When the New York Rangers face the Pittsburgh Penguins Friday night, the one thing that they know is that they will have to deal with Penguin superstars Sydney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Crosby, in typical Crosby fashion, swept in a rebound 1:11 into overtime Tuesday for his third point to help the Penguins overcome a pair of two-goal deficits to defeat the Washington Capitals 5-4.
However, Pittsburgh played the third period of that game with only four defensemen. Marcus Pettersson left late in the second after taking a blindside hit from Washington’s T.J. Oshie at center ice. Juuso Riikola‘s injury status was uncertain as he did not return to the bench for the third period. The Penguins already had Mike Matheson (undisclosed) and Zach Trotman (right knee) on injured reserve. This could force Pittsburgh to dig deep into their roster for replacements. The three leading candidates to step in are Cody Ceci, Pierre-Olivier Joseph, and Kevin Czuczman.
Chad Ruhwedel did not participate in practice Thursday after becoming a first-time father, which means that potential line pairings will have to wait until game time.
This also comes on the heels of an expected line change based on the lines assembled for Friday’s practice, as Alexis Lafreniere skated on the first line with Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad. After practice, head coach David Quinn told the media that he moved Pavel Buchnevich to the second line in hopes that he could provide some help for Artemi Panarin and Ryan Strome.
Zibanejad seemed to feel that Lafreniere is ready for the first line, telling lohud.com’s Vince Mercogliano that “Lafreniere is very mature for his age, and the speed he plays at and the way he sees the ice. He’s a real pro, so I’m just excited to get to play with him.”
"I think he's very mature for his age. The speed he plays at and the way he sees the ice – I really like what I see from him."
The Penguins also had some help on the offensive side join their team on Tuesday in 24-year-old Kasperi Kapanen. The young forward, son of former NHL star Sami Kapanen, was delayed in joining his team after difficulties in securing a work visa. When the visa was finally processed, Kapanen was allowed to enter the country on Jan. 9, but he had to undergo a seven-day quarantine as per the NHL’s rules regarding the coronavirus pandemic.
The Rangers and the Penguins will see a lot of each other, as they play each other in four of the next six games in this modified 56 game schedule.
The New York Rangers bounced back in a big way with a statement victory over the New York Islanders by the score of 5-0. Alexandar Georgiev stopped 23 shots in earning the shutout victory.
The Rangers caught a little bit of a break before the game when the Islanders goalie Semyon Varlamov was injured in warmups after getting hit below the mask and above his left shoulder around the collarbone by a shot from teammate Cal Clutterbuck. This meant that the Islanders had to turn to Ilya Sorokin, who made his NHL debut in this contest.
It may not have mattered who the Islanders started in goal as the Rangers came out in a much different fashion compared to Thursday night’s loss.
Head coach David Quinn wanted to send a message to his time by making some personnel changes right away. One move he made was to switch lines with Alexis Lafreniere and Kaapo Kakko. The move did not seem to bother Kakko as he responded to his “demotion” with an outstanding goal in the second period,
Another move was the benching of Tony DeAngelo, who drew the ire of Quinn when he took an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in Thursday’s night’s game. Officials tacked the additional infraction onto a holding penalty after DeAngelo yelled at the referees and slammed the door of the penalty box.
In his post-game virtual Zoom press conference, Quinn was quite pleased with the effort. “I have got to give a bunch of our leaders a ton of credit,” Quinn said “Jacob Trouba stood tall tonight and played one of his best games as a Ranger. Mika, Kreider, Bread, all of these guys were just great.”
Another thing that pleased Quinn about the win was how the team responded to the poor performance on Thursday night. “How you respond to it tells you a lot about your group and we answered some questions tonight in a lot of ways.”
Pavel Buchnevich scored the first of his two goals 2:12 into the game after Mika Zibanejad stole the puck in front of the Islanders’ bench. Artemi Panarin converted a breakaway to stretch the Rangers’ first-period advantage with 7:14 left. Brendan Smith blocked a shot in the defensive zone then delivered the beautiful stretch pass to Panarin.
