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Examining the Rangers’ future cap situation

By Chris Hanold |
Mika Zibanejad #93, Chris Kreider #20, Ryan Strome #16 and Tony DeAngelo #77 of the New York Rangers. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Mika Zibanejad #93, Chris Kreider #20, Ryan Strome #16 and Tony DeAngelo #77 of the New York Rangers. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
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TAMPA, FL – NOVEMBER 26: Chris Kreider #20 of the New York Rangers against the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Amalie Arena on November 26, 2014 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FL – NOVEMBER 26: Chris Kreider #20 of the New York Rangers against the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Amalie Arena on November 26, 2014 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images) /

The New York Rangers could be a few years away from cap turmoil

After the recent buyout of goaltender Henrik Lundqvist and the trade of defenseman Marc Staal , the New York Rangers are in a decent situation when it comes to their cap space, especially when compared to some other teams around the league who at or over the cap ceiling. Those days might be coming to an end soon and I think Jeff Gorton and John Davidson know it, considering their recent hoarding of money.

Within the next three seasons, Kaapo Kakko, Mika Zibanejad, Alexis Lafrenière, Igor Shesterkin, and Adam Fox will all be free agents.   Keep in mind that the only player with any real  leverage here is Mika Zibanejad, as he will be an Unrestricted Free Agent (UFA) when his contract is up.

Right now it is way too early to accurately estimate what kind of contracts these guys will command come free agency, but it’s never too soon to guesstimate.  The coronavirus pandemic has resulted in a flat salary cap for this season and possibly longer and that is making it hard for any team to be really creative with their contracts.  The cap should increase when the NHL’s new TV rights deal kicks in after the 2020-21 season when the Rangers will need the cap space most.

Please remember! This list is pure speculation, and I in no way have any insider information as to what the future of these players holds.  It is purely for fun, who doesn’t love to play pretend general manager every now and again? Let’s take a look at the next major free-agent that the Rangers will most likely be paying for the long-term:

Mika Zibanejad #93 of the New York Rangers (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Mika Zibanejad #93 of the New York Rangers (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

Mika Zibanejad

Mika Zibanejad is set to hit unrestricted free agency at the end of the 2021-22 season.  Zibanejad was a steal for the Rangers, when New York traded Derick Brassard, and a 2018 seventh round draft pick to the Ottawa Senators for the young center back in 2016.  At the time, the move was criticized by fans and media alike, since Brassard was one of the key cornerstones to the Rangers success during the mid-2010s.  Jeff Gorton knew something that the rest of us didn’t, and we all know who won the trade at the end of the day.

In four seasons with New York, Zibanejad has registered 233 points on 112 goals and 121 assists.  Like Brian Leetch, Henrik Lundqvist, Adam Graves and many before him, Zibanejad is slowly solidifying himself as a staple of the New York Rangers franchise, and in my opinion, if he puts up the same numbers next year as he did in 2019-20, he is worth every penny.

It’s worth noting that if the Rangers do decide to pay Zibanejad for the long term, he’ll be contractually obligated to the team well into his mid-thirties.  If the Rangers want to keep him, the smart thing for them to do would be to lock him up with a long term deal next summer, to keep him from going into 2021-22 with free agency looming.

I can see Zibanejad garnering a contract somewhere in the 7-year, $75,000,000 range, with an Annual Average Value (AAV) of about $10.7 million.

MONTREAL, QC – FEBRUARY 27: Kaapo Kakko #24 of the New York Rangers skates against the Montreal Canadiens during the second period at the Bell Centre on February 27, 2020 in Montreal, Canada. The New York Rangers defeated the Montreal Canadiens 5-2. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC – FEBRUARY 27: Kaapo Kakko #24 of the New York Rangers skates against the Montreal Canadiens during the second period at the Bell Centre on February 27, 2020 in Montreal, Canada. The New York Rangers defeated the Montreal Canadiens 5-2. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /

Kaapo Kakko

The former second overall pick is set to hit restricted free agency at the end of the 2021-22 season as well.  Kakko made his NHL debut in 2019-20, and was solid in his rookie season.  Among rookies, Kakko scored 23 points (11th in the league) on 10 goals (eighth in the league) and 13 assists (17th in the league)

