For the last day, the rumors were rampant that the Rangers were involved in a deal for Jake Guentzel. Despite the asking price, they were focused on trying to acquire the proven scoring forward for the home stretch.

With several interested parties, there was no guarantee that Rangers team president and general manager Chris Drury would get it done. Guentzel would be a rental for whoever landed him unless he agreed to sign an extension.

Perhaps that was enough of a concern to not overpay. Drury also didn’t part with Kaapo Kakko and a 2024 first round pick when the Ducks offered both Adam Henrique and Frank Vatrano. Apparently, the Rangers still value Kakko enough to not want to include him in a rental deal. The 23-year-old right wing has seven goals and four assists in  41 games this season.

Despite the lack of production, the organization has seen enough positives to hang onto Kakko. A strong puck possession player who’s solid defensively, the former 2019 second pick is capable of contributing. If the Rangers can add a first line scoring wing, then he can move back down to the third line where he looked comfortable.

As Thursday moved on, it became apparent that the Hurricanes had moved ahead of the Rangers in the bidding for Guentzel. A playoff contender that’s been knocking on the door, the Canes finally went all-in by trading for Guentzel. The full details of the move still aren’t known. But the former two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Penguins will be headed to Raleigh, where he’ll try to help the Canes go for a Cup.

The Hurricanes scratched forward Michael Bunting before tonight’s game. He’s expected to be part of the package headed to Pittsburgh. When the full trade is announced, it’ll be interesting to see what else the Canes gave up.

With their division rival improving, the Rangers still are on the clock. Friday’s deadline concludes at 3 PM. Vladimir Tarasenko wanted to go to the Panthers. Due to that, Ottawa didn’t get back much in return.

Anthony Duclair was acquired by the Lightning. He will now become a member of both Florida teams. It was with the Panthers that he had his most success. Now, he joins their bitter rival.

The Rangers can still add a right wing who can play on the top line with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. Jordan Eberle is available. He would be a good addition who probably wouldn’t cost as much.

Pavel Buchnevich has been made available by the Blues with a discount. We know he had great chemistry playing with Zibanejad and Kreider. However, would the Blueshirts really go back to the future and pay up for a Broadway reunion with Buchnevich? The price would be higher due to getting him at a discount.

There’s still a feeling that they’ll Rangers could use another defenseman. If not Jakob Chychrun, maybe a player who checks off some boxes to help solidify their blue line.

A final thought on the Rangers not getting Guentzel. It isn’t always the sexy move that works out. Two years ago, Drury landed Vatrano, Andrew Copp, Tyler Motte, and Justin Braun. That team came within two games of playing for the Cup.

Let’s not jump to conclusions. We’ll wait and see if Drury has any tricks up his sleeve tomorrow.