Ryan O’Rielly and the Buffalo Sabers have ruined New York Rangers plan for Derek Stepan’s next contract, so a roster shakeup is needed.
By Steven Cifuentes
With the new bar set by the Buffalo Sabres for 50-60 point centermen, Stepan is looking to take up most of that $10.8 million in cap space.
Stepan is superior to Ryan O’Reilly in almost every category. Throw in Stepan’s solid playoff history and you can see why the Rangers are in cap hell.
Jeff Gorton’s first task as Rangers GM is a daunting one. He has to make some moves to free up cap space so the Rangers can get their top center signed and field a full roster.
Here’s the rest of the task-list Gorton needs to meet:
Sign Emerson Etem, JT Miller and Jasper Fast close to their current qualifying offers.
The famous Glen Sather 2-year bridge deal won’t work this year with the cap-crunch the Rangers find themselves in.
In order to have cap flexibility these players must come in at their qualifying offers, or slightly above. This will especially be the case to keep Mr. Stepan on Broadway.
This will come as music too many fans ears, Jeff Gorton must find a taker for the last 2 years of Tanner Glass’s contract.
If the Philadelphia Flyers can get a 3rd Round pick for Zac Rinaldo, the New York Rangers can get a 7th round pick from a team like Arizona that is looking for cheap players to reach the cap floor.
Tanner Glass actually played decent in the playoffs, but there is no need to lose a player like Derek Stepan when a guy like Tanner Glass is taking up $1.45 million in cap space.
Trade Kevin Klein For Draft Picks
Kevin Klein is a nice player to have, a solid stay at home defensemen that has a good shot from the blue line when needed.
Don’t fool yourself New York Rangers fans, those great offensive numbers last year were not the norm. Klein is a luxury – one that should not cost $2.9 million a year.
Give The Kids A Chance
Brady Skjei needs to be given a legitimate shot to make this team as a 6th defenseman. All reports out of prospects camp is this kid can skate well enough to thrive in the Rangers current system.
Oscar Lindberg has been knocking on the NHL door for a couple seasons now. It is time to see what the responsible two-way faceoff machine can do when given a regular shift in the NHL.
Teams at the cap ceiling have to give kids a chance to fill out the bottom of the active roster.
Sign Derek Stepan At All Costs
It is contracts like Ryan O’Reilly’s that skew the players’ salary scale up and kill teams like the New York Rangers with a core of solid, but not superstar players. Derek Stepan is going to get paid like a star for solid player production.
If you look to trade Stepan, or don’t resign him to the arbitration deal, you might as well tear it down and start a mini-rebuild.
Derek Stepan is a core player that must be introduced on opening night with a shiny new contract.
Thanks Buffalo, we will take it out on you on the ice.
No room for Brady Skjei if Yandle if 3rd pairing left side defenseman.
Yandle is an obvious candidate to trade. Unfortunatly, Sather had his
pockets picked by Arizona, so the is no chance of getting back a #1
and an opposiong team's best minor league prospect.
If Zuccrello had been moved for 6-5, 215 lb RFA Jimmy Hayes, a case
could have been made to move Tanner Glass.
Zuccarello makes $4.5 mil a year and scored ZERO power play goals
last year...YES ZERO! And Zuccarello lays a lot of time on the power
play. Jimmy Hayes would be a good replacement for Zuccarello, actually
score goals on the power play, and not such a tempting 5-7" target on the
ice.
Tanner Glass is a VERY punishing fighter and excellent body checker
who takes very few foolish PM. After a Tanner Glass encounter, most
opponents, often larger, leave the ice bleeding. No one looks for Tanner
Glass to fight....not a 2nd time anyways. There is a market for a Tanner
Glass.
Dan Boyle, not a terrible player, but not a $4.5 mil player...needs to be
moved.
If Stralman was not worth $4.5 mil by Sather, a much inferior injury prone
player like Staal is not worthy a rudiculous $5.7 mil.
Steady, mostly healthy 80 gm a year minutes eating right handed players
like Klein are worth every penny They are physical, score the odd goal,
and aren't intimated easily like a Marc Staal. Staal is one injury from
being dead cap space on the Rangers.
Above all else, and I know Sather is not the brightest light in the forest after
the Ryan Clowe & Ryan Callahan deals, Rangers need to acquire players
who have at least three years control on each player they acquire.
I believe Hayes & Kreider are next up to bat next year.
Rangers need to hire management types that can "manage assets";
I was able for thirteen years at Citibank, NA as an Asst Vice-President with
3-4 forcasts.
Sather.........no way
they get.
Staal is not worth a million dollars more.