Buchnevich added his second of the game with a sharp-angled wrist shot from the left faceoff dot at 5:57 of the second period. Phillip Di Giuseppe set up Kakko with 4:36 left in the middle period to make it 4-0.
Panarin finished the scoring on the Rangers’ seventh power play of the game with 4:04 left off a pass from Adam Fox. Buchnevich had an assist for his third point of the game.
One of the few things that were not good for the Rangers was that they went 1-8 on the power play and are now 1-11 on the young season.
On Tuesday, the Rangers conclude this first homestand of the season when they host the New Jersey Devils.
The New York Rangers are entering their 95th campaign in the National Hockey League. This season has been delayed due to the Covid pandemic, but the hard work during the offseason has kept the organization focused since last season concluded in the Toronto Bubble.
The club has been preparing for a marathon 56 game schedule, which begins on Jan. 14 against the New York Islanders at Madison Square Garden and concludes on May 8 in Boston against the Bruins.
Empire Sports Media writers Jim Bay and Frank Curto take a look at what has transpired since the Blueshirts were eliminated from the playoffs last summer in the qualifying round against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Team President John Davison, along with general manager Jeff Gorton is set to bring the youngest team in the NHL back to the playoffs in an attempt to win the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1994. Plenty of obstacles stand in their way, yet the team is set up for success as they play in the toughest division in the NHL this season.
Players come and go, but the one constant is the name on the front of the sweater. Here is a look at the upcoming season’s preview, oh baby, this is going to be a lot of fun.
Departures
Marc Staal
Jesper Fast
Henrik Lundqvist
Vinni Lettieri
Boo Nieves
Gregg McKegg
Michael Haley
Steve Fogarty
Lias Andersson
The Rangers traded veteran defenseman Marc Staal to Detroit on Sept. 26, 2020, and the forward Jesper Fast signed as a free agent with the Carolina Hurricanes. The toughest transaction was the buyout of 15-year veteran Henrik Lundqvist.
Arrivals
Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images
Alexis Lafreniere
Kevin Rooney
Anthony Greco
Johny Brodzinski
Colin Blackwell
Anthony Bitetto
K’Andre Miller
Jack Johnson
Tarmo Reunanen
Keith Kinkaid
The Rangers selected the first overall selection in this year’s NHL Draft, Alexis Lafreniere. Gorton and Quinn have high expectations for the success of rookie defenseman K’Andre Miller as he looks to make the team out of training camp. Brendan Smith could be on the bubble with so many new faces on defense.
Goaltender Keith Kinkaid was originally brought in to help ease the team’s expansion draft requirement, but now could be a valuable asset in the Covid pandemic abbreviated season.
Offense
The first line will be led by Zibanejad, who was a goal-scoring machine last year with 41 goals in 57 games, a ridiculous 59-goal pace over a full season, with 15 of those coming on the power play. Zibanejad made some nice improvements in creating more chances at both even strength and on the power play, with the hope that the 15 percent and 26 percent rates continue into this season.
Kreider and Buchnevich will again flank Zibanejad on either side, and both have “analytically” graded out as productive top-six players for the team. The chemistry that the trio achieved was a huge reason why the Rangers improved so much in the second half of the season.
The second line will be anchored by Panarin, who will have Strome returning, will see Kakko added as his linemate to start the season.
What Panarin has brought to the Rangers is not only on-ice results but also how much of a positive influence he has on his linemates and teammates. This will hopefully hold true for Kakko, who showed signs of improvement upon returning to play in the summer after the league was paused due to the pandemic.
The bottom six is where the Rangers struggled last season. Help will come in the form of the first overall pick in the draft, Alexis Lafreniere.
It is tough to see how quickly Lafreniere will adapt to the NHL game with a small camp and no preseason games to evaluate his skills. However, many projection models have him getting 57 points this year. That may seem high for a first-year player, but with the skills that he brings to the team, this seems achievable.
Much of this may depend on his linemates. Chytil has been projected for improvement this year after being a negative goal contributor last season to an expected positive one this year. Gauthier presents some grittiness and size that could complement his linemates.
