It’s hardly a stretch to say that shedding any of the $1.45MM/year cap hit Tanner Glass burdens the New York Rangers with is a good idea.
By Nick Adams
Regardless of your thoughts on the 31 year old Saskatchewan native, Glass’ 3-year $4.35MM contract, inked with Rangers on July 1st, 2014 has been a failed venture. Former GM Glen Sather’s penchant for enforcers was a strong impetus behind Glass’ acquisition following the departures of Dan Carcillo and Derek Dorsett in June of 2014.
Over a total of 87 games with the Rangers (68 regular season/19 playoff), Glass has amassed a stout 1G/5A/53SOG, a -13 overall +/- rating and 133PIM. He finished second on the team in hits behind defenseman Dan Girardi last season. On a team built for an up-tempo game, it’s hardly a stretch to posit that shedding any of the $1.45MM/year cap hit the sluggish Glass burdens the Rangers with is a good idea.
Jesper Fast
Here’s an even better idea: make forward Jesper Fast a permanent fixture.
The 23 year-old right-handed shooting forward makes the most of his time on the ice, displaying versatility, flexibility and resolve. In 22 career payoff games, he has seven points and three goals (Career stats: here). Last season, team injuries led to Fast playing consistent top-six minutes and he submitted an admirable body of work under playoff pressure. He can play on any line and plays a sound two-way game (currently T-3rd among NYR forwards in blocked shots), adjusting his defensive play to whatever line-role he’s plugged into. Alain Vigneault loves that kind of flex because it enables him to shift his lines when looking for a spark.
Perhaps most importantly for a young player on a seasoned playoff team, Fast has quickly earned the trust of his head coach. Following the completion of the 2013-14 season, Fast aggressively sought increase his strength and athleticism, adding 10lbs of muscle to his 6′ frame. Vigneault noticed the effort and Fast played in 58 regular season matchups. Following a particularly strong Game 2 in the 2014-15 Conference Semi-Finals against the Washington Capitals AV had high praise for Fast, offering “Every time I see him he is full out and full go. He won’t be perfect…but he always goes on the ice and gives everything that he has.” (SNY)
With value-added roster newcomers Viktor Stalberg, Emerson Etem, rookie standout Oscar Lindberg and a healthy Mats Zuccarello all taking coveted roster spots, Fast’s playing time came into direct competition with that of Tanner Glass. Etem has been in a similar position, but Fast isn’t new to the team and is a proven playoff performer.
He’s also a good luck charm: the Rangers have posted a 47-22-5 record when he has been in the lineup (.669 points percentage). They win more than twice as many games as they lose when he plays.
Jesper Fast should be the biggest beneficiary of Tanner Glass’ demotion by waiver. He delivers immediate positive impact and he has more than earned his minutes.
That’s probably not something Emerson Etem wants to hear.
Emerson Etem
Unlike Fast, Etem is not a proven Ranger, but anyone saying at this point in the season that he’s “not a good fit” is simply fishing for attention and misleading you. Out of seven regular season games so far, he has dressed for one and in that game he played a total of 7:09. The opponent was the Montreal Canadiens, the goalie: Cary Price. That’s not exactly a fair performance sampling for an NHL forward.
In addition to his 6G/2A/8P in 23 playoff games, Etem also has 113 regular season NHL matches under his belt (15G/16A/31P). He isn’t new to NHL ice time. Etem is naturally gifted with size and speed, listing at almost 25lbs heavier than Fast, but he doesn’t have the same in-house ‘pedigree’ and he has the unsavory (and unfairly attached) tag hanging off him that, to many fans, reads “Hagelin’s Replacement.” He isn’t. He isn’t supposed to be. He was never supposed to be.
But can he give us some points and some of Hagelin’s production? We’re probably about to find out because Etem should start seeing more starts with Glass out of the mix in AV’s Jenga game. He’s young (23, like Fast), big, speedy and has skilled hands. He fits EXACTLY into the Rangers’ youth movement. It’s a mix AV and the Rangers are willing to keep developing.
Some Additional Considerations…
Vigneault was aggressive about getting his Opening Day Roster trimmed down as quickly as possible. At one point, the Rangers had 25 players left in camp with a week to go before Opening Day/Night and a lot of other NHL camps still had between 30-40 bodies skating around. It was surprising that AV carried a maxed out 23-man roster, but he did it nonetheless.
The final two cuts surprised some people as Jayson Megna and Raphael Diaz were assigned. Etem and defenseman Dylan McIlrath were the direct beneficiaries of the Rangers having hit the 23-man benchmark. McIlrath, like Etem, has had very limited playing time and hasn’t done a lot with it. That could spell good news for Diaz.
Per NYP Larry Broooks (Oct 8, 2015), the Rangers told Diaz and his agent they would revisit his position with the organization at the end of the month. Diaz is an experienced depth defensemen who has expressed interest in a release from his Rangers contract if he is not back in the NHL by November. Glass’ absence makes room to pull Diaz back into the fold. The Rangers would be foolhardy to allow Diaz to walk. He plays a solid defensive game, has some scoring ability and is comfortable on the power play. All of those things make him a valuable trade chip if he is not going to contribute regularly on the ice. A healthy, playoff-tried depth defenseman is hard to come by in the NHL come deadline time. If he’s not playing for the Rangers, perhaps he can yield value in what the team can get for him.
As for Tanner Glass? He cleared waivers today and is headed to Hartford. It was unlikely that any GM out there would have been comfortable assuming his contract. Rangers GM Jeff Gorton now has a little cap room – not much, but some room – with which to work if/when the need to pick up a piece comes to pass.
In the meantime, the Rangers prepare for three games in four nights. They will host the Arizona Coyotes and surging Anthony Duclair on Thursday at MSG, travel to Philly for a Saturday evening tilt against Dave Hakstol’s Flyers and return home Sunday to face Johnny Hockey and the Calgary Flames.
Tanner Glass will be apartment hunting.