Training camp is fast approaching and the New York Rangers are lacking a bit at center. Veteran forward Antoine Vermette could provide some depth or this upcoming season.
The New York Rangers are in a bit of a strange situation at center. Number one center Mika Zibanejad is locked up for another four seasons, but Kevin Hayes’ future on Broadway is a bit uncertain.
Additionally, they will probably not want to run with two rookies (Lias Andersson and Filip Chytil) filling the third and fourth line center roles. This is where Antoine Vermette could provide some assistance.
Antoine Vermette is fairly ideal for the Rangers this season. At 36, he will almost certainly not be getting a contract of more than one to two years. And, he is reliable enough defensively and is able to chip in occasionally points wise.
Vermette has been a journeyman for most of his career, most recently playing for the Anaheim Ducks. This past season, he played in 64 games. In those games he recorded eight goals and eight assists for 16 points, and acquired no points in two playoff games played. The season before, he played in 72 games, recording nine goals and 19 assists for 28 points. In 17 playoff games, he put up one goal and two assists for three total points.
What would Vermette’s role be on the team? Well, he would mostly be a depth player acting as a placeholder.
Yes, the Rangers are currently rebuilding and yes, they are going to roll as many young players as possible. However, throwing both Chytil and Anderson to the wolves when they have each played less than ten NHL games is not fair to them. One of them playing center while the other plays wing with sheltered minutes would be most beneficial to their development. Both playing center would not only hurt their development, but would hurt the team as a whole.
If Vermette were to join the team, he could act as a placeholder until one of the two rookies were further along in their development. In the event of Kevin Hayes being traded, Vermette would be able to eat the minutes that Chytil or Andersson would get. Neither of those two should find themselves in a second line center role next season, and Vermette could provide some insurance that that would not happen.
One other quality Vermette could provide is leadership. Vermette has had an illustrious 17 year NHL career, complete with a Stanley Cup championship with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2015. While it will be a while before the Rangers find themselves in cup contention, it is still beneficial to have a guy who’s “been there before” on the team.
Overall, I don’t think there’s any risks related to sending Antoine Vermette a training camp invitation. If anything, I believe the Rangers could only benefit, since the invitation is fairly noncommittal. The worst case scenario would be that he is released, having no real impact whatsoever. The best case is the Rangers have a capable fourth line center who also comes with a slight offensive upside.