Howden will hopefully solidify the third line and has had a nice camp. During Zibanejad’s absence at the beginning of camp, Howden stepped in on the first line and did quite well. He also impressed those with his play during last summer’s playoffs. Lemieux provides the grit for this line, and hopefully, not too much-unwanted attention from the referees. Last season, Di Giuseppe provided the solid and steady play that you want to see from a bottom-six contributor.
The defense will look to improve this season. Jacob Trouba will enter his second season on Broadway and needs to be better than he was last season. By his own acknowledgment, he was not happy with how things progressed, though he seemed more comfortable as the season concluded.
The dynamic duo of Adam Fox and Ryan Lindgren was the highlight of the defense corp. The two rookies became stronger once they were paired together by former defensive coach Lindsy Ruff. With a year under their belt, the two could be the team’s top pair and see plenty of ice time once again.
The club has plenty of new faces on the back end, with rookie K’Andre Miller leading the way. Miller has been praised by the head coach in training camp earning a roster spot on opening night.
Jack Johnson along with Anthony DeAngelo and Brendan Smith will be pushing each other early on to be in the lineup every night.
Igor Shesterkin will take the reigns as the team’s number one goaltender this season. With such a condensed schedule, Alexandar Georgiev should expect more playing time and responsibility with the teams playing a marathon like a schedule.
Taxi Squad Projected Players
The taxi squad will be a big piece of the puzzle for the Blueshirts. With the AHL delaying the start of their season until Feb. 5, the Rangers are eligible to carry a minimum of 4 to a maximum of six players. These players can practice and travel with the team but are not on the active roster until they are recalled.
Philadelphia Flyers – The Flyers were one of the most complete teams in the NHL last season, finishing in the top 10 in both goals scored and allowed. With their team from last year mostly intact, they are my favorite to win this division.
Boston Bruins – Boston suffered some notable losses on the blueline in Torey Krug and Zdeno Chara, and that might be enough to put them behind the Flyers. However, with a top offensive line and goaltending tandem, don’t be surprised to see them win this division.
The Pens still have Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, so you have to put them in the top four.
Washington Capitals – The high scoring offense should carry them, put questions with their goaltending may them one of the leading contenders to get bumped by either the Rangers or Islanders.
New York Rangers– The Blueshirts have many obstacles with this season that will be difficult for a talented but a young team to overcome. A short training camp with no preseason games is not ideal for a young team, especially when you have the first overall in Alexis Lafreniere coming to town. Playing a 56 game season will not help either.
New York Islanders – In addition to not wanting to put them ahead of the Rangers, this is still quite a mysterious team. Last season, they were two games from the Stanley Cup Final in spite of the fact they allowed more goals than they scored in the regular season.
Buffalo Sabres – The Sabres did get better in the offseason, but playing against such tough divisional opponents every night will mean that they will finish ahead of only New Jersey.
New Jersey Devils– The Devils hope that Jack Hughes will be better, but the Devils are still destined for the bottom of the division. The recent retirement of Corey Crawford will not help either.
Team Awards
Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
MVP: Artemi Panarin Rookie of the Year: Alexis Lafreniere Top Defenseman: Adam Fox Most Improved: Kaapo Kakko Players Player: Brendan Lemieux Steven McDonald Extra Effort: Mika Zibanejad Leading Goal Scorer: Mika Zibaenjad – 48G Points Leader: Artemi Panarin- 90 Pts.
Schedule
Photo via NewYorkRangers.com
The unusual 56 game schedule will see the Rangers face only the other members of the temporary Eastern Division and will not have any preseason games for their young players, such as first overall pick Alexis Lafreniere, to gel with their new teammates outside of the two-week training camp period.
One of the “benefits” of this schedule is that the Rangers will also get eight contests with some of the rivals, including the Islanders, Devis, and Flyers.
In this compact schedule, there are some important times that stand out over the slightly condensed schedule this season that commences for the Rangers on January 14.
Like in a horse race, it is important to get out of the gate well, and this will also be the case for the Blueshirts this season. Easier said than done, especially as they face the Islanders in their first two games to start the season. The opening stretch will also see the Blueshirts face the Devils, as well as four meetings split between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres.
