Can the Rangers take advantage of Atlantic Division salary cap issues?

With the flat salary cap the New York Rangers and all NHL teams will be facing a challenge

When it comes to transactions, teams don’t like to deal with Conference rivals, but it’s better for the New York Rangers if they stay out of the Metropolitan Division.  In a series of reports we’ve looked at the teams in the Central and Pacific Divisions and their salary cap situations.  Now, we turn our attention to the Atlantic Division, featuring two teams among the worst in the NHL when it comes to the salary cap.

The Rangers will be going into next season with anywhere from $13.5 million to $18.5 million in cap space, depending on buyouts or retirement.  That seems like a lot, but it isn’t.  Still, it’s better than about half of the teams in the NHL and that will allow the Blueshirts some flexibility as Jeff Gorton and the management team look to improve the team that got swept in the Qualifier.

Here is a team by team look at the Atlantic Division and the cap situation for each team.  All salary cap data is courtesy of capfriendly.com and cap space for 2020-21 is projected.

Boston Bruins – Cap space $16,359,409

Key UFA’s:
Torey Krug, Left defense
Zdeno Chara, Left defense
Joakim Nordstrom , Left wing
Kevan Miller,  Right defense

Key RFA’s:
Jake DeBrusk, Left wing
Matt Grzelcyk, Left defense (arbitration eligible)
Karson Kuhlman, Right wing (arbitration eligible)

For a perennial Stanley Cup contender, the Bruins have done an excellent job at managing their salary structure.  They’ve locked up their core long term and in good for next season.   While they have some key components facing free agency, the team has the cash to pay them, even with the cap staying flat.

The key challenge for the B’s will be 29 year old Torey Krug, a top defenseman who made $5.25 million this season.  He is one of the top free agent defensemen on the market and could command a big salary.  There’s no doubt that Zdeno Chara will re-up for something similar to the $2 million he made this season, if the 43 year old wants to play another campaign.  Joakim Nordstrom will garner some interest.

As for the Rangers, as wonderful as Torey Krug would look on the left side of Jacob Trouba, it’s a non-starter.  He will be way out of the Blueshirts’ price range.

Kevan Miller is an interesting option.  He’s a big, physical left defenseman who will be 33 in November.  Signed for a reasonable $2.5 million he would be an excellent pick up to hold the fort on the Rangers blue line. There’s a big however as he has spent most of the last two seasons on Injured Reserve with serious knee injuries.  Still unable to play, if he got a clean bill of health he could be a solid addition, but at this time it is reported that he is considering retirement.

Buffalo Sabres – Cap space $34,483,333

The Sabres are a mess. The upper management is in turmoil and they disappoint their fans every year.  They have one of the best young players in the game in Jack Eichel and he is getting fed up with losing. They also have a lot of cap space, but also have a slew of players hitting free agency.

Key UFA’s:
Wayne Simmonds, Right wing
Michael Frolik, Left wing
Jimmy Vesey, Left wing
Zemgus Girgensons, Center-wing
Johan Larsson, Center
Vladimir Sobotka, Left wing
Matt Hunwick, Left defense

Key RFA’s:
Brandon Montour, Right defense (arbitration eligible)
Lawrence Pilut,  Left defense (arbitration eligible)
Tage Thompson, Center
Sam Reinhart, Right wing (arbitration eligible)
Dominik Kahun, Winger (arbitration eligible)
Victor Olofsson, Left wing (arbitration eligible)
Curtis Lazar, Center (arbitration eligible)
Linus Ullmark, Goalie (arbitration eligible)
Casey Mittelstadt, Center

That’s 16 players who are UFA’s or RFA’s with most of the RFA’s able to go to arbitration.  Despite $35 million in cap space, they have their work cut out for them. That said, the Sabres will likely re-sign all  the players that they want and will still have money left over.  They will be buyers during the postseason and have the cap flexibility to make some deals to help teams in cap trouble.

As for the Rangers, they will peruse the Sabres’ UFA list, but there’s not much there of interest.  Wayne Simmonds is a physical forward who will generate some interest because he plays a heavy game.  The 31-year old made $2.5 million last season playing in New Jersey and Buffalo.   Brian McCabe would be a left handed defenseman the Rangers would love, but he is a key performer for Buffalo and is under contract for another year.  He turns 27 in October and will be trade bait at the deadline if the Sabres are not in contention.

