Now that the New York Rangers’ season is officially over, eyes shift towards the off-season and NHL Free Agency. For the Rangers, it will be a busy one; they have a lot of names set to hit the market and it is up to Chris Drury, Gerard Gallant and company to decide who stays and who goes.
The Rangers were one of the last three teams standing this season, and if they want to reach their ultimate goal the team has to make the right moves this summer. They are tight on money, as they are paying big money to their stars like Artemi Panarin, Jacob Trouba, and Chris Kreider while new deals kick in for Mika Zibanejad and Adam Fox. Meanwhile, younger players like Alexis Lafrenière and K’Andre Miller are primed for contract extensions soon.
This means that the Rangers will have to be nit-picky with money this off-season and with Sammy Blais just signing a one-year extension for $1.525 million they currently have just under $12 million in cap space. They are going to lose some key players, but will also keep some with hopes of recreating their playoff run.
Who stays and who goes? Let’s find out.
Ryan Strome, Unrestricted Free Agent
Ryan Strome saw his career take flight in New York over the past four years. While a Blueshirt, Strome saw career highs in goals, assists and points over and he was a top six center for New York. While some questioned that, Strome filled the role well
Putting numbers aside, one of the most noteworthy aspects of Strome is his relationship with Artemi Panarin. Strome and the Rangers’ star have developed a chemistry since the 2019-2020 season and it improved every year. The two are extremely close on and off the ice, and New York definitely benefited from this.
But, Strome also has some negatives. He has a tendency to take bad penalties, and most notably for New York fans he misses open nets more than anyone else on the team. Many Ranger fans have went for his head after a crucial miss in the dying minutes of Game Five against Tampa Bay.
When you look at Strome and free agency there are a few possibilities and it gets tough for Chris Drury. This is not the same Ryan Strome negotiations from two years ago, where he signed a bridge deal, but now he is primed for a payday. The question is if the Rangers can give it to him.
Based on his numbers, Strome will probably receive a contract with an Average Annual Value (AAV) in the $6-7 million range. Not much has been said about the Rangers’ contract negotiations in the past few months, and while Strome says that his heart is in New York, is New York willing to pay him or will they look somewhere else for their center? How does the emergence of Filip Chytil play into this? This might be it for Strome in New York.
Verdict: The Rangers will let Strome walk in free agency. He will yield a contract with an AAV of around $6 million/year, it just won’t be from the Rangers.