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New York Rangers Jersey Guide 2015 – Part One

By Jessica Joy Curtin

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So you’re looking to buy a New York Rangers jersey this year, but there’s a problem.

Maybe you’re stuck between a couple of your favorites. Or maybe you’re looking for a jersey that will be relevant for a long time. You don’t want to put your hard earned money towards a jersey only for the player to be traded the next day.

In short, the point of reading this now is to avoid having to do things like this later:

"Finally got my Richards jersey fixed"

To hopefully help you out, here’s a ranking of the most valuable jerseys (or which get you the most wear time / bang for your buck) not based on popularity, but based on how long a player’s contract is and how likely the player will stay a New York Ranger in the years to come.

1. Henrik Lundqvist – Hank’s contract doesn’t expire until the 2019-20 season and includes a no-movement clause (NMC) for each of the next five years. The Rangers won’t be able to trade him without his consent and seeing how much the King loves his throne in the Big Apple, it’s almost a definite that he’ll want to stay all five years at the least.

New York Rangers
New York Rangers /

New York Rangers

2. Ryan McDonagh – The Captain is set for the next four years. MacTruck will be an unrestricted free agent (UFA) after that, though chances are management will want to keep the star blue liner for as long as humanly possible.

3. Derek Stepan – Step recently inked a deal good for six more years. The last two include a modified NTC, but it’s safe to say this standout player will be around for quite a while.

4. Dan Girardi – The Iron Man’s contract calls for a NMC for the next two years and a modified no trade clause (NTC) for the three after that. Add the fact that he’s a staple to the team – as Girardi logs the most minutes – and it looks as though he’ll definitely be around for the next five years.

5. Derick Brassard – The 27-year-old center is coming off of the best season of his NHL career. Brass has a modified NTC for all of the next four seasons and he’ll be an UFA in the 2019-20 season. GM Jeff Gorton will probably re-sign Brass to a long-term contract before then.

6. Marc Staal – The defenseman’s contract has a NMC for the next three years and a modified NTC for the two following years. However, he’s the fourth most expensive Blueshirt and could be traded or let go to make cap space when one of the aforementioned players need to be re-signed.

7. Mats Zuccarello – The Norwegian native recently re-signed to be a Ranger for the next four years. When he becomes an UFA after that, though, it’s tough to say if management will want to give him another extension…but they better, I’m buying this one.

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8. Rick Nash – Number 61 is locked down for the next three seasons. After that he’ll be an unrestricted free agent. Nash currently takes up $7.8 million in cap space as the second most expensive Ranger, so Gorton might not be able to afford him once his contract expires.

This is where things get dicey as these next couple of players have contracts expiring after the 2015-16 season.

9. Chris Kreider – This will be the last season of Kreider’s current contract. The Boston College alum will be a RFA if he doesn’t re-sign, yet it looks as though New York would want to strike a long-term deal with him this year.

10. Kevin Hayes – After a huge breakout season, the young top-six forward should be offered a huge contract to stay before he becomes a RFA next season.

This list isn’t over yet, folks. Make sure to look out for part two to be published soon (and don’t worry, part two will include Tanner Glass).

Next: Who's the Biggest Threat in the Metropolitan Division? Vote!

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