The odds on which Rangers will be gone next season

0% odds of returning

Alexandar Georgiev – See the entry in the 100% section.  It all depends on Henrik Lundqvist.

Matt Beleskey – He was a salary dump by the Bruins in 2018.  He will finally be off the books in 2020-21.

Micheal Haley – No chance of his return to Broadway. He is a UFA and will be looking for a job elsewhere.

Dawson Leedahl – An undrafted signee, his career in the organization is pretty much over.  As a RFA, he won’t be qualified.

Vinni Lettieri – Lettieri is a Group 6 UFA who has seen his stock fall in the organization. Ironically, he led the Wolf Pack in scoring with 25 goals and 47 assists and represented the team at the AHL All-Star weekend.  Because of those numbers, he will find another opportunity elsewhere.

Danny O’Regan – Like Lettieri, he is a Group 6 UFA who had an excellent season in Hartford and that will get him a job somewhere.   He is 26 years old and will be a useful asset to any AHL team.

What next?

Balancing a roster is a tricky proposition.  It’s why teams don’t extend qualifying offers when it seems to make sense to do so.  Last summer, Fredrik Claesson was an RFA and the Rangers chose to not qualify him, making him a UFA.  Claesson had been a solid fill-in defensemen for the team so his release was curious.  It was done to manage the roster.

Last summer the team signed Tarmo Reuanen to an entry level contract because they were on the verge of losing his rights.

The Rangers will have to made decisions about an entry level contracts for goalie Tyler Wall who just completed his senior year.  It’s possible that Cornell center Morgan Barron wants to turn pro after his junior year.  Swiss defenseman Nico Gross needs to be signed by June 1 or he will become a free agent.

If the Rangers luck out in the Entry Draft and move up into the top five, they may need to sign that draft choice to a contract.

John Davidson and Jeff Gorton need to track all of these factors as they balance their roster. It’s  a moving target and they will be busy when this season is over.