February will be a challenging month as, on the 10th, the Rangers start a stretch of games with two against Boston before a two-game battle with the Flyers. They then head to Washington to play the Capitals twice, play the Flyers once more, capping things off with two more meetings with the Bruins. This stretch should show whether the Rangers are a true playoff contender or not.
After facing three games against Sabres and Devils, March will again see the Rangers run through a gauntlet of Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington for most of the month. If they are going to survive this stretch, they must reverse the fortunes of 2019-20 that saw the Rangers go a combined 0-5-1 against the Bruins and Flyers.
April will see the Rangers play many games against the Islanders, Devils, and Sabres. In fact, starting on April 9, the Rangers will have back-to-back road games against the Islanders and then play four straight against the Devils before capping it off with a final tilt with the Isles. Any chance to stay or get into playoff contention may hinge on the outcome of the games, against teams that the Rangers went 3-1 against (Islanders) and 2-2 (Devils) in 2019-20.
The Rangers will need their top players to play as they did last season. The pressure will be heavy once again on Mika Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin to have consecutive great seasons shield the Blueshirts look to replicate last season’s playoff run.
Igor Shesterkin takes over for Henrik Lundqvist, huge skates to fill but something Shesterkin is capable of doing.
The wild card is the head coach himself. Dave Quinn and his coaching staff will walk a fine line between coaching the veterans, along with bringing the younger players through one of the most demanding schedules since the early 1970s.
There are no easy games this season, no time to take a night off. A team that has a rich tradition along with high expectations from its fan base will need to find the right chemistry out of the gate in order to keep up with the teams within this division.
This season will be like no other. A schedule that has the Rangers playing each division opponent eight times, Covid protocols that will have games postponed and re-scheduling at almost a daily pace, and playing most games in front of little or no fans at all.
2020-2021 season will be the hardest battle of endurance and stamina the Rangers have ever encountered. The reward will be more precious should the team exceed their expectations.
It all begins Thursday night at the world’s most famous arena when the Rangers host the biggest rivals in the NHL.
Empire Sports Media Writers Predictions
We have some great writers at ESM, So Jim Bay and I asked what they predict will transpire in the upcoming season.
Brandon Schnapp Most Goals: Panarin Most Points: Zibanejad MVP: Panarin Best Defenseman: Fox Rookie of the Year: Lafreniere
The team will miss the playoffs (Brandon is an Islanders fan, BTW)
Jim Bay Most Goals: Panarin
Most Points: Panarin
MVP: Panarin
Best Defenseman: Trouba
Rookie of the Year: Shesterkin
Playoffs: Not this year
Frank Curto Most Goals: Panarin Most Points: Zibanejad MVP: Panarin Best Defenseman: Fox Rookie of the Year: Shesterkin Playoffs: Yes, will be eliminated in the second round
Alex Wilson
Goals: Panarin Points: Ziba MVP: Panarin Defenseman: DeAngelo Rookie of the Year: Lafreniere
Playoffs: The team makes the playoffs, eliminated in the second round.
Whether it is the New York Rangers, Yankees, Jets, Mets, or Giants, it is sometimes interesting to take an independent look at the status of your team. One of the ways this can be done is through fantasy leagues, especially more high stake leagues eliminate the home team bias in examining how well that team will perform.
In the case of the Blueshirts, we will look at data from the highly competitive NFC leagues and Fantasy Alarm/ Friends with Fantasy Benefits hockey analyst Andrew Dewhirst to see how this year’s Rangers are looking through an independent lens.
For example, how does the fantasy industry see the Ranger’s first overall pick, Alexis Lafreniere? Currently, his Average Draft position stands at 131. That doesn’t sound great for the first overall pick but there is a reason for this according to Dewhurst. “I don’t have big expectations for Alexis in year one. Much like we saw with Kappo Kakko last year, he likely isn’t going to see time in the top six, and if he does it could be due to injury. Keep in mind, this isn’t because he isn’t a really good hockey payer, this is more because of the Rangers’ depth in their top six.”
