The Rangers’ Player Tree

New York Rangers

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)