New York Rangers: The cost of other teams’ success around the league

Do teams have to pay the premium to become successful? And if so, how much did some of the New York Rangers pay for it over the last few seasons?

Across sports it is widely perceived that the most successful teams shell out some money. In the NHL the best players are often paid as such; with record-setting deals becoming a precedent for future deals.

The most successful teams in the league boast talented rosters, and with that comes cash spent to sustain success. Five of the top teams in hockey have sustained (or have shown promise of sustaining) success in the league. However, how these teams spend over time determines just how long that is.

The Blackhawks haven’t dealt with their cap issues particularly well in the past. Several of their moves (mainly the Bickell and Hossa trade) that cleared cap space only.

The worst part of it would be the loss of young talent that had to go the other way just to remain financially flexible.

The signing of non-core players is the quickest way to cripple a successful team; irresponsibility by general managers has closed more than one championship window over time. The Blackhawks missed the playoffs last year, and while they may make it this season, they certainly aren’t the juggernaut they were just a few years ago.

So who has done it right recently?

Some of the top teams in the league have joined young players and elite talent to remain financially flexible to improve throughout the season. These teams have limited reckless spending and have allowed themselves to either supplement a young core with stars or to quickly return to contention.

By looking at each of these five team’s top players, there is an implied pattern of what a contending team has to pay for their success. For this exercise I am only taking into account the team’s top forward line, top defenseman pairing, and starting goalie. With the help of Capfriendly.com, I dive deep into what success in the NHL costs.

Washington Capitals

Forwards

The Capitals top line boasts two supremely talented players in Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov, along with agitator Tom Wilson. From a cap standpoint, Washington has made sure their guys are well paid. With a joint cap hit of about $22.4 million, the Capitals top forward line accounts for about 28% of the $80 million projected season salary cap. Ovechkin ($9.5) and Kuznetsov ($7.8) are all-star level players. It remains a question mark if Tom Wilson ($5.1) will be worth his cap hit. However, with his performance on a Stanley Cup winning team, Wilson put himself in place to receive a large payday.

Defense

The top defensive line for the Capitals are now locked down for the foreseeable future with the resigning of John Carlson ($8). Along with Dmitry Orlov ($5.1), both players look as if they are the top pair in Washington for a long time, and with a joint cap hit of $13.1 million, they are paid as such. This combined cap hit counts for 16% of the Washington Capital salary cap next season.

Goalie

Braden Holtby earned his $6.1 million dollar cap hit with a fantastic playoffs, helping lead the Caps to their first Stanley Cup. This figure accounted for just under 8% of the salary cap alone. Elite goaltenders are going to cost a pretty penny, and he is no exception. Whether his cap hit will rise in two years when he becomes a free agent or not, Holtby has shown that teams have to pay the price for stability between the pipes.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Forwards

The team that lost to Washington in the Eastern Conference Finals is no slouch in the talent department. Bringing newly acquired and familiar face JT Miller ($5.2) along with line mainstays Steven Stamkos ($8.5) and Nikita Kucherov ($4.7) to the table. These players combine for a cap hit of $18.4 million this season, but that comes with a warning. Kucherov’s cap hit this season will increase to $9.5 next season due to his contract extension. Taking this near future consideration in mind, their line cap hit next season will increase to $23.2 million. This is slightly higher than Washington’s hit at 29% of the total cap space next season.

Defense

The combination of Stralman ($4.5) and Hedman ($7.8) are not only consistent, but dynamic. While Hedman is an all-world talent, Stralman is pretty stable in his own end as well. Both players have been a staple in Tampa, and have been a crucial part of the team’s success over the last few seasons. Their combined cap total of $12.3 million is affordable given the overall production of these two players, as it only accounts for 15% of the total cap.

Goalie

Andrei Vasilevskiy is a young goaltender and already impressive. His $3.5 million bridge deal is an absolute steal for what he has already accomplished in the league. Taking up a paltry 4% of the team’s cap space for next season, Vasilevskiy will continue as a bargain for a team aiming to compete for the Stanley Cup. His next deal may prove challenging to the Lightning; as he has well out-performed his contract. However, I believe that Tampa will make the necessary adjustments to keep the Russian net minder.

Nashville Predators

Forwards

Taking a step back from a Stanley Cup appearance, the Nashville Predators are a prime candidate for a bounce back season. While their forward core isn’t the strength of the team, they still have a few highly talented players. Ryan Johansen ($8) along with Fillip Forsberg ($6) and Victor Arvidsson ($4.25) make up a very talented and affordable first line. Only taking up $18.25 million for a total of about 23% of the cap, Nashville has made the most of its top line while focusing on their impressive defense core.

