Compliance buyouts mean goodbye to Lundqvist and Staal

Lundqvist and Staal

The two obvious candidates on the Rangers are Henrik Lundqvist and Marc Staal.   Combined the two players make $14.2 million, money the team badly needs to re-sign their restricted free agents.

If the cap remains at the current $81.5 million that would mean the team would be left with $14.4 million in cap space if there were no amnesty buyouts.    They would have to use that to re-sign Tony DeAngelo, Alexandar Georgiev, Ryan Strome and Brendan Lemieux, all arbitration-eligible restricted free agents.  They would also have to fill out the active roster, needing an additional three to four players.

Doubling the available cap space would mean the Rangers could easily sign their RFA’s and fill any roster holes with inexpensive free agents.  It would also mean a simple way of ending the team’s biggest issue, the three-headed goalie monster.

Why Lundqvist?

There are two simple answers to that question.  First, he just makes too much money.   Second, the Rangers have two goalies who are younger and better.  A tandem of Igor Shesterkin and Alexandar Georgiev solidifies the Rangers goaltending situation for the next decade.

This is certainly not the way that any Rangers fan would want to see the end of Lundqvist career as a Blueshirt, but it is inevitable.  Even with no compliance buyout, the team has be considering the option of a standard buyout.   The team has done a fabulous job of building its goaltending pipeline and Lundqvist’s time has passed.

A buyout will not diminish his career as a Ranger nor any of his many accomplishments.   His number will be retired and he will go down as one of the greatest Rangers of all time.  It will also allow him to decide where he wants to finish his career, hopefully connecting with a team that will need him as a final piece of the Stanley Cup puzzle.  With a buyout, Lundqvist can go anywhere in the league with salary a minimal consideration.   All in all, it’s what is best for him.