If you think the New York Rangers are in cap trouble, think again

What it all means

There are a handful of teams who are not in cap trouble, most notably the Ottawa Senators, Detroit Red Wings, Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils.  With two thirds of the teams in the NHL in cap trouble if it stays the same or goes down, the possiblity of compliance buyouts increases every day.

For teams like the Rangers, it presents opportunities, especially when it comes to teams in worse shape.  There has been speculation that Tampa’s Tyler Johnson and Yanni Gourde as potential buyout candidates along with Alex Killorn.

Would it be some form of justice if the Blueshirts were able to take advantage of a Lighting buyout and sign Johnson or Gourde to a favorable deal like the Bolts did with Shattenkirk?   If the Rangers are serious about contending next season, adding the 28 year old Gourde, a veteran with two 20 plus goal seasons under his belt, or a seasoned playoff performer like the 30 year old Johnson could be a savvy move.

No doubt there will be other viable options if the league goes the compliance buyout route. If the Rangers buy out Marc Staal (or Brendan Smith) they could need a blueliner.   Marc-Edouard Vlasic‘s name has been bandied about as a buyout candidate.  Despite the fact that he just turned 33, he’s still one of the better defensive blueliners and for a team looking for a partner for Jacob Trouba, they could do worse if he was available for a bargain rate.

When this season finally ends Jeff Gorton will have his hands full.  Even if the start of the 2020-21 season is delayed, there’s no doubt that the team will have to prepare for the draft, worry about their own pending contracts and scour the rest of the league for potential bargain players who could help put the Rangers over the top.

It’s a rare opportunity for cusp teams like the Blueshirts to add some veteran talent to their young squad.  With players like Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider at their peak and with youngsters like Adam Fox, Filip Chytil and Kaapo Kakko with another year under their belts, the Rangers are close.  It’s time to start considering the moves that will make next season a playoff year.