Rangers acquire Anthony Stolarz in a head-spinning trade proposal with the Leafs

On paper, it addresses a pressing need on each side.

Igor Shesterkin is out for the season with a knee injury, and Joonas Korpisalo remains sidelined for another four weeks.

Dylan Garand has been handed an opportunity, but a veteran safety net is exactly what New York should want.

Stolarz, 32, led the league with a .926 save percentage last season and posted a 2.14 goals-against average. Darren Dreger reported that the Rangers have already kicked tires on him.

There are hurdles. Stolarz carries a $3.75 million cap hit through 2029-30, owns a 16-team no-trade list, and played just 60 games over the past two seasons because of injuries. That is a real commitment for a team still searching for answers in net.

Schneider, 24, is a 6-foot-4 right-shot defenseman who played all 82 games last season and averaged 20:27 per night.

He re-signed with New York in July on a one-year, $5.5 million deal, and the retention would drop Toronto's cap hit to $4.5 million. The Leafs would add roughly $750,000 in net cap commitment this season.

The fit in New York has been murky. The Rangers added Sean Durzi this summer, and Adam Fox anchors the right side, which left Schneider's role uncertain.

Toronto can offer him a bigger stage, plus a path to a longer contract, since he returns to arbitration-eligible restricted free agency next summer.

For Toronto, the price is a starting goalie, a draft pick and a bet that Dennis Hildeby is ready for a bigger role. For New York, it means losing a young defender they had already been shopping.

Toronto gets younger on the back end, while the Rangers buy stability at the most important position. The third-round pick is the piece that tilts the deal toward New York, and that may decide whether Toronto says yes.

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