There is one UFA (not listed above) who could draw some interest from the Blueshirts.  Winger Dalton Smith is a career AHL player who would be a solid addition to the Hartford Wolf Pack as a player who could bring some toughness to the organization.  He’s a fighter, but showed enough talent  in juniors to be taken in the second round of the 2010 draft by the Blue Jackets.  The 28 year old signed for the league minimum last season.

Detroit Red Wings – Cap space $36,135,001

Key UFA’s:
Sam Gagner, Center-wing
Jonathan Ericsson, Left defense
Trevor Daley, Right defense
Cody Goloubef, Right defense
Jimmy Howard, Goalie

Key RFA’s:
Anthony Mantha, Right wing (arbitration eligible)
Tyler Bertuzzi, Left wing (arbitration eligible)
Adam Erme, Left wing (arbitration eligible)
Robby Fabbri, Left wing-center(arbitration eligible)
Brendan Perlini, Right wing (arbitration eligible)
Christoffer Ehn, Center (arbitration eligible)
Dmytro Timashov, Left wing
Madison Bowey, Right defense (arbitration eligible)

The Red Wings were the worst team in the NHL by far and are deep into a rebuild.   They have a ton of cap space, but a lot of RFA’s to re-sign.  With Steve Yzerman in charge, you can be sure that the team is ready to deal and that could be an opportunity for the Blueshirts if there if there is anyone on the roster they would be interested in.

While Tyler Bertuzzi is the kind of player the Rangers are looking for, Jeff Gorton has to be leery of dealing with Yzerman who is known for extracting the most from his trading partners.

Florida Panthers – Cap space $20,961,706

Key UFA’s:
Mike Hoffman, Right wing
Evgeni Dadanov, Right wing
Erik Haula, Center
Brian Boyle, Center
Mark Pysyk, Right Defense-right wing

Key RFA’s:
Dominic Toninato, Center-wing (arbitration eligible)
Aleksi Saarela,  Center
Dryden Hunt, Left wing (arbitration eligible)
Lucas Wallmark, Center (arbitration eligible)
McKenzie Weegar, Right defense (arbitration eligible)
Josh Brown, Right defense (arbitration eligible)

This was a very disappointing season for the Panthers after going out and signing Sergei Bobrovsky.  They made the qualifier round, but were dispatched easily by the Islanders.  Whereas the Rangers exceeded expectations, the Panthers failed to meet them.  Now, General Manager Dale Tallon has been axed and they are looking for new leadership.

With almost $21 million in cap space, the Panthers aren’t in a bad position, but will need the cash to re-sign Mike Hoffman and Evgeni Dadanov, two of the top four scorers on the team.   They also have five arbitration eligible RFA’s they will need to ink

While the Panthers won’t be looking for cap relief, they will be close to the cap when they are done.  As for the Rangers, there’s not much for them on the Panthers roster, but Brian Boyle is a free agent and his name always comes up with talking about veterans with character who may be as asset.  Boyle is 35 and sat out half the season waiting for an offer.  He was a solid player for the Panthers once he got in shape, but Blueshirts fans shouldn’t lose any sleep hoping for a reunion.

Montreal Canadiens – Cap space $18,357,858

Key UFA’s:
Christian Folin, Right defense
Dale Weise,  Winger

Key RFA’s:
Max Domi, Center-wing (arbitration eligible)
Charles Hudson,  Left wing (arbitration eligible)
Victor Mete, Left defense
Xavier Ouellet, Left defense (arbitration eligible)

The Canadiens are one of the teams in prime position to make some hay in the postseason.  Their UFA pool is insignificant and the only RFA’s of consequence are Max Domi and Victor Mete.   They should be able to get the pair under contract and have some dollars left to spend.

The Canadiens have been one of the surprise teams of the playoffs (though with Carey Price, can they ever be a surprise?) so they will be looking to fine tune for next season.  General Manager Marc Bergevin has said that the team needs to build up their defense and that he would be willing to trade a forward.

As much as Max Domi would look great in a Ranger uniform, the likelihood of a trade with New York is minimal.  Of course, if the Rangers would be willing to trade Alexis Lafreniere anything is possible. Canadian sports journalist Norman Flynn proposed giving up Cayden Primeau, Nick Suzuki, Alex Romanov and Montreal’s first round pick in exchange for Montreal native Lafreniere.  If you substitute Cole Caulfield for the goalie Primeau, is that enough?

