New York Rangers: Five outside the box Derek Stepan replacements
With Derek Stepan out of the picture, the New York Rangers have a lot of questions they need to answer. The most important one, of course, being “Who’s going to fill his role as top center?”
In mid-July of last offseason, the New York Rangers surprised everyone with their trade with the Senators, giving up talented center Derrick Brassard for his younger version, Mika Zibanejad. The trade, for the most part, ended up working out nicely, but still, no one saw it coming.
Perhaps the same thing will happen this offseason. The Rangers might yet again make an unanticipated move. And that’s exactly what we’re here to figure out so that if it happens, this time we’re not as stunned. Here are five out of the box replacements for Stepan:
Ryan Spooner
The 25 year old Spooner has played with Boston for the entirety of his NHL career. However, that doesn’t mean the road has always been smooth for him.
Claude Julien, who coached the Bruins to the Stanley Cup Championship in 2011, was applauded by many players and the organization as a whole. Three seasons after, when Spooner’s career began, he played in a decent 23 games. The season after that he played in 29 until finally he had his breakout season in 2015-2016, playing in 80 games.
But he always managed to be on Julien’s bad side. Even in games when he would score more than once, the coach would find something harsh to say about him.
Eventually, on February 7th, 2017, Julien was dismissed and Bruce Cassidy took his place. Although Spooner appears more comfortable with his system, there are still problems that surface. And he doesn’t want to be kept in the doghouse any longer.
Tyler Johnson
Young and speedy Tyler Johnson. The New York Rangers certainly haven’t forgotten this name after his hat trick in Game Two of the Eastern Conference Finals in 2015 (sorry, don’t mean to open up old wounds).
However, on the flip side, he would be a perfect fit for the system the Rangers are trying to build. By the end of the summer, he will only be 27 years old, which is about the age the Rangers would be ok signing to at least a one year deal.
If anything, they need only to see how he performs the first year, and if it’s to their satisfaction, they’ll keep him. After all, he does come with a price tag of $3.2M. And Tampa Bay needs room for extensions coming up shortly. This is a deal that could possibly be one of the best the Rangers could make if they decide to proceed down this route.
Nick Bjugstad
The Florida Panthers have gone into somewhat of a panic mode after their great season in 2016. They had finished on top of the Atlantic Division, only to miss the playoffs this past season while only putting up 81 points and coming third to last in their division.
Since that debacle, they have traded away quite a few players. There’s no reason at this point why. Bjugstad can’t be on the market, as well.
At 24 years old, he showed promise last season as he put op 14 points in 54 games. Also, a specific advantage to the Rangers is that he’s a right-handed shot, which the team is in dire need of. As of now, the only right-handed centerman on the team is Mika Zibanejad.
In addition, his value right now is rather low. And the Rangers are always looking for the cheapest option to keep their newly opened cap space in tact.
Bryan Little
With the Winnipeg Jets finishing third to last in the Central Division, there are definitely changes that the organization feels it has to make. One of those changes involves getting younger…and possibly moving Little.
It seems counterproductive to trade away one of the best players on their roster in order to better themselves. In essence, though, that’s exactly what the Rangers were trying to do, as well, when they traded Stepan.
However, since, like the Rangers, getting younger is important to the Jets, it is entirely plausible that they would move Little. The Rangers, on the other hand, would find it acceptable to take a player that is a little bit on the older side considering his experience in the league.
As is the case with Johnson and Bjugstad, he is also right-handed. The Rangers would most likely be willing to accept his age for the talent he brings to the table.
Sam Bennett
Last but surely not least, Bennett is another good fit for New York, but not exactly the Calgary Flames. What was supposed to be one of their top centers somehow made his way to the third line. With the Rangers, he might be able to see more ice time because of the situation of need the team is now in.
Although Bennett had a down season from his breakout season in 2015-2016, he still managed 26 points in 81 games played. Taking into account that he is only 21 years old and didn’t have that much ice time, the numbers are actually pointing in the right direction for him.
What he could develop into is exactly what the Rangers are searching for. After all, the Stepan trade, in the end, was for two reasons. One- to get younger, and two- to free up cap space. Bennett could be the answer to the first part of that reasoning.
Next: New York Rangers: Analyzing the center pool in free agency
Also, he’s extremely inexpensive right now due to his age. The Rangers would be smart to acquire a player like him.