However, if the league is what is known as a keeper or dynasty league, where players are drafted for multiple years, then Lafreniere’s value goes way up. “Lafreniere has been a top-tier player throughout his junior career, in the World Junior Championships, and he even made Team Canada at 17 which is rare,” Dewhirst explains. “Long term he will be a point per game player or better.”
Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin and forward Alexis Lafreniere finished tied for first in a preseason poll of our writers for the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year.https://t.co/ENT36QoLCA
Ranger fans will also not be surprised that Mika Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin are at the top of average draft positions in the highly competitive leagues. Zibanejad is being drafted on average at seventh overall while Panarin is being drafted on average at 11.
“My rankings have Panarin as a top-five fantasy player.” Dewhirst states. “He was a point per game player in Columbus(a team notorious for suppressing scoring), and in his first year with the Rangers in what would have been a 100 point season, if not for the shortened season. There is little reason to expect that the same if not more isn’t’ possible for the Breadman, as he grows more familiar with his linemates, and if anything the Rangers have only gotten deeper, which will keep teams from focusing just on his line.”
As for Zibanejad, Dewhirst feels that “we will not see anything close to 41 goals again from him this year. His near 20% shooting percentage likely sustainable, and he will likely fall back to his career norm of 12 percent, which will bring him back closer to a 30 goal pace.”
As Igor Shesterkin begins his first full year in a Rangers jersey, fantasy owners have taken notice and the young goaltender has an average ADP of 55.
“We are going to find out what Shesterkin is this year.” Dewhirst states. “The last time Shesterkin had a save percentage below 0.930 was in the 2014-15 KHL season when he was 20. He is primed to become a star this year, and if your league counts saves, he is all that much more valuable, as he will likely see plenty of them if last year was any indication.
As the leagues usually draft anywhere from 200 to 300 players per league, here is the average draft position for some other Rangers:
Jacob Trouba – 94
Chris Kreider – 95
Tony DeAngelo – 113
Adam Fox – 160
Ryan Strome – 166
Alexandar Georgiev – 179
Pavel Buchnevich – 204
Kappo Kakko – 235
Other Rangers have been selected but not in enough leagues to calculate a fair ADP.
You can follow Andrew Dewhirst at Twitter – @andrewkdewhirst
Relax New York Rangers fans, though some big names were missing from practice on Wednesday, the vague explanations do not seem to reflect a Covid-19 issue.
When the New York Rangers hit the ice for practice yesterday a very noticeable smile was missing from the group. Artemi Panarin and Libor Hajek both sat out practice yesterday due to what Newsday reporter Colin Stephenson wrote as “procedural issues.”
They joined Mika Zibanejad, Justin Richards, and Keith Kinkaid, who has yet to practice this season, as the group who sat out Wednesday’s practice.
Quinn believes both Panarin and Hajek will be back on the ice for Thursday’s practice and scrimmage game.
Line Changes
Davis Quinn has been able to get some good looks at players with the absence of players who would normally fill out the lineup. Wednesday say a reshuffling of group A with Brett Howden centering, Chris Kreider, and Pavel Buchnevich (Howden took Zibanejad’s place).
Ryan Strome centering Philip Di Giuseppe and Kaapo Kakko, Filip Chytil in the middle of Alexis Lafreniere and Julien Gauthier and Kevin Rooney centering Morgan Barron and Colin Blackwell. Brendan Lemieux was the extra forward.
The defense pairings, four in all, had Tony DeAngelo/Jacob Trouba, Ryan Lindgren/Adam Fox, Jack Johnson/Anthony Bitetto, and K’Andre Miller/Brendan Smith.
Alexandar Georgiev and Igor Shesterkin were the two goalies in the A group.
Missing Time A Concern
The Rangers have to be a little concerned with the time Zibanejad has missed already. General manager Jeff Gorton has announced prior to the start of camp that he was listed as day-to-day before camp started.
That has remained the status-quo with the club not detailing anything on the centers status. it is unknown when he will be able to get back on the ice or what his actual injury is.
The Rangers are back to work on Thursday which includes a night scrimmage between the two groups.
