Trade impact to be judged

AFTER yet another extended break between games for the Rangers, they’ll begin keeping score for real again Sunday at the Garden, where their Eastern Conference second-round series begins with Game 1 against the Hurricanes.

And, when the teams shift to Raleigh, N.C. for Games 3 and 4 later this week, the scoreboard at PNC Arena also will record the score of the games and the series.

As this showdown between the two top teams in the Metropolitan Division unfolds, there will also be an invisible scoreboard keeping tabs on how the players the teams acquired at the trading deadline are affecting the outcome of the series.

As the deadline approached in March, there was chatter around the NHL about the Hurricanes, Rangers and other teams having interest in landing Pittsburgh forward Jake Guentzel, an eight-time 20goal scorer, including four times with 30 or more and twice with 40.

The Penguins were selling and, in the end, their asking price — believed to be draft picks and a regular starter such as Kaapo Kakko — was more than Rangers general manager Chris Drury was even considering paying. Carolina, however, went for it. The Hurricanes, going all-in, sent forward Michael Bunting and several key prospects to Pittsburgh with hopes that Guentzel would become the piece that pushes them to a second Stanley Cup in franchise history.

That bold move the Hurricanes made and the Rangers didn’t makes up a compelling subplot to this series.

What if Guentzel is the best player on the ice and becomes the linchpin to a Carolina series win over the Rangers?

If that becomes the case, then it cannot help but raise the question about whether Rangers cost themselves a chance at winning their first Cup in 30 years by not going all-in for Guentzel.

Will the Rangers’ decision not to pay the price and protect their current and future assets end up costing them in a season in which they won the Presidents’ Trophy and are a favorite to win the Cup?

The early returns on Guentzel have been impressive. He assimilated quickly and seamlessly with Carolina, scoring eight goals and dishing out 17 assists for 25 points in his 17 regular-season games with the Canes. And, in the fivegame, opening-series win over the Islanders, he had a goal and three assists.

“He was that same player in Pittsburgh,’’ Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said of Guentzel on Saturday after practice. “He’s a highend player, he finds areas, he finds ice. He’s got a way of contributing offensively that’s made him a top offensive player on any team that he’s been on. All he did was change the color of his jersey.’’

So, too, did Evgeny Kuznetsov, who Carolina also acquired at the deadline from the Capitals.

Kuznetsov, who played for Laviolette in Washington, had two goals and five assists in his 20 regular-season games and scored two goals and had two assists in the series win over the Islanders.

But it’s Guentzel who should be the Rangers’ top concern among the newcomers because he adds so much firepower as a complement to leading-scorer Sebastian Aho.

“He’s a cerebral player who knows how to get open and puts up points and is a guy you’ve got to be aware of when he’s on the ice,’’ Rangers forward Jimmy Vesey said.

Instead of paying the price for Guentzel, the Rangers acquired Jack Roslovic from Columbus and put him on the line alongside Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. They, too, acquired Alex Wennberg from Seattle and paired him on a line with Kakko and rookie Will Cuylle.

Laviolette on Saturday praised Roslovic’s play, particularly pointing to his improvement in the postseason.

“He’s come here and provided what we’re looking for,’’ the Rangers coach said.