Five big problems for Jeff Gorton and the Rangers

Problem #2:  Tony DeAngelo

Before last night, DeAngelo was the team’s best trade bait outside of Chris Kreider for a deadline deal . He’s an arbitration eligible restricted free agent who will be looking for a huge increase on his $925k salary.  At the rate he is going, he’ll get it.

After his five point night, he is the fifth highest scoring defenseman in the league. He is seventh in goals and assists.  If Neal Pionk could get $3 million from the Jets last summer, just think how much DeAngelo will ask for in arbitration.  He has better stats than Erik Karlsson, Morgan Rielly and Brent Burns just to name a few.  True, he can be defensively challenged (look at the missed assignment on the Devils’ shorthanded goal), but that breakout pass to Kreider was simply spectacular.

So, is there any way the team trades Anthony DeAngelo at the deadline or after this season?  There are a dozen teams salivating at the prospect of adding a top offensive defender who is a righthanded shot to boot.

Let’s not forget the horrendous cap situation the team is in, nor the fact that they have a surplus of righthanded shooting defensemen including $8 million man Jacob Trouba and Long Island native Adam Fox with Joey Keane and Nils Lundkvist waiting in the wings.

This will be Gorton’s toughest and potentially most unpopular decision.  I’ll say it one more time, try DeAngelo at forward….if he succeeds, it provides a whole new dimension to the roster situation and makes keeping him a better option.

Problem #3: Ryan Strome

Ryan Strome is practically a point-a-game player and has proven in his 106 games with the Rangers that he is for real.  Has he been helped by his pairing with Artemi Panarin?  Absolutely.  But he is finally living up to his billing as a top five draft pick and his acquisition for Ryan Spooner was highway robbery.

The problem is that he is another arbitration eligible restricted free agent.  While his $3.1 million salary isn’t chump change, you can be sure that if he ends up with his projected 23 goals and 78 points, he will want and deserve a raise.  Again, the Rangers are in salary cap hell and keeping him will be a challenge.   He may take a hometown discount to stay with the team and continue to be the beneficiary of Panarin’s skill, but  it will take more than $3 million.

Do they dare trade Panarin’s center?   Stanley Cup contenders are built on strength up the middle and right now, with Mika Zibanejad, Strome and Chytil, they are looking pretty solid in that category.

Problem #4: Chris Kreider

Okay, they have to trade Chris Kreider.  I would say that even if the team is within five points of the wild card at the deadline, he is a goner. The simple fact is they cannot afford to re-sign him and he is not worth keeping and losing for nothing after the season if they are just going to make the playoffs and lose in the first two rounds.

His inconsistency earlier this season is a faint memory now that he is playing to his ability.  Fans should not forget the frustrating Chris Kreider, nor the fact that even at his best he is a high twenties goal scorer and has never exceeded 53 points.

The challenge for Gorton will be getting a return that will replace some of Kreider’s offense. That will be the mission.  No more talk about first round draft picks who will mature and make the NHL in four years.  The Rangers’ playoff window is close and they need a top scoring prospect off a  contending team in return.

Problem #5:  Igor Shesterkin

Two games, two wins.  47 saves against the Devils.  He is the best puckhandling Rangers goalkeeper since John Vanbiesbrouck.  Sure, he’s given up six goals in two games, but were any of them his fault?  Henrik Lundqvist is going nowhere so our-three headed goalie monster lives on. The odd man out appears to be Alexandar Georgiev.  He will get an occasional start, but will be a trade deadline offering who won’t be traded without the Rangers getting a solid return.  Poor Georgiev hasn’t done anything to deserve this, but it is simply a numbers game.

The last time this happened was with the Anaheim Ducks when they had to choose between budding stars John Gibson and Frederik Andersen.  They kept Gibson and traded Andersen to the Maple Leafs for first and second round draft picks.  It’s doubtful that Georgiev could bring that kind of return, but there is another option.

Trade Shesterkin.  Yes, you heard that right. If the Rangers could get a top prospect and a first rounder for Shesterkin this summer, would they do it?   They’d be left with Georgiev as their goalie of the future, and could sign Lundqvist to a team-friendly contract as backup after next season.  If they could get a young forward who could step into the lineup and score 20 goals along with a first rounder, is that worth consideration?

Good problems

I’m not even going to include Jesper Fast who at age 28 is having the best year of his career, is the ultimate team player and is a born and bred Ranger.  He’s an unrestricted free agent after this season and should go at the deadline. Or should he?

Oh, Problem # 6 is that every NHL general manager is well aware of Jeff Gorton’s problems.  They will try to squeeze him on every deal, especially for a goaltender.  The salary cap is the key component of this scenario and capfriendly.com is bookmarked by every hockey executive.

They know that Gorton will have approximately  $15 million in cap space this summer and will need to re-sign Strome, DeAngelo, Georgiev and Brendan Lemieux and replace Kreider and Fast.  It’s easy to say just trade Brady Skjei or Pavel Buchnevich to clear space, or buy out Marc Staal or Brendan Smith, but it’s not that simple.  Look at what the Rangers got for Vladislav Namestnikov and Jimmy Vesey.  Bupkis.

Jeff Gorton’s headache won’t be going away anytime soon.  He’ll be popping Tylenol for the next six weeks while he tries to figure this out.   But, as noted, these are good problems to have, sort of.