It’s a big and complicated question, but it’s one the Rangers have to be contemplating.

If general manager Jeff Gorton believes trading captain Ryan McDonagh is a possibility in the midst of what is likely to be at least a small rebuilding around this Feb. 26 trade deadline, then who might be a good suitor and what might be an acceptable return?

And so there were the Maple Leafs in the Garden on Thursday night, set to welcome the Rangers back from what was essentially a week-long All-Star break. Led by old pal Lou Lamoriello, Toronto is a team that fancies itself a contender this season and has a roster in front of coach Mike Babcock that is loaded with young, skilled forwards.

It is also a roster bereft of good veteran defensemen, with the likes of the heavy-footed duo of Ron Hainsey and Roman Polak (before he got injured) playing steady minutes.

It is a place that McDonagh would fit perfectly, and largely the biggest benefit for the Leafs would be that it’s not just for this season, but next season, as well, when the 28-year-old McDonagh is set to finish up his contract that carries a relatively modest annual salary-cap hit of $4.7 million. That’s a year-and-a-half for him to rediscover his game, which has notably dropped off this season while he’s dealt with both abdomen and back injuries.

“I would say a fair statement would be I expect a lot more from Mac,” coach Alain Vigneault said before the game Thursday night. “I think when he’s on top of his game, he’s an elite defenseman in this league. He’s a powerful defenseman, can beat the forecheck, can get up in the play. Once he’s up in the play, he can still be back in time to defend. In my mind, he’s one of the best defensemen in the league.”

But as the Blueshirts come to terms with their place in the postseason picture, not just now, but in the years going forward, trading McDonagh might get the most beneficial return. He has a modified no-trade clause with a list of 10 teams submitted where he would accept a trade. It’s hard to think that once he was presented with the option of going to Toronto, whether they’re on the list right now or not, that he wouldn’t strongly consider it an acceptable landing place.

There is a bevy of young talent up front for the Leafs, and if Gorton could pry away the likes of either a Mitch Marner, William Nylander or Zach Hyman, plus some sort of high draft pick, a deal could be more than worthwhile for both sides.

After this season, the Leafs also have three big salaries coming off the books. James van Riemsdyk, Tyler Bozak and Leo Komarov are unrestricted free agents, combining for $11.4 million on the cap. That leaves some room for the monster contract headed the way of Auston Matthews, who is restricted after next season.

With all of those moving pieces, McDonagh might fit into the Leafs’ long-term picture, as well. Once he is relieved of carrying a blue-line partner like a declining Dan Girardi or Nick Holden, he might finally revert back to the Norris Trophy-caliber player he was in the years leading up to the 2014 Stanley Cup final. A pairing with 26-year-old Russian Nikita Zaitsev has to be enticing.

But for now, McDonagh is still with the Rangers and still has the ‘C’ on his sweater. He didn’t score his first goal of the season until the final game of the team’s 1-3 road trip that ended this past Thursday in San Jose — when he scored twice. He has 24 points total through his first 45 games, having missed five because of injury.

But the Rangers are hoping to see him bounce back, and maybe the most important reason is to watch his trade value rise.

“He’s had a few [injuries] that are nagging maybe a little bit,” Vigneault said. “But at the end of the day, every player has those. You have to play through them and you have to play well. And that’s what I expect from our captain.”