Blue Line Station
Fansided

A possible cap escape for the New York Rangers

By John Disciglio

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 16: Chris Kreider #20 of the New York Rangers yells at Mattias Ekholm #14 of the Nashville Predators after a second period penalty on Ekholm at Madison Square Garden on December 16, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 16: Chris Kreider #20 of the New York Rangers yells at Mattias Ekholm #14 of the Nashville Predators after a second period penalty on Ekholm at Madison Square Garden on December 16, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 5
Next
Mika Zibanejad #93 of the New York Rangers
Mika Zibanejad #93 of the New York Rangers /

It is no secret that the New York Rangers will be up pressed tightly against the salary cap for next season. They still have options if they need to find some cap space.

According to cap friendly, if the cap ceiling remains the same the New York Rangers are projected to have cap space of $15,702,701 that must be used to re-sign or replace unrestricted free agents Chris Kreider and Jesper Fast, as well as arbitration-eligible restricted free agents, Ryan Strome, Brendan Lemieux, Tony DeAngelo, and Alexander Georgiev. They will also have to fill an additional two roster spots if they decide to not re-sign Michael Haley and Greg McKegg.  It is clear that around $16,000,000 will not be enough to sign the talent involved and inevitably, one or more of them will have to be let go.

So, how do the Rangers clear some cap space so they can afford to sign their players?  There are two options and they both involve trades.

Chris Kreider #20 of the New York Rangers
Chris Kreider #20 of the New York Rangers /

Option 1: Trade players they cannot afford

The most popular options are for the New York Rangers to trade their more veteran talents such as Kreider, Strome, and or Fast in exchange for draft picks and prospects to Cup contending teams at this year’s NHL trade deadline in February. The same could be said for somewhat younger players such as Georgiev and DeAngelo at the deadline or over the summer, as they will still be RFA’s with multiple years left on their deals and are players who will face a logjam of talent in their respective positions.

Many believe that some of these players are guaranteed to be goners at this year’s trade deadline, however, the Rangers should closely evaluate the offers they receive as well as what they are willing to give up. It is widely known that this upcoming year’s draft is considered to be deep with talent and many teams may shy away from trading away their first  round picks, even if in playoff contention.

For instance, say the Rangers were unable to garner a first-round pick and a medium level prospect for Kreider. A lesser return would be considered below his projected value. While drafting players in the first few rounds is extremely important to the future of hockey organizations, there is no guarantee these players will pan out (as with Lias Andersson). If offers involving draft picks at the deadline is underwhelming for the Rangers I firmly believe they should go with an alternative route.

Home/Editorials