Rangers: Bridge deal vs. long-term contract… looking at the ELC players.

The New York Rangers have many young players who are currently on their entry-level contracts. Although it is certainly beneficial because they all are cheap right now, there will be a day when they get their raises. Some of the Rangers’ top players will be in need of a new contract as soon as next off-season, so general manager Chris Drury will have his work cut out for him.

Drury will have to decide which of his top ELC players will be getting bridge deals or long-term contracts. That is a hard task, as they already have a handful of veterans who are signed to expensive contracts. Yet, some of their youngsters will be making of the core of this team for years to come. In fact, one could argue that some already do. Therefore, Drury will have to contemplate his options over these next couple off-seasons.

In this piece, we will be discussing the potential best options for each of their top ELC players. Prospects such as Braden Schneider and Nils Lundkvist will be exempt from this list, as they have yet to play an NHL game. In the future, we can explore this with them, but it is far too early to determine which route would be better for them now.

Before beginning, these players aren’t in any specific order. Let’s get started.