It might be a bit of a reach to say this might have been one of the better efforts from the New York Rangers this season. At the very least, it was their best game in quite a while. Alexis Lafrenière scored his second NHL goal as the Rangers beat the Washington Capitals 4-1.
Mika Zibanejad sealed the game with an empty-netter with 2:12 left. The Blueshirts have strung together back-to-back wins for just the second time this season.
Ryan Strome hits two “century” marks for the New York Rangers
By recording an assist on Chris Kreider‘s goal, Strome garnered his 100th career point with the Rangers. He later picked up his 100th career NHL goal when he scored at 18:43 of the second period.
In his post-game interview, Strome was very pleased with the team’s effort. “I thought we had a good team effort. It might be a bit of a cliche but I thought everybody played very well.”
New York Rangers break the “close” game trend
In winning this game by three goals, the Rangers broke a bit of a string. Twelve of the Rangers’ last 13 games, and 12 of the team’s 15 games this season, have been decided by two or fewer goals. Nine of those contests have been decided by one goal. Also, four of the Blueshirts’ last nine games have been decided in either overtime or a shootout. The Rangers’ nine one-goal games in 2020-21 are tied for the sixth-most in the NHL. Their 12 games decided by two or fewer goals are tied for the eighth-most in the league.
Igor Shesterkin only allowed one goal on 27 Washington shots on goal. The Rangers have held their opponents to two goals or fewer in six of the last eight games and seven of the last 10 games. Going into the game, the Blueshirts have allowed 2.67 goals against per game in 2020-21, which is tied for the ninth-fewest in the NHL.
Artemi Panarin picked up two assists in the game. He has tallied eight assists/points in his last three games against Washington (including his two assists today). He has also registered a point in each of his last seven games against the Capitals (five goals, seven assists).
With Sunday’s game against the Capitals rescheduled, the Rangers will be back in action Wednesday night against the Philadelphia Flyers.
For the seventh time in 14 contests, the New York Rangers scored two or fewer goals in a game. Most know that is not a successful formula for winning in the NHL.
Many of the issues for the Blueshirt’s woes have focused on too many turnovers and too many lost battles for pucks.
While that is also true, there is another issue that has also plagued the Rangers in the offensive zone: Too many passes.
This issue is especially evident on the power play, as during last week’s 1-0 loss to the Boston Bruins, the Rangers went scoreless on six power-play attempts.
Head coach David Quinn discussed this issue during his post-game Zoom conference. “We pass when we should shoot. We shoot when we should pass. We just make bad decisions and we are slow,” Quinn said.
This has actually been an issue for a while with this team. Last year, their power-play was compared to the Harlem Globetrotters playing keep-away with the basketball from their hapless opponents rather than trying to make a basket.
It was the same thing with the Rangers. Quite a lot of passing, not a lot of shooting.
An interesting quote from the New York Rangers post-practice Zoom conference
However, something that was mentioned in Wednesday’s post-practice Zoom conference might have turned on a light bulb for some of the Blueshirts.
Ryan Strome mentioned that he asked goaltender Alexandar Georgiev what he is seeing as a goaltender. Strome said Georgiev told him “Throw pucks at the net. Teams are expecting us to make that extra pass.”
Sounds simple. Sounds like something that Quinn has probably mentioned to them before.
However, sometimes, coaches are like parents. We have a tendency to tune them out after a while. Sometimes we need that same reminder from a peer instead of an authority figure.
Like many of the New York Rangers, Ryan Strome had a slow start to the season in getting only one point in his first six games. But as the Rangers start heating up, so has Strome as he has now registered five points in his last four games by scoring three goals along with two assists.
Strome now has four goals and six points in 10 games this season.
Although happy that he is doing well, Strome seemed unfazed by the slow start. In his post-game Zoom conference after Thursday night’s win, Strome said that “I have been around 500 games now and have seen the highs and lows. Just to be honest, I am worrying about what the coaches are saying now and not what is in the media and on Twitter. I’ve learned early on in my career to stay away from that and just focus on getting my game better.”
Mature comments from the 27-year-old, especially while teammate Chris Kreider was trying to distract him by doing the “haunted table” routine.
In scoring the two goals in Thursday night’s game, Strome extended his point streak to four games and has tallied a point in five in each of his last six games.
A little more like what the Rangers expected after his $9 million, two-year contract.
Much of his improved play has been attributed to being able to connect with teammate Artemi Panarin.
“Obviously Artemi makes such good plays,” Strome said, “that I think we’re starting to find those little touch passes with some two-man passes and some give-and-goes which I think makes us successful.”
