Most nights during the Rangers season, you watch Ron Duguay on MSG. Dugay last played for the Rangers in 1987-88, his second stint with the team, but he was responsible for the Rangers trading for Martin St. Louis last year. That’s right, MSL being on the Rangers and the Rangers going to their first Eastern Conference finals in 20 years is because of Duguay. Well, not just Duguay. It’s also because of Eddie Johnstone, Mark Messier, Tomas Sandstrom and Tony Granato. It actually all started with Gump Worsley. Yes, Gump Worsley is the sole foundation of the Martin St. Louis trade. GUMP WORSLEY!
I went through the current Rangers’ roster and traced all 22 players back to the root of how they became a Ranger. The players are listed in order of how far their roots go with the Rangers reverse chronology.
KEVIN HAYES
Signed as a free agent on Aug. 20, 2014
LEE STEMPNIAK
Signed as a free agent on July 19, 2014
DOMINIC MOORE
Signed as a free agent on July 5, 2014
DAN BOYLE
Signed as a free agent on July 1, 2014
MATT HUNWICK
Signed as a free agent on July 1, 2014
TANNER GLASS
Signed as a free agent on July 1, 2014
J.T. MILLER
Drafted in 1st round, 15th overall in 2011
KEVIN KLEIN
Drafted Michael Del Zotto in 1st round, 20th overall in 2010
Traded Del Zotto to Nashville in exchange for Kevin Klein on Jan. 22, 2014
MATS ZUCCARELLO
Signed as a free agent on May 26, 2010
CAM TALBOT
Signed as a free agent on March 30, 2010
CHRIS KREIDER
Drafted in 1st round, 19th overall in 2009
DEREK STEPAN
Drafted in 2nd round, 51st overall in 2008
CARL HAGELIN
Drafted in 6th round, 168th overall in 2007
DAN GIRARDI
Signed as a free agent on July 1, 2006
JESPER FAST
Drafted Bobby Sanguinetti in 1st round, 21st overall in 2006
Traded Sanguinetti to Carolina in exchange for 2010 6th-round pick and 2011 2nd-round pick on June 26, 2010
Drafted Jesper Fast in 6th round, 157th overall in 2010 (from Carolina)
RYAN MCDONAGH
Drafted Tom Pyatt in 4th round, #107th overall in 2005
Signed Scott Gomez as a free agent on July 1, 2007
Signed Michael Busto as a free agent on May, 2007
Signed Ales Kotalik on July 9, 2009
Traded Pyatt, Gomez and Busto to Montreal in exchange for Ryan McDonagh, Doug Janik, Chris Higgins and Pavel Valentenko on June 30, 2009
MARC STAAL
Traded 2005 1st-round pick and 2005 2nd-round pick to Atlanta in exchange for 2005 1st-round pick
Drafted Marc Staal in 1st round, 12th overall in 2005 (from Atlanta)
RICK NASH
Traded 2004 2nd-round pick to Arizona in exchange for 2004 2nd-round pick and 2004 3rd-round pick on June 26, 2004
Drafted Brandon Dubinsky in 2nd round, 60th overall in 2004 (from Arizona)
Drafted Artem Anisimov in 2nd round, 54th overall in 2006
Drafted Roman Horak in 5th round, 127th overall in 2009
Traded Horak, 2011 2nd-round pick and 2011 2nd-round pick to Calgary for Tim Erixon and 2011 5th-round pick on June 1, 2011
Traded Dubinsky, Anisimov and Tim Erixon to Columbus in exchange for Rick Nash, Steven Delisle and 2013 conditional 3rd-round pick on July 23, 2012
DERICK BRASSARD and JOHN MOORE
Traded 2001 3rd-round pick to Minnesota for 2001 3rd-round pick and 2001 5th-round pick on June 23, 2001
Drafted Garth Murray in 3rd round, 79th overall in 2001
Drafted Al Montoya in 1st round, 6th overall in 2004
Traded 2004 2nd-round pick to Arizona in exchange for 2004 2nd-round pick and 2004 3rd-round pick on June 26, 2004
Drafted Brandon Dubinsky in 2nd round, 60th overall in 2004 (from Arizona)
Traded Garth Murray to Montreal for Marcel Hossa on Sept. 30, 2005
Drafted Artem Anisimov in 2nd round, 54th overall in 2006
Traded Hossa and Montoya to Arizona in exchange for Josh Gratton, David LeNeveu, Fredrik Sjostrom and 2009 conditional 5th-round pick
