New York Rangers: Five potential replacements for Jesper Fast
Jesper Fast’s time in New York may be coming to a close with the expansion draft looming. The New York Rangers will most likely expose Fast, and there is every reason to expect Vegas to consider bringing him aboard.
Jesper Fast over the past three seasons has earned the reputation of an excellent bottom six ‘grinder.’ While being recognized for his play on the penalty kill and ability to forecheck, Fast has become valuable to the New York Rangers, and other teams have begun to notice.
However, fear not, as the good news is there are players that can fill that void immediately come October if the Las Vegas Golden Knights select the Swede in the Expansion Draft. It’s far easier to replace a player like Fast than a twenty goal scorer. The options are all easy to obtain or are already in the organization.
Marek Hrivik-
Over the past two seasons, Hrivik has been one of the few bright spots for the Hartford Wolf Pack in the AHL. Ken Gernander used him in every situation and he finished second on the Wolf Pack in points in 16-17. In limited playing time at the NHL level, he fared well in seemingly every appearance. He’s not going to wow you with his style of play, but his style of play is comparable to Fast’s.
The one obstacle preventing Hrivik from slotting into Fast’s slot immediately is that he is a pending unrestricted free agent. There are question marks as to whether Hrivik coming back to the organization is something both sides want. The Rangers have chosen the likes of Tanner Glass to play over him and age 25 Hrivik may want to get a fresh start in a new organization or overseas.
If the two sides decide to give things another go, and Jesper Fast is no longer around, expect Hrivik to have a chance come training camp.
Yanni Gourde-
“Who?” – most Rangers fan reading this, probably.
Gourde, listed as 5’9″ 170 lbs, has been stellar in the AHL the past three seasons despite his size. He finally was able to crack the Lightning lineup for 20 games and did well scoring six goals and sporting a 58% corsi for. Playing for the Syracuse Crunch, the Lightning’s AHL affiliate, Gourde has been a menace on the penalty kill and is routinely praised for it.
Gourde again extremely effective disrupting at the top of the #SyrCrunch PK. #CalderCup
— Bryan Burns (@BBurnsNHL) June 8, 2017
Much like Hrivik’s situation, Gourde is 25 and a pending unrestricted free agent. But with others ahead of him on the depth chart, it’s a possibility Gourde will look for more job security elsewhere. He’s a potential typical low-risk, high reward signing, and Jeff Gorton should look into it.
Jordan Weal-
Weal has had an interesting journey to the NHL. Once a top prospect for the Los Angeles Kings, and eventually becoming a near point-per-game player in the AHL, the Kings never gave Weal a real shot before trading him to the Philadelphia Flyers last season. Even then, Weal had to light it up in the minors before joining the Flyers. Weal showed his offensive talent tallying 12 points in 23 games.
Again, Weal is 25 years of age and an unrestricted free agent. He is a versatile player who can play both center and wing. If the Flyers let him walk, it would be in the Rangers best interest to give Weal a one-way contract. Considering how weak this upcoming free agent class is, Weal is one of the top depth players out there. Weal might have some untapped potential in him, and can possibly double Fast’s scoring in the process.
Derek Ryan-
I know what you’re thinking, “Tyler, I’m not going to trust a player with two first names.” But hear me out on this one.
Ryan had a long path to the NHL. After being undrafted playing junior hockey, Ryan played Canadian college hockey. After that, he went to Austria’s top tier league and then to the Swedish Hockey League before the Hurricanes signed him last summer.
Ryan made his NHL debut at age 29 last season playing six games for Carolina. This season Ryan appeared in 67 games and was one of the Hurricanes best two way forwards as a 30 year old rookie. Ryan is fantastic at faceoffs, which is an area the Rangers can certainly improve on. He won 55% of them this season. He also contributed on the power play and recorded eight of his 29 points with the extra man. Ryan is an unrestricted free agent and sure to be a cheap get.
Matt Puempel-
Perhaps a forgotten man on the roster, Puempel seems to be the easiest fallback option for the Rangers. When the Rangers claimed Puempel off waivers from the Ottawa Senators, the team had hoped they would see the talent realized, the same talent that Ottawa saw when they drafted him in the first round back in 2011. It doesn’t appear he’ll become a twenty goal scorer, but Puempel is still just 24 and can slot in easily on the wing if Fast is no longer around.
Puempel is a restricted free agent, but there has been no indication that the Rangers will not give him a qualifying offer. There’s still hope that the Rangers can turn him into productive fourth liner given the right linemates, and has the tools to be an NHL player.
Next: Pacific Division Division Trade Targets
Losing Jesper Fast possibly for nothing is going to hurt, but if the alternatives are any of the previous five listed, the Rangers may be in good hands regardless. And if the Golden Knights decide to skip over Fast in the expansion draft, even better.