Defense

The bread and butter of the Nashville Predators, the defensive top pair isn’t making the money you would expect. This could change with the impending contract extension of captain Roman Josi ($4), but for this season he and P.K. Subban ($9) are certainly affordable. As of now, they only combine for 16% of the cap. Given their talent level and importance to the success of the team, I’d consider this well worth the price.

Goalie

The aging Pekka Rinne ($7) is probably being paid worth more than he is now worth at this stage of his career. Coming into the last season of his contract. Rinne accounts for about 9% of the team’s cap. It’s not shocking the Rinne and the Predators may part ways soon; as young goalie Juuse Saros seems ready to take the reins from him.

Winnipeg Jets

Forwards

The young Winnipeg Jets had their first taste of playoff success last season, and with youth comes affordable players. The theme of the Jets would be that financial flexibility. Their mix of youth coming into contract years and veterans coming off the books creates a situation where money being spent is just replacing space. Their top line of Mark Scheifele ($6.13), Kyle Connor ($925K), and Blake Wheeler ($5.6) is a perfect example of this thinking. Kyle Connor is certainly in line for a pay raise, but with Blake Wheeler going into the last year of his deal Winnipeg may choose to part ways with their captain in favor of youth. Still, their joint cap total of $12.7 is an incredible bargain. By only taking up about 16% of the total cap space, Winnipeg has put themselves in a great spot to improve the team by any means necessary.

Defense

Continuing with the theme of youth overtaking age, Dustin Byfuglien ($7.6) may soon see his tenure in Winnipeg end. He too is in a contract year this upcoming season, and with the need to extend Jacob Trouba ($5.5) and Josh Morrisey (still without a deal), the Jets may choose to go in another direction. Given that the Morrissey situation hasn’t been resolved I can’t give a total of what the Jet’s top defense pair would count against the cap.

Goalie

Connor Hellebuyck was just extended by the Jets to a tune of about $6.2 million a season for the next six seasons. Proving he is the guy in net for now and the future, Winnipeg may have gotten a sweetheart of a deal. At 25 years old, Hellebuyck is still improving and could add to the list of great young deals that Winnipeg has made. His 8% hit against the team’s cap is well worth the price of stability and promise.

Boston Bruins

Forwards

I was hesitant to include this team on the list. However, given their return to success in last year’s regular season, I find them an intriguing team to look at. The Bruins had a few down seasons following their President’s Trophy winning season in 2014. But with some key additions in the draft, the Bruins find themselves right back in the hunt. Their top forward line, while top-heavy, was among the best in the league last season. Patrice Bergeron ($6.8), David Pastrnak ($6.6) and Brad Marchand ($6.13) are great deals given their talent levels. Paying for quality, these three account for a joint $19.53 million. Counting for about 24% of the total team cap space, the Bruins are paying for quality on their top line.

Defense

Combing youth and experience, the surprisingly stable pairing of 41-year-old Zdeno Chara ($5) and 20-year-old Charlie Macavoy ($917K) make up the Bruins top defense pairing. The latter is one of the reasons the Bruins have returned to contention. To have such a young player develop so quickly is incredibly rare; and to have him play such crucial minutes is even more so. But the Bruins have made it work thus far, and with the youth of the team, may continue to do so. The top pair’s combined cap hit of about $6 million only takes up about 8% of the team’s total cap, so the Bruins have found some flexibility until Charlie needs a new deal.

Goalie

The best word to describe Bruin’s goaltender Tuukka Rask ($7) is polarizing. Despite his sustained success without an experienced defense core, he always seems to come up short in the minds of Bruins fans. Sharing a cap figure with Pekka Rinne, the Finnish goaltender has undoubtedly been criticized in the same way. Still, he will continue as the team’s net minder not only for this season, but for the near future as well.

What does this mean for the New York Rangers rebuild?

Honestly, I didn’t expect to see the consistencies in pricing. Most teams had their top forward lines range from 16% of the team’s cap space to 29%. There is even less of a difference in the defensive pairs, ranging from 8% to 16%. In fact, three out of the five teams listed were 15% or 16%. Goalies were also pretty close in percentage range, from about 4% to 9% of the team’s total space.

These numbers show how contending teams spend their cap space, and barring a few slight over payments, there is restraint shown here. Teams now aren’t afraid of throwing a young player into a top role if that means they can save some space down the line.

There is a theme of that among these five teams; and it translates to success through keeping core players. Mentioning the Chicago Blackhawks once more, there isn’t a player on this list making over $10 million a year. The problem with Chicago is that they have two (Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane) and it has severely limited their ability to improve.

The New York Rangers would do well to follow in the steps of a team like Winnipeg. They developed their youth and have slowly begun to phase out older players. It hasn’t been a hostile takeover by any means, but it has been a methodical integration of youth and experience.

This has led to not only immediate success, but great promise in the future. A little patience is great, but now is the time that the New York Rangers start their next chapter. Youth will hopefully be served starting next season, and maybe then success can follow.