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Three Bargain Unrestricted Free Agent Targets for the New York Rangers

By Conor Power |
Chris Drury, NY Rangers (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Chris Drury, NY Rangers (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
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Ahead of the summer, the New York Rangers have very limited cap space. Finding players that are going to carry smaller cap hits but provide more in production and what they bring off the ice is going to be the task handed to Chris Drury. Whether or not he is able to finally put all the pieces in place or not is going to depend on how well he flushes out the depth. Not just up front but on the blueline too.

This is important because we can all see the holes up front left by the departing Vladimir Tarasenko and Patrick Kane, but the void left by Niko Mikkola will need to be filled too if Zachary Jones is not capable of stepping into the role full-time next season. However, the blatant holes as I mentioned are up front and it’s going to be a difficult task for Drury this summer to figure everything out with the current cap instability.

If we assume that the Rangers are going to move Barclay Goodrow this summer, that would give them $15 million in cap space. With Alexis Lafreniere and K’Andre Miller among the players that will need new deals in terms of the restricted free agents, the team will not have a lot of room. Let’s take the under on both RFA deals and assume the Rangers sign them both for a combined $5 million. That’s only $10 million in cap space.

New York would be able to exceed the salary cap by 10% during the summer if they need to clear out more room to make the money work ahead of next year. It’s basically a form of kicking the can down the road, but it has the added side effect of everyone knowing you’re desperate when it comes to sorting the money out and having to pay more to fix everything if you overspend so the budget for Drury is very important.

VANCOUVER, BC – NOVEMBER 2: Oliver Ekman-Larsson #23 of the Vancouver Canucks tries to check Chris Kreider #20 of the New York Rangers off the puck during NHL action on November 2, 2021, at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images)
VANCOUVER, BC – NOVEMBER 2: Oliver Ekman-Larsson #23 of the Vancouver Canucks tries to check Chris Kreider #20 of the New York Rangers off the puck during NHL action on November 2, 2021, at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images) /

Oliver Ekman-Larsson

If you want to talk about players that are going to be signing somewhere with the intent of trying to win the Stanley Cup, Oliver Ekman-Larsson is going to be at the top of that list. He’s a very wealthy man who has just been bought out by the Vancouver Canucks. This means that they are going to be paying him while he plays elsewhere for the next several years if he can find a job in the NHL.

Ekman-Larsson is going to turn 32 on July 17th so he’s not exactly a young spring chicken, but there is still something on offer from the defenseman. He’s got warts, but he’s still a player that could be helpful in the right situation. If the Rangers can get him on a low-value deal and offer him a chance to play in the best city in the world on a team that has genuine Stanley Cup hopes for cheap, they should.

Ekman-Larsson isn’t the defenseman that used to get Norris votes anymore. Father Time has been victorious in eating away at OEL’s skillset over time through various injuries. He’s regressed heavily from his days as the captain of the Arizona Coyotes. But those leadership skills haven’t gone anywhere and I think everyone can agree this roster could use more players that want to keep the group accountable for their performances.

So what does OEL offer? In 54 games last year on the woeful Vancouver Canucks, Ekman-Larsson recorded 2 goals and 20 assists for 22 points. For those playing along at home, that is a 33-point pace over 82 games. To add 30 points to the blueline isn’t a small thing. He could also captain the second powerplay unit which desperately needs it. There are things the big Swede offers to the Rangers.

While it is true that his defensive problems cannot be overstated, having OEL on league minimum or close to it as a sixth or seventh defenseman to add some scoring to the backend is not a bad idea. If it’s something like $800,000 on a one-year deal, there’s going to be enough from the player to reasonably expect this deal to work out well for everyone.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 16: Max Pacioretty #67 of the Vegas Golden Knights skates against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on December 16, 2018, in New York City. The Golden Knights defeated the Rangers 4-3 in overtime. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 16: Max Pacioretty #67 of the Vegas Golden Knights skates against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on December 16, 2018, in New York City. The Golden Knights defeated the Rangers 4-3 in overtime. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

Max Pacioretty

This is probably the most interesting player in this group because it is unknown whether or not he will play again, but Max Pacioretty is going to be one of the ultimate buy-low candidates this summer. Coming off two torn Achilles tendons, the former Montreal Canadiens captain will be an unrestricted free agent for the first time. He’s got a lot of what the New York Rangers will be after and could be a player to watch.

As I mentioned, Pacioretty is coming off of two torn Achilles in the last season. It was the same foot both times, and the worry is that the almost 35-year-old winger will not be the player he was before both injuries to his tendon. He had surgery in Finland after the second tear to try and make it more stable for the long run after opting to not go under the knife originally, and Pacioretty has been quite vocal about wanting to continue his career.

At 6’2, 220 lbs, Pacioretty is the kind of player that the New York Rangers should be gambling on. He’s got the ability to put up 40 goals and is going to have a reduced cap hit because of his building injury history. Somewhat similar to the Patrick Kane situation, he’s got the ability to be a major piece in New York and fill in for some of the departing members of the roster. Scoring is never a bad thing to add to the roster when it’s available.

This doesn’t mention what Pacioretty can bring away from the ice as a former captain of the Montreal Canadiens. There is no denying that the leadership could use some help to get the best out of a team that underperformed last season, and adding an experienced veteran like Pacioretty who can carry his weight on a cheap deal would be something that would work for everybody as the Rangers pursue cup number 5.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 15: Ryan Lindgren #55 of the New York Rangers and Craig Smith #12 of the Boston Bruins battle along the boards at Madison Square Garden on February 15, 2022, in New York City. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 15: Ryan Lindgren #55 of the New York Rangers and Craig Smith #12 of the Boston Bruins battle along the boards at Madison Square Garden on February 15, 2022, in New York City. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images) /

Craig Smith

For someone who has been in the league as long as he has, Craig Smith has has a lot of ups and downs. This most recent season was clearly a down point in the career of the 33-year-old winger. Injuries and diminished production have raised some concerns that age is catching up with the former 4th round pick of the Nashville Predators. Whether there is anything left with Smith is going to be the gamble teams need to take this summer.

Before you go screaming at me for being dumb and stupid on Twitter, let me explain. A lot of people will note that Smith was used by the Boston Bruins as a makeweight in the deal that sent Dimitry Orlov north to Beantown and that is because of his poor production in Boston. While this is true, there were a lot of Bruins forwards that did not live up to expectations in the phenomenal year they had.

What makes Smith a good candidate to bet on is that upon arriving in Washington, he had 5 goals and an assist for 6 points in the 22 games he was there. That’s just under a 20-goal pace over 82 games. There’s clearly something still there when it comes to production, it just didn’t work in Boston. If the Rangers are able to get him going on a line with Kreider or Panarin, suddenly this top six looks a lot more scary.

At the age of 33, there are concerns which is why this should not be a player that receives a long-term big deal. If this is a one-year contract in the neighborhood of $1 million, this could be a good value contract. There’s a lot of risk with this, but if you get a player that can contribute like Smith can, then you can also find a good value deal for a team that is absolutely desperate for short-term cheap deals.

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