New York Rangers: A few more PTO candidates
Last week, we took a dive into a few players the New York Rangers should consider signing to a professional tryout contract. Since then, Ryan Donato has found his new home with the Seattle Kraken. Tyler Bozak is also expected to sign a new contract in the next few days with an unspecified team, according to Elliotte Friedman. Sami Vatanen is still available, but it feels right to shine a light on a few more players now.
The players who discussed in this piece each play different positions. Therefore, they would all be competing for different spots in the lineup. Although none of them would be expected to be stars for the Rangers, they could provide them with more depth if they end up earning themselves a contract. The Rangers also have enough money to sign any of them to a league-minimum deal with ease.
Like stated in the previous piece, there is no actual harm in signing players to PTOs. The Rangers would not have to commit to any of these players and would be able to cut them if needed. They also would allow the team to get an exclusive look at players who could end up benefitting the club.
Before beginning, it’s important to note that they are not in any particular order. Now, let’s get started.
Eric Staal C
Eric Staal is certainly a solid PTO candidate for the Rangers. The 36-year-old center may not be the star he once was, but he could be an intriguing option for the bottom-six. Overall, it was an interesting year for him. He started the season with the Buffalo Sabres, but was then dealt to the Montreal Canadiens. In 53 games between the two teams, he scored five goals and had 13 points. It was a notable decrease in production, as he had 47 points in 66 games the season before with the Minnesota Wild.
However, Staal had more success during Montreal’s strong postseason run. In 21 games, he scored two goals and recorded eight points, while playing on their fourth-line. That kind of production over an 82-game regular season could certainly come in handy for the Rangers. At this point in time, Kevin Rooney is expected to be their fourth-line center, but adding Staal as competition for him would make things more interesting. In terms of faceoffs, Staal was a bit better than Rooney this past season. Staal won 49% of his draws, while Rooney won just 45% of his.
Staal comes with an immense amount of overall experience. At this point of his career, he has played 1,293 career games. In them, he has 441 goals, 593 assists and 1,034 points. He was memorably a longtime captain of the Carolina Hurricanes and led them to a Stanley Cup. He’s simply had a marvelous career.
Another interesting aspect about him is that he of course played with the Rangers at the end of the 2015-16 season. In 20 regular season games with the Blueshirts, he had only six points. He also failed to record a point in five postseason games. Although his tenure with the Rangers was not the most glorious, his expectations would be far lower this go-around if he were to sign a PTO.
Jason Demers D
The Rangers have plenty of young options to fill out the final spot on their bottom-pair. Nils Lundkvist is considered the frontrunner by many, but Zac Jones is also in the running, too. They also have prospect Braden Schneider who had a great year in the WHL. However, it would not be a bad thing to add a proven defenseman like Jason Demers on a PTO. The 33-year-old could be somebody who gives them a backup option if none of the kids seem ready at camp.
In 41 games this past season with the Arizona Coyotes, Demers had four assists. He is no longer the 20-to-30 point defenseman he was during his prime years, but he still can play bottom-pairing minutes. Furthermore, he just had 11 assists in 50 games the season before with Arizona, so a small turnaround could occur with him.
It also would not hurt to add a veteran option who shoots right-handed. At this point, they have Jarred Tinordi, Anthony Bitetto and Libor Hájek as depth defensemen, but they all are lefties. So, why not give a righty like Demers a chance? Even if it does not lead to an actual contract, the Rangers have nothing to lose.
Michael Dal Colle LW
We have taken a look at two veterans in this one, so let’s change that and discuss Michael Dal Colle. The 2014 fifth overall pick just did not pan out with the New York Islanders. In 111 games over four seasons with the team, he had eight goals, 13 assists and 21 points. In 26 games this past season with the NHL club, he scored a goal and had four total points. He was never able to secure himself a permanent spot with team. Therefore, it makes sense that they decided not to send him a qualifying offer this summer and move forward.
Dal Colle will likely never develop into the top-six winger scouts originally believed he would. Yet, he is still only 25 years old and could improve a bit with a change of scenery. In fact, he has far less pressure on him now because he’s away from the team who originally drafted him. This also could benefit him.
At this juncture, the Rangers have Sammy Blais and Dryden Hunt as potential options for the fourth-line left wing spot. Bringing in Dal Colle on a PTO would help enhance the competition. Even if he didn’t make the NHL roster, he could even be a nice addition for the AHL.
With training camp starting so soon, we will have to keep an eye on the Rangers when it comes to them finalizing their roster. These are just a few more possible candidates the Blueshirts have as options.
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