Ottawa Senators – Cap space $39,595,833

Key UFA’s:
Mikkel Boedker, Left wing
Matthew Peca, Left wing
Scott Sabourin, Right wing
Ron Hainsey, Right defense
Mark Borowiecki
Craig Anderson, Goalie

Key RFA’s:
Chris Tierney, Center (arbitration eligible)
Connor Brown,  Left wing (arbitration eligible)
Anthony Duclair, Left wing (arbitration eligible)
Jayce Hawryluk, Left wing (arbitration eligible)
Rudolfs Balcers, Right wing
Nicholas Paul, Center (arbitration eligible)
Andreas Englund, Left defense (arbitration eligible)

The Ottawa Senators have a ton of cap space and no less than nine picks in the first three rounds of the draft including third and fifth overall.  They’ve torn it all down and are building from the ground up.  If they do it the right way, it won’t be long before they are an Atlantic Division powerhouse.

That won’t be happening this year.  They have the cap space to sign all of the RFA’s and they have to decide if they want to bring back 39 year old Craig Anderson in goal.  As much as they’d like to be rid of Bobby Ryans $7.25 million cap hit, they can still afford him.

As for the Rangers, one name that has been proposed is defenseman Mark Borowiecki.  He’s an Ottawa native and served as Alternate Captain, but as a UFA coming off an injury, he could be available.  He’s a character player and at 31 years old, he could be an attractive upgrade for the Rangers.

Tampa Bay Lightning – Cap space $5,333,334

Key UFA’s:
Patrick Maroon, Left wing
Kevin Shattenkirk, Right defense
Jan Rutta, Right defense
Zach Bogosian, Right defense
Luke Schenn, Right defense
Mike Condon, Goalie

Key RFA’s:
Anthony Cirelli, Center
Mitchell Stephens, Center
Carter Verhaege, Center-wing (arbitration eligible)
Mikhail Sergachev, Left defense
Erik Cernak, Right defense

The Tampa Bay Lightning really need to win the Stanley Cup this summer.  If they don’t this could be their last shot as they will have to do some major surgery on their roster due to the flat cap.

The two big ticket items will be RFA’s Anthony Cirelli and Mikhail Sergachev.  Let’s put it this way, if the Lightning signed all five of their RFA’s for the league minimum and replaced the six UFA’s with players for the minimum, they still couldn’t afford them.

To make matters worse, eight Tampa players have No Movement Clauses, hampering any possiblity of a trade practically impossible. It will be fascinating to watch the Lightning negotiate this cap situation.

Anthony Cirelli would be a great addition for the Rangers, but Tampa will ask a lot though his non-arbitration status as a RFA makes him even more attractive.  When the playoffs are over, just wait for the vultures to start circling around the Lightning.

Toronto Maple Leafs – Cap space $4,591,467

Key UFA’s:
Kyle Clifford, Left wing
Jason Spezza, Center
Cody Ceci, Right defense
Tyson Barrie, Right defense

Key RFA’s:
Travis Dermott, Left defense
Ilya Mikheyev, Left wing (arbitration eligible)
Denis Malgin, Right wing(arbitration eligible)
Frederik Gauthier, Center

The Maple Leafs are neck and neck with the Lightning for cap issues.  They’ve got $56 million tied up in just six players.  They are already hard against the cap and will no doubt, lose two Blueline stalwarts in Cody Ceci and Tyson Barrie, to free agency.

Watching the Maple Leafs’ General Manager Kyle Dubas try to negotiate this offseason will be entertaining, especially since they lost in the qualifier.   He will be forced to make some painful moves in order to keep under the cap.

The Rangers need is at left defense and with the Leafs probably losing Cody Ceci and Tyson Barrie, though both are righthanded, there won’t be an opportunity for the Blueshirts. Could the Rangers find 37-year old Jason Spezza an option as a veteran presence int the locker room?  He’s a UFA, but it’s doubtful though he did have a decent year with Toronto.

Summing up the Atlantic

There’s a wide disparity in the Atlantic Division when it comes to the salary cap.  Teams like Detroit and Ottawa are flush with cap space while Toronto and Tampa and over the cap already.   There’s not a lot of trading options for the Rangers,but there are some free agents who could be a factor if the price is right.

Next up in our series, the Metropolitan Division.