The New York Rangers’ organization is poised for a summer of massive decisions. Can too much change too quickly form a problem?
After two straight springs without playoff hockey at Madison Square Garden, it’s only natural that those in and around the New York Rangers organization want to get back. Chasing the best trophy in all of sports is the goal and as one of the most prominent organizations in hockey, the Rangers are expected to compete.
These past two years were a major shock to the senses. The conventional wisdom was always that a team cannot afford to rebuild in New York because of the outcry that’d accompany the losing. Yet, somehow, the Rangers have endured two straight lottery pick seasons and are starting to right the ship.
With the number two pick in this June’s entry draft, Vitali Kravtsov, Adam Fox and maybe an elite free agent, the Rangers’ roster is in store for a massive overhaul. The asset accumulation period of the rebuild is reaching the final stages and the time for teaching, growing pains and fine tuning is on the horizon.
Granted, New York still needs to improve the blue line, round out the top-six and figure out the goaltender situation, but the hard part is over. Picking twice in the top ten of the draft is a great recipe for success in due time. Now, it’s a matter of the prospects and draft picks developing into bonafide NHL talent.
The free agency debate
Now, after missing the playoffs two straight years, the primal urge to fix the problem right away is only natural. Good players are better than bad ones and this year’s free agent class is littered with bandaids and stitches. It’s a matter of the front office recognizing that the roster just underwent major surgery and a bandaid won’t do much good.
Typically, the Rangers are associated with any marquee free agent that makes it to July 1st. Back in the summer of 2015, when Steven Stamkos of the Tampa Bay Lightning was a UFA, the Rangers, who were right up against the salary cap ceiling, were linked to the superstar. Some times the interest is genuine, other times, it’s free agents trying to drive up their own price.
If the Rangers want to dramatically improve for the 2019-2020 season, the pieces are out there. You know the names at this point: Artemi Panarin, Matt Duchene, Erik Karlsson, Joe Pavelski, Jeff Skinner, Gustav Nyquist, Ryan Dzingel, Kevin Hayes, Anders Lee and Jordan Eberle. Anyone of those players would instantly make the Rangers better than they were last year.
Yet, there is a clear distinction between a team that simply makes the playoffs and one that is a contender. New York’s front office is attempting to design a contender with a multi-year window of contention. While all of these players are quality pieces that will help any team that has them, not all can change the direction of a team.
The Rangers will likely have somewhere between $10 and 14 million to spend after it deals with its five restricted free agents. It’s likely going to require an additional maneuver whether it be a trade or a buyout to create enough space to sign multiple free agents.
In addition to limiting financial flexibility, landing a big free agent would also change the narrative around the team which could be an issue.
Too big too fast
Part of what made this past season of Rangers’ hockey compelling was the player development under first-year head coach David Quinn. With minimal expectations as a whole, the younger players were able to play and grow into the former Boston University coach’s vision for the organization.
While I’m certainly not advocating for the Rangers to set expectations and get better, there is a world in which it doesn’t go right. Let’s say that the front office does pull off an Artemi Panarin signing on July 1st, adding the Russian to the developing core changes the dynamic of the team. Which is not inherently a bad thing, but it does put more pressure on everyone within the organization.
Yet, with so much of New York’s turnaround invested in young talent, it might not be the wisest move to throw players like Kravtsov, Fox or Kappo Kakko/Jack Hughes into the fire. Immediately expecting a young talent to become a key contributor is a daunting proposition, even for the extremely talented.
It’s also worth pointing out that not every single prospect that the Rangers have will develop into something special. Expecting maximum production out of someone in their first year at the NHL level is a recipe for disaster and something that other organizations around the league have repeatedly done.
The Rangers’ front office can want to make the playoffs this upcoming season, that’s an admirable goal and will help put butts in the seats till the end of the year. But, it should not come at the expense of an organic rebuild that took two painstakingly long years.