It was that type of play at 7:55 of the third period when Strome combined on a give-and-go with Panarin, which proved to be the deciding goal of the win against the Capitals.
Strome’s play has at least in some way has helped Panarin. With the assist on one of Strome’s goals, Panarin leads the Rangers in goals (five), assists (eight), and points (13) this season, and he has recorded a point on 13 of the Rangers’ 26 goals in 2020-21, per NYRStats&Info.
The Rangers will have a little break from game action until Monday’s meeting with the Islanders.
After a slow start to the season, the New York Rangers had one of the better games of the season in defeating not only one of the better teams in the East Division but one of the better teams in the NHL. In defeating the Washington Capitals 4-2 on Thursday night, the Blueshirts have won two games in a row and are 3-0-1 in their last four games.
With the two goals, Strome tied a single-game career-high with two goals and has posted a two-goal game for the 10th time in his NHL career. He now has 99 goals in his NHL career, and he has tallied 98 points with the Rangers. Strome extended his point streak to four games (two goals, two assists), and he has also tallied a point in five of the last six games (three goals, two assists), per @NYRStatsandInfo
Despite the strong performance from Strome and Panarin, the goal of the night goes to Anthony Bitetto when in the second period, he carried the puck behind the net, regathered it in the corner after getting checked by Carl Hagelin, and then went up the left-wing boards. He then avoided a hit from Nick Dowd before cutting into the middle, avoided a stick check from John Carlson, and beat Capitals goalie Vitek Vanecek with a backhand.
In the loss, Capitals’ superstar Alex Ovechkin scored his 709th goal to move into seventh place in NHL history. Ovechkin is eight goals away from Phil Esposito, who is sixth in league history with 717 goals.
“I like a lot about our game right from the get-go,” a pleased head coach David Quinn said after the game in his Zoom conference. “We were all dialed in, we were mentally and physically ready to go. Our penalty kill stood tall again and Shesty had a good and I thought a bunch of people stepped up tonight.”
Quinn also addressed the fact that these two points are very important for a team that needs to do some catching up in this abbreviated 56 game schedule. “I don’t care where we are playing, on the moon or here, we need points,” Quinn said. “It is a little bit different with no crowds as playing at home is a little bit different as is playing on the road but we have to continue to be dialed in. We are starting to get a little Mojo and feeling good about ourselves. When you get seven out of your eight points you start to feel good about yourself.”
The Rangers were slated to play Saturday afternoon at New Jersey, but it was postponed due to a COVID-19 outbreak for the Devils. The Rangers will have the weekend off before returning to action Monday night at home against the Islanders.
After taking another lead into the third period, the New York Rangers surrendered two goals in the third to fall to the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2. Jake Guentzel scored the game-winner with just 1:31 left in the game. It was the 100th goal of Guentzel’s career.
Colin Blackwell started the scoring for the Blueshirts by redirecting an Adam Fox shot past Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry at 16:36 of the first period. Blackwell was promoted to the active roster from the taxi squad for this game. The 27-year-old played 27 games with the Nashville Predators last season, recording 10 points and 31 shots on goal.
After a Bryan Rust goal tied it up for Pittsburgh in the second period, Ryan Strome chipped in a shot later in the second period to give the Rangers a 2-1 lead. Jacob Trouba put the initial shot on goal from the slot, and Strome flipped the rebound over Jarry from the top of the crease. Artemi Panarin also had an assist on the goal and has points in four consecutive games.
After the game, Mika Zibanejad addressed in the post-game Zoom conference the issue of not being able to hold on to third-period leads by saying that “It’s happened two games in a row where we have a lead and can’t close it out. I think it’s a mix of things that we have to do better, to learn from, and to do it quick.”
A disappointed head coach David Quinn said in his post-game Zoom conference that “You have to find ways to win. A guy can’t get a shot from that area with a minute and thirty to go. You have to have an urgency, you have to know who is dangerous. To come in here and play some good hockey and get just one point is really disappointing.”
Quinn also addressed the fact that while some of the younger players are doing well, some of the veterans need to step up. “The veterans know that they have got to be better. We have talked to them privately, and they know it. The good news is that these guys are established players in this league.”
Filip Chytil left the game after a collision with the Penguins Evan Rodrigues. Quinn said that he is being evaluated and that they would know more on Monday.
The Rangers now head to Buffalo for two games on Tuesday and Thursday. The Rangers will host Pittsburgh for a two-game set on Jan. 30 and Feb. 1 at Madison Square Garden.
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.
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 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 next step for the New York Rangers battle against the salary cap was announced on Tuesday with the announcement of dates for salary arbitration hearings.