After coming off a rookie season that had many ups and downs, New York Rangers forward Kaapo Kakko looks like he getting ready to show some of the skills he has when he was drafted second overall by the Blueshirts in 2019.
During the first couple of days of training camp, Kakko is getting the first crack at playing in the departed Jesper Fast’s spot on the right-wing with Artemi Panarin and Ryan Strome. Early reports have also stated that he has looked really good in that spot. And at least one of his linemates has been pleased as well.
“He obviously feels good,” Panarin said about Kakko. “It’s difficult to judge in these two practices with the very scrambly scrimmages. But obviously, we will see a full picture soon.”
Kakko gets his revenge. He just roofed one on Igor and got a reaction from his teammates. That was pretty. #NYRpic.twitter.com/XizxfKHrJ4
In the offseason, Kakko, trained in Turku, Finland other NHL players, according to his agent Mike Liut. The group of Finnish players has a regular offseason training program and facility that many utilize during the offseason.
Kakko showed a few flashes of brilliant play with the Rangers as a rookie but failed to play with consistency or play up to his potential, as he spent most of the season on the third or fourth line and their second power-play unit.
However, following the layoff due to the coronavirus pandemic, Kakko played much better in the three playoff games the Rangers participated in. This improvement has led to the coaching staff giving Kakko the first chance to play on the Panarin line. Hopefully, playing with more skilled linemates along with having a long offseason to get stronger and improve his conditioning should lead to some much-improved play from Kakko.
“I like the progression,” head coach David Quinn said when asked what he thought of the Panarin line. “I think they’re making strides and creating some offense. Kaapo has just got to learn to play off those two guys. If he does that, continues to go in that direction, that line can be a very effective line for us. He understands the role he’s going to have to play on that line with those two players. That being said, we have also talked with both Bread and Strome about the chemistry on that line and what it’s going to take to have success. It’s not just one guy. It’s all three of those guys understanding what their roles are on that line and what they’re going to have to do to have success.”
Kakko will be just 20 years old when he celebrates his birthday in February. If he continues to develop and play close to the potential that everyone hopes he can when he was drafted, this second line could be just as good if not a notch better than what it was last season.
The day before the New York Rangers will start training camp, General Manager Jeff Gorton and President John Davidson addressed the media to bring everyone up to date on the current status of the Blueshirts.
Among the information that was shared, Gorton revealed that all of the training camp participants are in New York, but it was also mentioned that Mika Zibanejad will not practice when the Rangers begin their on-ice sessions Monday and is day-to-day. Gorton also said forward Justin Richards and goalie Keith Kinkaid will also not be available Monday and are day-to-day.
Zibanejad led the Rangers with 41 goals last season, an NHL-career-high, and scored 75 points in 57 games to help New York advance to the Stanley Cup Qualifiers. He was second on the team in points behind forward Artemi Panarin.
Gorton also announced that Vitali Kravtsov will finish the KHL season in Russia. He mentioned that the Rangers have been impressed with how he’s playing and want him to continue on that path, with a plan to bring him back to the U.S. when the KHL season ends.
One of the situations that both Gorton and Davidson addressed is the temporary division that the Rangers will be playing in this season. Davidson referred to it as “a great division, a very tough division” and that playing in that division “will be a great experience for our players.”
Gorton was also asked about the possibility of K’Andre Miller making the team and stated that he believes that Miller has a great chance to make the team, and has been impressed with Miller’s commitment in the off-season to improve his skills. Gorton also mentioned that “they are excited to see him here with NHL players.”
Another interesting topic that brought up to Davidson was the news concerning Henrik Lundqvist’s heart condition, and what the Rangers knew about his heart during his days in New York. Davidson replied that he and the Rangers organization was “shocked” when he heard the news and that the organization will help him in any way they can, because “Hank is a Ranger, and will always be a Ranger.”
Even though the New York Rangers initially offered Ryan Strome less, the team decided to avoid arbitration and settle with the center on a two-year contract with an average annual value of $4.5 million. The move leaves the Rangers with approximately $3,891,867 of space remaining for a roster that currently has 11 forwards, seven defensemen, and two goaltenders.
