2021 ended on a high note for the New York Rangers with a shootout road win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. As it has happened so often this season, the fact that they won disguised some underlying issues for the Blueshirts that need to be resolved.
It’s General Manager Chris Drury who is facing the greatest challenges and the decisions he makes over the next two months could spell the difference between success and failure, not just for this year, but for years to come.
Here are five of the biggest questions facing Chris Drury in 2022.
#1 What to do about Ryan Strome?
This is the biggest conundrum when it comes to the New York Rangers. Ryan Strome is set to become an Unrestricted Free Agent after this season and he will want to be paid. The question for Strome is how much he is willing to leave on the table in order to stay in New York. If he just wants the money he is a goner. If he is willing to take less to remain Artemi Panarin’s sidekick and build a winner in New York, he could have a future here.
Strome is coming off a two-year contract that had an Average Annual Value (AAV) of $4.5 million. His previous deal with the Oilers had a AAV of $3.1 million. There are 55 NHL centers who are paid more than Strome. Statistically, among centers who have played 25 games this year, he is 23rd in the NHL averaging .81 points per game.  His 22 points are 26th best. His 16 assists ranks 16th most among NHL centers.
Last season he was 14th in points per game, 14th in total points and ninth in assists. Those are rock solid numbers and easily puts him in the top 25 centers in the NHL. That’s the problem.
Going into 2022-23 the 25 highest paid centers in the NHL will be making over $7 million per year. If Strome has a better final 50 games or even just continues the way he is going it will be reasonable for him to expect to get paid like Kevin Hayes ($7.14mm), Sean Couturier ($7.75mm) or Ryan Johansen ($8mm). Look at Philip Danault. He has never been a big scorer and is best know for his ability to win faceoffs and he got a $5.5mm deal from the Kings.
There are intangibles when it comes to Strome. He is one of the team’s captains and is a popular presence in the locker room. He’s a leader and a loud veteran voice on a very young team.
The challenge for Drury is what the Rangers can afford to pay. They are projected to have $9.8mm in cap space next season and they have only 15 players under contract. They can try to jettison some contracts to free up space, but it would be impossible to come up with the kind of money that Strome could ask for.
The challenge will be if Strome is willing to take a hometown discount and sign in the $5-6mm range. He’d be a bargain at that rate, but may still be too expensive for the Rangers even at that price.
The Rangers’ success has created a bigger issue for Drury. If they cannot extend Strome, the right move would be to move him at the trade deadline. But with the Rangers destined for the postseason, can they honestly afford to trade their number two center for prospects or picks?
So the question for Drury when it comes to Ryan Strome is whether to keep him and lose him to free agency for nothing or trade him at the deadline, knowing it will weaken the Rangers for their playoff push.