Kaapo Kakko has two more seasons to grow and learn within the league, and the sky is the limit for this kid; which is why it is so hard to speculate what his next contract might look like.  I imagine that if he improves as expected, he could receive a bridge deal, something along the lines of what the Winnipeg Jets gave to their former second overall pick, Patrik Laine.  He got a two-year, $13.5 million deal with an AAV of $6.75 million when his Entry Level Contract (ELC) expired.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 12: Adam Fox #23 of the New York Rangers skates against the Edmonton Oilers at Madison Square Garden on October 12, 2019 in New York City. The Oilers defeated the Rangers 4-1. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 12: Adam Fox #23 of the New York Rangers skates against the Edmonton Oilers at Madison Square Garden on October 12, 2019 in New York City. The Oilers defeated the Rangers 4-1. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

Adam Fox

Adam Fox was Calder Memorial Trophy-worthy in 2019-20.  Plain and simple, the kid can play, and he was right up there as one of the most exciting players the Rangers had last season.  The 22 year-old defenseman racked up 42 points on eight goals and 34 assists in his first year in New York.  Fox was third in the league among rookies in assists and fifth in the league in points.  Fox is set to become a Restricted Free Agent (RFA) at the end of the 2021-22 season.

If Fox can keep trending in the upward direction like he has been, he is going to be running the Rangers defense by the time he’s due for a contract.  Expect Fox to earn a similar contract to what the Rangers just gave Tony DeAngelo, a two-year, $9,600,000 contract with a $4.8 million AAV.

Mar 10, 2020; Dallas, Texas, USA; New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (31) makes a save on a Dallas Stars shot during the second period at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 10, 2020; Dallas, Texas, USA; New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (31) makes a save on a Dallas Stars shot during the second period at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /

Igor Shesterkin

Out of anyone on this list, Shesterkin has played the fewest games in a Rangers sweater.  With the recent buyout of longtime goaltender Henrik Lundqvist,  the torch has officially been passed down to the next generation of great New York Rangers goaltending.  Incoming: Igor Shesterkin

Shesterkin put the league on notice when he made his long awaited debut during the 2019-20 season.  Shesterkin sported a 10-2 record in 12 starts, with a dazzling .932 save percentage and 2.52 goals against average.  Had Shesterkin and teammate Pavel Buchnevich not been in an unfortunate car accident, who knows what else he could have done during the regular season.

Igor is set to hit restricted free agency after this season and assuming he is the goaltender that we all think he will be, check out the deal that the Vegas Golden Knights just gave to Robin Lehner.  Five years, $25,000,000 worth $5 million annually.

QUEBEC CITY, QC – OCTOBER 18: Alexis Lafreniere #11 of the Rimouski Oceanic skates prior to his QMJHL hockey game at the Videotron Center on October 18, 2019 in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Mathieu Belanger/Getty Images)
QUEBEC CITY, QC – OCTOBER 18: Alexis Lafreniere #11 of the Rimouski Oceanic skates prior to his QMJHL hockey game at the Videotron Center on October 18, 2019 in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Mathieu Belanger/Getty Images) /

Alexis Lafrenière

This is where we might be taking a little bit of a leap of faith, but if we have to speculate on what kind of salary Lafrenière might be making in the future, let’s take a look at some former first overall picks.  The 2016 first overall pick, Auston Matthews, netted himself a pretty penny when his ELC was up.  The Toronto Maple Leafs signed him to a five year, $58,170,000 deal.

And if we could take a second to compare him to arguably the best player in all of hockey right now, Connor McDavid scored a nice eight year, $100,000,000 contract making him the highest paid player in the NHL with a $12.5 million annual cap hit.    Do with those numbers what you will, I personally would like to see Lafrenière play his first few years in the NHL before I predict what he might be making.

So what do we think, Rangers fans? Is it possible for the Rangers to fit all of these guys in under a cap? Who do we possibly see testing free agency or who could we see get traded in order to clear some cap space?  Let me know what kind of contracts you’d like to see tendered to these players in the comments below!

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