The New York Rangers made the signing of Eeli Tolvanen official on Wednesday, and the latest transaction puts the organization in an interesting spot for the upcoming season. The addition of Tolvanen certainly brings the Rangers additional depth and options, but as things stand, some decisions need to be made sooner rather than later. With training camp a few weeks away, let's get into some of the biggest questions involving the Rangers going forward.
Which forwards are on the outside looking in?
As of this writing, the Rangers have 23 players on the active roster and just under $1 million in cap space. The roster hierarchy is pretty well defined, and there's a number of players who stick out as being in danger of losing their place.
Tolvanen's addition feels like a precursor of moves to come, and Taylor Raddysh is a name that stands out as being on the way out. The Rangers could work out a trade to send him to Toronto to link up with his brother Darren, and if that doesn't come to pass, he feels like an easy waiver claim as an established veteran.
Joe Veleno was signed early on in free agency to presumably center the fourth line, but by no means is he guaranteed to get the job. I think his one-year deal at $1.2 million is fair, but that is one of the easiest positions the Rangers can save some cap space if they were to rely on one of the kids in Hartford.
The last forward of note is Matt Rempe, and he may no longer have a place in New York. Mike Sullivan wants to roll four lines he can trust, and have reinforcements in the wing ready to step in, and he just hasn't shown enough growth to justify wasting an NHL roster spot. Hartford is looking to be deeper than ever, more on that in a bit, so even an assignment to the AHL may not yield a positive result. If he goes on waivers, I wouldn't rule out another organization trying to snatch him up.
Who will be the seventh defenseman?
The Rangers currently have eight defenders on their roster, and it is pretty obvious who will be starting. The remaining names in the mix include Urho Vaakanainen, Vincent Iorio, and Scott Morrow who is being listed as part of the Hartford Wolf Pack. Vaakanainen has the most experience of the group, but Iorio was claimed off waivers last season which suggest the Rangers have some interest in trying to unlock something.
Morrow feels like a safe bet to be on the top pair in Hartford, and he very well could be paired with Drew Fortescue who made his NHL debut at the end of last season. This doesn't even consider the potential of Alberts Smits making the team out of training camp. If that comes to be, could we see Braden Schneider and Matthew Robertson rotating in an out of the lineup?
Is there anything a "young gun" can do to earn a roster spot?
The Rangers certainly have built a forward group that suggests they want Hartford to be a really good team this season. As of this writing, Adam Sýkora and Jaroslav Chmelař are players who spent time on the varsity squad last season who are on the outside looking in. Acquired prospects Cole Beaudoin and Liam Greentree are projected to be in Hartford's top six, and then you have Nathan Aspinall set to make his full-time AHL debut after having a career year in the CHL.
You then also have names such as Brody Lamb, Jacob Battaglia, Aidan Thompson, and returning names such as Carey Terrance, Dylan Roobroeck, and Bryce McConnell-Barker. When you look at the whole picture, it certainly feels like it will take something special in training camp and the preseason, essentially what Noah Laba did last year, for one of the budding Blueshirts to break camp to start the season.
Will the Rangers lose Dylan Garand for nothing?
Garand was sensational during his stint with the Rangers to end the season, and it appeared he'd done enough to be the team's bargain backup to Igor Shesterkin, the league's highest paid starting netminder. He was signed to a reasonable two-way extension, and then Chris Drury traded for Joonas Korpisalo. Korpisalo is an overpaid backup, and it create a situation where if Garand doesn't get chosen to be the backup to start the season, the Rangers risk losing him to waivers.
One fan theory I've heard is that the Rangers are confident Korpisalo's salary and reputation will allow him to clear waivers, and Garand will be the guy to start the season. I am not sure how much I buy that, and for some reason I am getting flashbacks to when Ty Emberson was a regarded defense prospect that the team felt they'd be able to sneak through waivers.
He ultimately was claimed by the Edmonton Oilers, and I wonder if such a situation could happen to the Rangers again a few weeks from now.
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