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A simple, yet memorable off-season for the Rangers

By Daniel Blanda

SECAUCUS, NEW JERSEY - OCTOBER 06: With the first pick of the 2020 NHL Draft, Alexis Lafreniere from Rimouski of the QMJHL is selected by the New York Rangers at the NHL Network Studio on October 06, 2020 in Secaucus, New Jersey. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
SECAUCUS, NEW JERSEY - OCTOBER 06: With the first pick of the 2020 NHL Draft, Alexis Lafreniere from Rimouski of the QMJHL is selected by the New York Rangers at the NHL Network Studio on October 06, 2020 in Secaucus, New Jersey. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /
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Alexis Lafreniere #11 . (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
Alexis Lafreniere #11 . (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) /

Alexis Lafrenière

The most notable and the most obvious move of the “summer” is the drafting and signing of the future Calder Trophy hopeful, Alexis Lafrenière. There’s very little that hasn’t already been said about the first-ever first-overall selection in the New York Rangers’ history. Lafrenière is a tremendous talent and already finds himself compared with an elite company. The skilled winger is essentially a lock for a roster spot and is expected to make an immediate impact.

Despite it being a sheer stroke of luck, drafting Alexis Lafrenière is the defining addition of the off-season, and had the pandemic stars not aligned just so, it’s highly unlikely that the New York Rangers would have walked away with the first-overall pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.

Marc Staal

Marc Staal #18 of the New York Rangers . (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Marc Staal #18 of the New York Rangers . (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /

Thank you, Detroit. Thank you for giving Marc Staal a home, because he deserves an opportunity to still play… just not for the Rangers.

Marc Staal was once the most beloved defenseman on the New York Rangers roster. He was a shutdown player night in and night out; taking on the opposition’s best shift after shift. However, we are a few years and a couple of injuries removed from that version of Marc Staal. Staal finds himself on the ice far too often in negative scenarios and fans have called for him to be traded for several seasons now. Luckily, Detroit was willing to take on the last year of his contract and Staal was willing to waive his No Movement Clause.

After thirteen years of servitude, it was time to part with the former alternate captain. Cap relief was the biggest need of the off-season and yes, the relief did cost the New York Rangers a second-round pick, but ridding themselves of Marc Staal’s $5.7 million contract allowed for the…

Re-signing of key players

new york rangers
Ryan Strome and Tony DeAngelo of the New York Rangers (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

With the ink just now drying on Ryan Strome’s newest contract, the New York Rangers were able to keep restricted free agents, Ryan Strome, Tony DeAngelo, and Brendan Lemieux. For the majority of the season, it was speculated that the Rangers wouldn’t be able to bring back all three of these players. However, thanks to Jeff Gorton’s ability to free up cap space, the New York Rangers were able to fulfill the biggest need of the off-season – retention.

Ryan Strome signed for $4.5 million AAV for 2 years.

Tony DeAngelo signed for $4.8 million AAV for 2 years.

Brendan Lemieux signed for $1.55 million AAV for 2 years.

All three of these contracts are team-friendly deals and all three players are coming off of career seasons. Strome has 59 points in 70 games played. Tony DeAngelo had 53 points in 68 games played. Brendan Lemieux had18 points and 111 penalty minutes in 59 games played.

Each of these players provides a different texture to the fabric of this team. Each of these players shows up their fans and all three of them could have demanded more. It remains to be seen if Strome can repeat this year’s performance or if DeAngelo can provide more than just an offensive game or if Lemieux can provide more than a physical presence, but now all three of them have two years to show the Rangers’ front office that they can.

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