Drafted Roman Horak in 5th round, 127th overall in 2009 (from Arizona)
Signed Marian Gaborik as a free agent on July 1, 2009
Traded Horak, 2011 2nd-round pick and 2011 2nd-round pick to Calgary for Tim Erixon and 2011 5th-round pick on June 1, 2011
Signed Blake Parlett as a free agent on June 2, 2011
Traded Dubinsky, Anisimov and Erixon to Columbus in exchange for Rick Nash, Steven Delisle and 2013 conditional 3rd-round pick on July 23, 2012
Traded Gaborik, Parlett and Delisle to Columbus in exchange for Derick Brassard, John Moore and Derek Dorsett and 2014 6th-round pick on April 3, 2013
HENRIK LUNDQVIST
Drafted in 7th round, 205th overall in 2000
MARTIN ST. LOUIS
Signed Lorne Grump Worsley as a free agent in 1949
Signed Leon Rochefort as a free agent in 1957
Signed Dave Balon as a free agent in 1958
Signed Len Ronson as a free agent in 1960
Traded Balon, Rochefort, Len Ronson and Worsley to Montreal in exchange for Phil Goyette, Don Marshall and Jacques Plante on June 4, 1963
Drafted Jack Egers in 4th round, #20th overall in 1966
Traded Goyette to St. Louis in exchange for 1969 1st-round pick
Drafted Andre Dupont in 1st round, 8th overall in 1969 (from St. Louis)
Drafted Mike Murphy in 2nd round, 25th overall in 1970
Traded Dupont, Egers and Murphy to St. Louis in exchange for Gene Carr, Wayne Connelly and Jim Lorentz on Nov. 15, 1972
Traded Carr to Los Angeles in exchange for 1977 1st-round pick
Drafted Eddie Johnstone in 6th round, 104th overall in 1974
Drafted Ron Duguay in 1st round, 13th overall in 1977 (from Los Angeles)
Drafted Lance Nethery in 8th round, 131st overall in 1977
Traded Lance Nethery for Eddie Mio on Dec. 11, 1981
Drafted Chris Kontos in 1st round, 15th overall in 1982
Drafted Tomas Sandstrom in 2nd round, 36th overall in 1982
Drafted Tony Granato in 6th round, #120 overall in 1982
Traded Duguay, Johnstone and Mio to Detroit in exchange for Mike Blaisdell, Willie Huber and Mark Osborne on June 13, 1983
Drafted Larry Bernard in 8th round, 154th overall in 1985
Traded Chris Kontos to Pittsburgh in exchange for Duguay on Jan. 21, 1987
Traded option to swap 1989 1st-round pick with Montreal in exchange for Chris Nilan on Jan. 27, 1988
Traded to Duguay to Los Angeles in exchange for Mark Hardy on Feb. 22, 1988
Traded Hardy to Minnesota in exchange for future considerations (3rd-round pick in 1989) on June 13, 1988
Traded Larry Bernard and 1989 5th-round pick to Minnesota in exchange for Hardy on Dec. 9, 1988
Drafted Steve Rice in 1st round, 20th overall in 1989 (from Montreal)
Drafted Louie DeBrusk in 3rd round, 49th overall in 1989 (from Minnesota)
Traded Sandstrom and Granato to Los Angeles in exchange for Bernie Nicholls on Jan. 20, 1990
Traded DeBrusk, Rice, Nicholls and future considerations (David Shaw) to Edmonton in exchange for Mark Messier and future considerations (Jeff Beukeboom) on Oct. 4, 1991
*** The roots for Martin St. Louis technically start here, but Messier doesn’t re-sign with the Rangers in 2000 if he hadn’t been there for the run in the 90s, so it all goes together***
Signed Messier as a free agent on July 13, 2000 (he had signed with Vancouver as a free agent on July 28, 1997)
Traded the rights to Messier to San Jose in exchange for future considerations (2004 4th-round pick)
Drafted Ryan Callahan in the 4th round, 127th overall in 2004 (from San Jose)
Traded Callahan, 2014 conditional 2nd-round pick (became a 1st-round pick with Eastern Conference finals appearance) and 2015 1st-round pick (and 2015 7th-round pick once Callahan re-signed) to Tampa Bay in exchange for Martin St. Louis (and 2015 2nd-round pick once Callahan re-signed)
Last modified: Jul 23, 2023
