Lias Andersson is Done in New York, 3 Possible Destinations

When the Rangers drafted Lias Andersson at 7th overall in 2017, many fans were excited to see if this young forward could help turn the fate of the Rangers around. Since being drafted, Andersson has not performed as well as fans were hoping, and now the young forward wants a fresh start with a new team.
The Rangers are currently sitting eight points shy of a playoff spot in a stacked metropolitan division, meaning the Rangers would likely want a young player or prospect with the potential to be an impact player in the NHL, or even a couple draft picks in exchange. New York is rather close to the cap ceiling, given their place in the standings, and are projected to be hit even harder with a larger buyout penalty coming from Kevin Shattenkirk's contract debacle, which likely they would like a player on their entry-level contract or a similarly small cap hit.

As previously mentioned, Andersson is a former 7th overall pick, and scouting reports explain that he can play both centre and wing positions when necessary. He is a versatile, two-way player with good puck skills. His attitude issues and mishandling by management will hurt his value, but he could still find his way into being an effective NHLer down the line. A fresh start with a new team, along with an opportunity to play a bigger role, is just what a player needs to flourish as an impact player (Anthony Duclair, Max Domi, and Connor Brown are recent examples).

Looking around the league, I could see Edmonton trying to acquire Andersson. His relatively low cap-hit, ability to play centre and wing, and capable two-way play could be an excellent piece to add to an Oilers team that has been stumbling recently. Moreover, this could be an opportunity for Ken Holland to trade Jesse Puljujarvi, giving him a new start as well. Given Puljujarvi's success in Finland (28 points in 29 games), New York would likely have to add some sort of sweetener to sway the Oilers GM.

Another pair of teams that might consider calling about Andersson would be Ottawa and Montreal. Both are young teams with plenty of draft picks in 2020, which they could send over to New York in return. That being said, Andersson is a natural centre, meaning he would be best suited to playing the centre position, which both teams have well-stocked with prospects. Either way, both teams could acquire and try to revitalise Andersson's career, and potentially re-trade him for a better return.