Central, for which he monitors a plethora of media reports both in North America and abroad on a daily basis. He is a Kansas native and New York resident.
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