The veteran, blue collar center Moore is looking for his next NHL contract. Will he re-sign with the New York Rangers, who he revived his career with en route to 2 Eastern Conference Finals appearances and 1 Stanley Cup Finals appearance?
Season in Review
Since rejoining the New York Rangers for the 2013-2014 season, the veteran journeyman center Dominic Moore has been a staple on the Rangers 4th line, bringing a little bit of everything from grit, leadership while also averaging 20 points a year. After the 13-14 season and Stanley Cup Finals run that ensued, Moore, who was playing on a 1-year contract, re-signed with the Rangers for another 2 years. While the Rangers brought Moore back, they let all of the other 4th liners go either through free agency (Dan Carcillo, Brian Boyle) or trade (Derek Dorsett). The Rangers then brought in one player who needs no introduction; Tanner Glass.
With Glass on his line, Moore, who had always been known to have solid puck possession numbers started to run into trouble in that area. Moore’s Corsi for percentage dropped more than 1 whole point to 47.2% do to the puck-possession-anchor that is Tanner Glass. Even with Glass on his line, Moore did manage to have the best statistical season of his Rangers career, tallying 10 goals and 27 points.
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Fast forward to this year, where a combination of Glass and age caught up with him. Moore only notched 15 points, but that isn’t even the worst part of his decline. Moore’s CF% dropped by 4.4% to 42.8% for the year. Moore looked a step slow out there as well, which led to Alain Vigneault making him a healthy scratch twice (while he should have benched Glass instead).
Stats and Info
Age Entering Next Season: 36
Seasons with NYR: 4 years (Including his first full season with the team in 2005-2006)
Previous Cap Hit: $1.5 million
Games Played: 80
Goals: 6
Assists: 9
Points: 15
+/-: -2
Faceoff Percentage: 55.4%
Corsi For Percentage: 42.8%
Even though this was a couple of seasons ago, it is also worth noting that Moore won the 2014 Masterton Trophy
Projected Contract
1 year, $1 million- More will be 36 years of age when the season starts up. Since he is getting up there in age he will want to go to a team in contention. A team like the Rangers, Blackhawks, or any other perennial cup contender is going to be pressed up against the cap, so a cheap, short-term deal is likely what Moore will be looking at this offseason. A team might be willing to give him a second year.
What SHOULD Happen
I think Moore’s time with the Rangers should be over. I love Moore and I have a lot of respect for him and everything he has gone through in his career, but I think the best thing for both parties is to move on from each other. For the Rangers, it gives them a chance to get younger and faster. It would also get Moore away from Tanner Glass so he could show that he does have something left in the tank without a 213-pound anchor on his wing.
What WILL Happen
The Rangers are going to have a very tight budget, so they may try to go with a cheap, in-house option to fill in Moore’s 4th line center roll. Plus everybody and their mothers in the New York Rangers organization have said multiple times that the team needs to get younger and faster. With all of those things in mind, I think they will be saying goodbye to a very good soldier this summer.
Next: Rangers Fans: Carl Hagelin Had to be Traded
Teams to Watch Out For
Blackhawks- The Blackhawks just dumped a lot of salary in the Bryan Bickell trade to Carolina. With the contracts that Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews have, the team needs to go out and get cheap players to fill the roster. The Blackhawks are always a cup contender, so Moore would definitely have some interest in coming to Chicago.
Sharks- 2/3s of the Sharks 4th line are hitting free agency this summer. The team that just made their first Stanley Cup Final in franchise history will try to rebuild it with veterans with hopes of reaching the finals again next year. Moore would fit in really well with the veteran leadership group that the Sharks have. Plus, Moore has already played in San Jose for half a season, so he knows what it takes to play in that city and has a feel for the organization heading in.
Others- Islanders, Ducks