The New York Rangers may consider some players who joined the UFA ranks
The deadline to tender qualifying offers to Restricted Free Agents (RFA’s) was Wednesday at 5pm. Unofficially, there were 84 players not tendered, fewer than last season when over 100 players were not qualified and became Unrestricted Free Agents (UFA’s). This is a byproduct of the COVID-19 pandemic that has wreaked havoc on the finances of many NHL teams. Are there any new additions to the UFA list that could be of interest to the New York Rangers?
The Rangers’ RFA’s
The Rangers themselves had ten RFA’s that needed qualifying offers. They didn’t qualify two of them, making them free agents. Forwards Ryan Gropp and Dawson Leedahl can be taken off the Rangers’ prospect list.
Ryan Gropp was the more painful of the duo. He was their second round pick (#41 overall) in the 2015 entry draft. It’s no surprise that he was let go as he wasn’t on the best of terms with the organization. Last season he was suspended when he refused to go when demoted to the Maine Mariners of the ECHL. He eventually did report and played 10 games in Maine before being recalled to the Wolf Pack.
In three AHL seasons he never scored more than 11 goals. He has to go down as a bad draft pick by the Rangers especially considering that players taken after him in the second round include Vince Dunn, Jordan Greenway, Erik Cernak, Roope Hintz and Rasmus Andersson.
The other player not qualified was Dawson Leedahl. His departure is much less painful as he was signed as a free agent in 2017 after going undrafted. He had an excellent season as an overage player in the WHL, prompting the signing. He split three seasons between the AHL and ECHL, but never lived up to his junior hockey promise.