Strome will earn $4 million this upcoming season and $5 million in 2021-22 in this deal.
The biggest question in dealing with Strome was whether this was a true indication of his talent or whether his true stat line was inflated by playing with Artemi Panarin. The 27-year-old broke out in a big way in 2019-20, passing the 50-point mark for the first time since 2014-15.
Prior to the agreement, Strome filed for $5.7 million, with the Rangers countering at $3.6 million. On Thursday, the two sides agreed to the $4.5 million which signifies that the Blueshirts are more than happy to keep the center with Panarin, something that was very important to the regular-season success last season. Part of this can be contributed to a very shallow free-agent pool at center, especially for a team that does not have a ton of salary-cap space.
The Rangers also knew that the pairing of Strome and Panarin was very productive, as the two compiled a .6575 goal-rate (48 goals for, 25 against) in 700:48 of five-on-five play. Numbers that the Rangers brass was apparently impressed enough to not risk letting Strome walk away and try to reproduce with a center that costs less money. This also signifies that they believe that Filip Chytyl is not quite ready to be a top-6 forward.
Strome posted 18 goals and a career-high 59 points in 70 games this past season. He added two assists in three games during the playoffs following the postponement of the season due to COVID-19.
Selected fifth overall by the New York Islanders in the 2011 NHL Draft, Strome was traded to the Rangers early in the 2018-19 season from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Ryan Spooner, a move that is looking like one of Jeff Gorton’s best moves during his tenure in New York.
The New York Rangers have a bit of a player personnel decision coming up. as on November 5, they have an important arbitration hearing with 27-year-old Ryan Strome.
The Blueshirts would probably want Strome back for one year, maybe two. However, there is the issue of the pesky flat salary cap.
The other issue for the Rangers is what Ryan Strome are they paying for? The one that had a great deal of success playing with Artemi Panarin? Or the one that underachieved in Edmonton?
There is still a possibility that the two sides could settle before the arbitration date. However, if the arbitrator awards Strome an amount that does not suit the Rangers, they could just walk away and let him be an unrestricted free agent. The two sides are about a million dollars apart, with Strome reportedly looking for 5 million and the Rangers likely offering 4 million.
The Rangers generally would like to keep Strome to see if he could reproduce last season’s numbers, but the flat cap might make that impossible. Enter the “inexpensive replacement” for Strome.
Matthew Barzal – C – Islanders
Replacing Strome with someone from your crosstown rivals would be a very nice signing. The RFA was an $863,333 cap hit last season, but GM Lou Lamoriello sent a message to any GM thinking of floating an offer sheet Barzal’s way when was asked by a fan if he’d match any competitive contract offer for his top centerman.
“It is our intention to not allow it to get to that point, but should that happen, the answer is yes,” Lamoriello replied.
Whether or not they can is another matter, but Barzal brings a lot to the table. He has scored more points (60) and points per game (0.88) than any other impending RFA, despite playing in a system that emphasizes defense. Barzal skates more than 20 minutes a night and has three consecutive 60-point seasons and three seasons as the Isles’ top scorer. Plus he brings something that the Rangers greatly missed last year: a gutsy performance in the playoffs.
Anthony Cirelli – C – Lightning
Even though Tampa Bay would love to keep him, they have salary cap issues themselves. Last season, Cirelli was a $728,333 cap hit in Tampa Bay.
The 23-year-old came in fourth place in 2020 Selke Trophy voting for his two-way game. His points per game and plus/minus have increased every season and he is in the top-five among all NHL forwards in penalty-killing time (2:49 per game).
The Lightning would love to have him back but will probably not be able to fit everyone they want under the cap.
Pierre-Luc Dubois – C – Blue Jackets
It would be great to reunite him with Panarin as Dubois exploded for a 61-point campaign skating mostly alongside the Breadman but the reality is that Columbus does not have a salary cap problem and will likely want to keep him at almost any cost.
Derek Brassard – C – Unrestricted Free Agent
The 33-year-old, NHL journeyman and former Blueshirt played in 66 games where he has 10 goals and 22 assists and has a -2 plus/minus for the Islanders. He was a non-factor in the playoffs for the and was omitted from the lineup four times as a scratch, during their run to the Eastern Conference Finals.
