New York Rangers have a decision to make about Beleskey

With the New York Rangers planning on having fire sale 2.0 this offseason, will the one trade deadline acquisition you don’t hear about still be on Broadway in October?

The New York Rangers have a decision to make about the forgotten asset in the Rick Nash trade, Matt Beleskey.

After a horrible season in Boston in 2016-17, Beleskey started out the 2017-18 season off even worse. He was held without a point in the Bruins’ first 14 games and was then sent down to AHL Providence. There, he still didn’t produce much offensively. Beleskey tallied just four goals and two assists in 21 games with Providence.

When the Rangers were in trade talks with the Bruins for Nash, they were very willing to take Matt Beleskey’s contract because it meant they’d be able to get another valuable asset back. That extra asset was Ryan Spooner.

Beleskey signed a five-year, $19 million contract in the summer of 2015 after having a 22 goal campaign with the Anaheim Ducks. The Rangers will have the 29-year-old under contract for two more season’s at a $1.9 million cap hit since Boston ate half of his contract.

So what will the Rangers end up doing with him?

Letting him play

The Rangers traded for him, so it wouldn’t shocking if they wanted to see if he could be anything more than just a salary dumped body. They are rebuilding and are going to need some veteran stop-gaps to get them by this upcoming season.

Beleskey brings a certain type of physical edge to the table that nobody else on the team’s roster does. He has shown flashes of goal scoring competence in the past. Maybe in a new system with a new coaching staff he can revive his career. His cap hit is relatively low so it won’t hurt to keep him aboard.

Trade him

If the Rangers don’t view him as a player they want to keep in the system, than by all means, test the market! They probably won’t be able to get anything more than a sixth or seventh round pick or a project prospect at this point but who cares? He’s not part of the future, and with a reduced cap hit over the next two seasons, somebody has to be willing to take a chance on him.

Maybe a west coast team that plays a more physical game like the Los Angeles Kings could plug him into their bottom six. If the Rangers are willing to let him go, they’ll be able to figure something out.

Buy him out

This, like for most players, would be the absolute last resort. The Rangers will likely buy out one of Marc Staal or Brendan Smith’s contracts this offseason. They are already paying $3.6 million in dead cap money to Dan Girardi for the next two years, so I don’t think this is the best route for the Rangers to go down.

Next: How Keefe would be different from previous coaches

If the Rangers were to buy him out, his cap hit would last for four more seasons. It would cost the Rangers $966,667 in 2018-19, $1.966,667 in 2019-20 and $1.166,667 in both 2020-21 and 2021-22. This option should not be considered in nearly any circumstance.