Rangers Free Agency: Some interesting names added to the list of free agents
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.
Some interesting names
Prohockeyrumors.com has a full (unofficial) list of non-tendered RFA’s. While many were to be expected (like Gropp and Leedahl) there are some surprises on the list. Considering the Rangers’ need for depth at center (replacing Greg McKegg) and on the blueline (replacing Marc Staal), here are some they may take a look at:
Frederik Gauthier, center – The Maple Leafs didn’t qualify Gauthier, a former first round pick. Gauthier is a big center (6’5″, 235 pounds) who is excellent on draws. The knock on him is that he never lived up to his draft status in terms of scoring, but as defensive fourth line center who can win draws, he is an intriguing possibility.
Lucas Wallmark, center – Wallmark was traded to Florida from Carolina at the deadline, but was not tendered an offer as an arbitration eligible RFA. The 25 year old Swede has scored 12 and 10 goals over the last two seasons and most notably, has never been below a 50% winning percentage on the faceoff dots in his four NHL seasons.
Dominik Kahun, left wing/center – The Sabres didn’t tender a qualifying offer to Kahun who they acquired from Pittsburgh at the deadline. With 12 goals and 31 points in 56 games, he was a solid offensive contributor. He played mostly on the wing, but has experience at center and is reportedly decent on draws.
Nick Cousins, center – The Vegas forward and former Flyer is a decent depth player, but he’s not great on faceoffs and has been playing mostly on the wing. He did play 17 playoff games for Vegas and brings that experience to the table if the Rangers are looking for a postseason resume.
Andreas Athanasiou, center – This is an intriguing name. Rangers fans remember his six goals and nine points in 13 games against the Blueshirts as he repeatedly burned them with his speed. However, last season was a far cry from the 30 goal season he had in 2018-19. Traded to the Oilers at the deadline, they decided to part ways with the 26 year old speedster who made $3 million last season after he scored only 11 goals in 55 games and was a ghastly minus 46 on the season. Any team signing him would be hoping for a career rebound..
Mark Jankowski, center – The Flames didn’t tender an offer to the 26 year old former first round pick (21st overall in 2012). After showing steady improvement for two seasons, he regressed last year and coming off a salary of $1.67 million, he may be a decent depth center. His faceoff work suffered last season as well after two seasons with a winning percentage of 49% and 52%.
Slater Koekkoek, left defense – There aren’t many left-shot defensemen on the list, but Koekkoek is one after he wasn’t qualified by the Chicago Blackhawks. A former first round pick (10th overall) by Tampa, Chicago made it clear that they wanted to re-sign him, but with their cap situation they couldn’t afford to go to arbitration. Koekkoek made $925k last season and will be looking for a raise, but he could be an option as a third pair left side defenseman.
Troy Stecher, right defense – If the Rangers deal Tony DeAngelo and are looking for short term help on the right side, Stecher could be a possibility. He wasn’t qualified by the Vancouver Canucks after a season when he was a regular blueliner. He was overpaid by the Canucks at $2.35 million per year and if he is looking for similar numbers he may be out of the Rangers’ price range.
Matt Benning, right defense – Ditto for Benning, not qualified by the Edmonton Oilers. He’s 26 years old and was making $1.9 million. At 6’1″, 203 pounds, he has good size and played regularly for the Oilers the latter half of the season and in the Stanley Cup Qualifier.
Interesting names, but not for the Blueshirts
Anthony Duclair, left wing – The former Ranger had an outstanding season (23 goals) for the Senators, but was at salary loggerheads with Ottawa management. He won’t be of much interest to the Blueshirts, but should find a new home with no problem. If so, it will be his sixth team in seven years.
Vinnie Hinostroza , center – Arizona didn’t tender an offer to Hinostroza just one year after he scored 16 goals. He shouldn’t draw any interest from New York as he is weak on draws and doesn’t have much of an upside compared to Brett Howden.
What to do?
The Rangers have some roster holes to fill and there is no doubt that they will be active either in the trade or free agency markets. They have their own players who need contracts so it will be a busy few days for Jeff Gorton. The one sure thing is that in these pandemic times, every general manager will be looking for a bargain.
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