His contract would likely be around a million dollars but his veteran presence may be welcomed.
Dylan Strome – C – Blackhawks
The younger brother of Ryan is a restricted free agent. While the Blackhawks may sign him, there has not been a big rush to do so, possibly as the brass in Chicago ponders what to do with their rebuild and their tight salary cap.
The younger Strome would cost about half as much as his brother and has posted 51 and 38 points respectively during his last two seasons in Chicago. Common wisdom should indicate that he could at least duplicate if not improve on those numbers playing with Panarin.
Jack Roslovic – C – Jets
Reports out of Winnipeg have stated that Roslovic has expressed an interest in a change of scenery. The 23-year-old has steadily improved in his three years in the league with the Jets. He posted career highs in goals (12) and assists (17) and has been starting to show the potential to be a No. 2 center on the team. This could mean that he would be a lower cost to Strome but could at least maintain the productivity.
It will be an interesting week to see what transpires between the Rangers and Ryan Strome. It is a tricky situation with the arbitration, a flat salary cap, and figuring his true value having a lot to do with whether Strome remains a Blueshirt or the Rangers part ways with him.
The New York Rangers have certainly made quite the headlines in the offseason. From winning and drafting the number one pick in the draft to wading their way through the mire of a tight salary cap, the Blueshirts have done quite a bit of work. However, there is still one area that the Rangers could address. Most experts feel that the Rangers could benefit from a top-six center and recent events in the Windy City could open the door for the Rangers to inquire about the availability of a three-time Stanley Cup-winning center.
Last week the Chicago Blackhawks sent a letter to their fan base explaining their recent moves and how they planned to move forward.
This letter did not sit well with their captain, Jonathon Toews, who said he’s surprised the Blackhawks are making big changes to their roster with a focus on young players replacing key veterans.
His comments came on the day forward Brandon Saad was traded to the Colorado Avalanche and one day after goalie Corey Crawford signed a two-year, $7.8 million contract with the New Jersey Devils as a free agent.
“It’s sad. It’s really disappointing,” Toews said. “[Crawford] has given so much to this team. I feel he was ready to bring more in the next few years and still be a big part of this group. He had that mindset that he could help this team go deep in the [Stanley Cup] Playoffs again, and there’s no doubt that he could.”
It might be wise for the Ranger’s brass to make a call to Chicago to see what it would take to get Toews to trade in deep dish pizza for New York-style pie, in spite of the fact that publically, Toews has stated that he has no desire to be traded.
“I haven’t been a part of that conversation,” he said. “This has all happened pretty suddenly, but the answer is no. Chicago’s my home, and I want to win here again.”
Assuming that he changes his mind, or that he is just being diplomatic, there are a couple of other roadblocks in this scenario.
First of all. Toews has a full no-trade clause in his contract. Realistically though, how enticing would it be for the 32-year-old veteran to come to the Big Apple and play on a line with either Mika Zibanejad or Artemi Panarin? Playing on a team with his old teammate Panarin would be enticing as well. The wise Toews will obviously know that donning the Blueshirt would be a wise move like it was for Panarin. A quick little phone call from Panarin couldn’t hurt either.
The other issue is that pesky salary cap. Toews has a cap hit of just over $10 million. However, since the Blackhawks would probably want multiple young players in return, this could ease the pain of such a high cap hit.
Obviously, there are quite a few players who are untradeable for the Rangers, but they do have enough young talent to pull this off, especially if the Blackhawks might be willing to absorb some of Toews’s salary.
Many Ranger fans have been wanting someone to wear the “C” for quite a while. Here you go, an instant captain in Toews. Earning the nickname “captain serious” for his business-like approach to the game, he would make an excellent addition to this team.
Between getting Toews to commit, working around the salary cap, and letting the Blackhawks prepare for the Frankenstein like the torch-wielding mob to storm their offices, it will take a lot to make this happen.
But It is not too early to start making your wish list for the holidays.