Salary arbitration hearings will be held from Oct. 20 through Nov. 8. A player can sign a contract with his current team any time before an arbitrator’s ruling. More times than not a player and the respected team will settle on a new deal prior to the hearings. Last year, 40 players filled for arbitration with only six going to an arbitration hearing.
The Ranger’s biggest contract concern has to be Strome’s impending deal. Strome just completed a two-year deal with the Edmonton Oilers that netted him $6.2 million. He is looking for at least a four or five-year deal probably in the neighborhood of $5- million per year. At the conclusion of his next contract signed, Strome will be an unrestricted Free Agent, so a one year deal would not be optimal for Gorton and the club.
The Rangers are in a tight salary cap situation because of two reasons. The club has to pay out approximately $13 million in buyout money this season. Dan Girardi ($1.1 million), Ryan Spooner ($300,000), Kevin Shattenkirk ($6.083 million), and Henrik Lundqvist ($5.5 million) will all have their buyout payments held against the salary cap.
Signing bonuses
The second factor to understand is signing bonuses. NHL teams are allowed a 7.5 % “performance bonus cushion” that is not held against the team’s salary cap.
Assuming that Lafrenière starts the season with the #Rangers, we now show NY as being $3,950,000 above the 7.5% performance bonus cushion.
Any bonuses that exceed the cushion are held against the team’s cap. The Rangers added to that factor on Monday when they agreed to terms with Alexis Lafreniere. The Blueshirts now have a projected cap space of $18,804,367 which includes a $2.85 million performance bonus.
As things stand after that announcement, Gorton’s club will have a $3.95 million penalty added to their cap hit. This would leave almost $19 million in projected cap space before the team has signed any of their four RFA’s.
Arbitration dates announced
The NHLPA announced its arbitration dates for each player on Tuesday evening. Gorton and John Davidson are now on the clock to get these players signed before each player’s hearing.
For the most part, the Rangers and their players who have filed for arbitration have been able to avoid going to an actual hearing with both sides agreeing on deals. The most recent time any Blueshirts went through with the hearing process was Sean Avery and Nikolai Zherdev in 2007.
A player cannot walk away from an arbitrated decision, but the Rangers can can walk away from any award of more than $4.538 million should they decide not to accept the arbitration award. The player would become an unrestricted free agent immediately.
The salary cap crunch the Rangers find themselves in right now, along with many teams in the NHL, could see them going through the hearing process this year.
I cannot see the team letting a player just leave, so an unwarranted decision against the team could leverage the club to make a trade to help resolve their cap problems.
The Carolina Hurricanes have signed free-agent forward Jesper Fast, who spent the past seven seasons with the New York Rangers, to a three-year contract with a $2 million average annual value, according to Pierre LeBrun of TSN.
With Henrik Lundqvist, Marc Staal, and Jesper Fast now on different teams, Chris Kreider is the only remaining player from the 2013-14 Rangers 😔 pic.twitter.com/JOwPqPVsmj
Last year with the Blueshirts, Fast posted 12 goals, 29 points, with a +16 rating in 69 games. His career-best season came in 2017-18, with 13 goals and 33 points in 71 games. The Rangers drafted him in the sixth round in 2010.
In the “if you cannot beat them join them” category, Fast is being remembered by Hurricane fans playing a role in the Rangers’ dominance against Carolina in recent years, with five goals and 14 points in 24 games, his most against any team.
In another interesting plot twist, Fast will be rejoining a former teammate that leveled quite a hit on him during the most recent playoffs. Early in Game 1, Fast was slammed into the boards by Canes defenseman Brady Skjei, a former Rangers teammate. Fast did not return to the game or the series, It will prove interesting to see what their first conversation might be.
“Jesper is an intelligent, versatile player who will fit the mold of how the Carolina Hurricanes play hockey under Rod Brind’Amour,” Carolina president and general manager Don Waddell said in a statement.
The deadline for Club-Elected Salary Arbitration notification is Oct. 11 at 5 p.m. ET. Salary Arbitration hearings will be held from Oct. 20 to Nov. 8.
In the case for Strome, his award would be just for one season since upon completion of the 2020-21 season, he would be an unrestricted free agent. It has been speculated that he could earn around $4.75 million.
Since DeAngelo has four years of experience, the Rangers can decide whether it is a one or two-year award since they didn’t elect for arbitration. If they decided on two years it would take him to the spot that Strome is in currently.
Georgiev has just 77 games of experience to his name, and is coming off an entry-level deal that saw him count $792,500 against the salary cap.
Lemieux has 131 games of experience, and made $925,000 this past season after re-signing with the Rangers. He had been acquired from the Winnipeg Jets.
