With the Rangers monumental playoff run coming to an end, the gears now shift toward preparing for next season. For Chris Drury and the rest of Rangers management, there is quite a hefty to do list in terms of deciding what to do with current players on expiring deals and cap space is slowly beginning to play a major factor in making those decisions. Drury and company have already begun taking care of said list with the re-signing of Sammy Blais on a one year deal just shy of over $1.5 million. A fitting, albeit wise, first official off-season move.
The Rangers have seven unrestricted free agents in Ryan Strome, Andrew Copp, Frank Vatrano, Tyler Motte, Justin Braun, Kevin Rooney, and Greg McKegg. For RFA’s, with Blais now under contract on an extension, they have Kaapo Kakko, Julien Gauthier and Alexandar Georgiev. Four if you count Libor Hajek. For the most part, it’s a given to at the very least give qualifying offers to all of the RFA’s except for Alexandar Georgiev, who is without a doubt ready to spread his wings and fly as a starter somewhere else. For the UFA’s, you have to think the Rangers are only going to be able to afford to keep two, maybe three of their expiring players and that decision really comes down to who they value more, Andrew Copp or Frank Vatrano?
With that in mind, let’s take it player by player and assess where they’re at, what they could look at signing for and whether that will be in New York or elsewhere:
Greg McKegg:
Kegger is currently approaching the end of his second tour of duty with the New York Rangers. McKegg didn’t play at all during the post season and was limited to 43 games throughout the regular season. Most of his opportunities coming from injuries going around the team. McKegg is one of those depth, role player type of pieces that bounce around from team to team, going back and forth between the American and National league’s. Appropriately nicknamed “legs”, you can always rely on McKegg to get his cardio in, great for a handful of “backcheck, forecheck, paycheck” type of shifts that keep momentum going. He’s in the final stretch of his career as he is approaching his thirties.
Having already played for seven different teams, I would imagine it’s pretty safe to assume that Greg will hit the free agent market come the start of the off-season. I wouldn’t completely rule out a return to the Rangers organization however, given the trajectory of his career, it’s pretty likely he’ll add another team to his ever growing resume. Wherever he signs, I find it hard to see him as a full time NHLer, but if there’s one thing GM’s around this league love, it’s signing cheap, experienced depth guys. That being said, Rangers will likely pass on a potential extension but never say never.
Kevin Rooney:
People forget, the New York Rangers protected Kevin Rooney during the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft. While Kevin Rooney sort of fell deeper and deeper into the Rangers depth charts following all of the trade deadline acquisitions, I do think Rooney still has some value, whether it’s to this team or any other. Rooney was among the pending free agents that made it a point to say how much he enjoys New York and hopes to stay here but given the circumstances, may find himself house hunting come mid-July. While Rooney didn’t play a ton down the stretch, I do think he has it in him to solidify a fourth line role with another team, perhaps on a larger salary.
On the flipside, the Rangers do value him, so much so that when injuries came around, Rooney found himself wearing an “A” on his jersey. I could see the Rangers having interest in keeping him around but assuming they take strides to ensure they remain competitive next season, at best, Rooney would be the 13th, possibly 14th forward on the depth charts. Ryan Reaves is going to have a tough time cracking an every day line up spot and with Dryden Hunt still under contract for another year, the Rangers may not have any other choice but to encourage Rooney to get his money somewhere else.
Justin Braun:
To tell ya the truth, I like Justin Braun a lot. He stepped up at a huge opportunity and played a strong, shutdown defensive role with this Rangers team, eating some big minutes against other teams’ top players deep in a playoff run. Hockey people raved about his ability to use his stick to poke check the puck away from attacking players and he really exemplified that down the stretch and throughout the playoffs. In a perfect world, bringing him back on a one year deal would be great, but the fact of the matter is, the Rangers still have Patrik Nemeth on the books for another two seasons.
While Nemeth absolutely struggled throughout the season, especially in the playoffs, it’s hard to imagine the Rangers will look to kick him to the curb. Unless they’re really in that tight of a cap situation, where pinching every penny makes a significant difference, it doesn’t make much sense for them to give up after one year of a three year deal to save a couple bucks. You have to think at least one of, potentially both of Nils Lundkvist and Zac Jones will be looking to make the team out of camp next season. With that in mind, you have to assume Nemeth could be finding himself in a seventh defenseman role, even if the Rangers let Braun hit free agency. For that reason alone, I don’t see the Rangers having much to offer him unless they are adamant about finding Nemeth a new home before the season starts.
Andrew Copp:
Andrew Copp was no question the big name trade deadline acquisition that got this team ready to make a serious push in the playoffs and for the most part, it surely paid off. Copp was a great addition to this team's forward group, bouncing around from the center ice and wing positions. His versatility is a huge part of what makes him so valuable to this Rangers team, especially when you have as many young players still trying to make names for themselves as they do. Regardless of what happened post trade deadline, Andrew Copp was going to be due for a raise. After several seasons making a name for himself in Winnipeg, he was on track to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season.
Given his success with the Rangers and peer pressure from his childhood friend in Jacob Trouba, his future is now in question. Will he go to free agency as anticipated or will he sign an extension with the Rangers? Copp made it clear in his breakup day interview that he has enjoyed his time here and feels there is unfinished business in helping this team achieve their ultimate goal. In addition to having the opportunity to continue playing with one of his closest friends, will Copp entertain extension talks to stay with this group and have as good a chance as any to chase Lord Stanley’s hardware?
Copp could be looking anywhere in the $5 million or higher range, likely anywhere between four to six years. If he prefers to stay with the Rangers, that number is going to have to have a ceiling of $5.5. Million and be a lot closer to four years than six. While the Rangers cap situation is going to be a bit of a challenge next season, it is only going to get tougher when K’Andre Miller and Alexis Lafreniere are due raises and that’s something Drury really has to consider when offering extensions to players of the likes of Andrew Copp. Another thing to consider with keeping Copp is the long term effects it has on room for growth within the Rangers youth.
With Zibanejad, Kreider and Panarin, the Rangers only have so many spots in their top-six. Gerard Gallant has already noted that he envisions Kaapo Kakko and Alexis Lafreniere in the top-six next year, which leaves one spot at the second line center position. Copp could easily slot into that role however, that would pretty much leave Filip Chytil stuck on the third line for however long Copp remains a Ranger. Now if the Rangers are going to continue competing, it’s not a bad idea to be better safe than sorry, in ensuring your team’s depth chart is in as best a situation as possible. However, you have to think Chytil’s performance in the playoffs indicates he could be ready for a more serious look at the second line center role.
I’ll talk a little more about that when we get to Ryan Strome but the Rangers definitely have to find the happy medium of giving Chytil the chance to be successful as well as putting the best possible team together night in and night out to keep pushing in playoff runs.
Frank Vatrano:
Arguably one of the more slept on names at the trade deadline, arguably around the league was Frank Vatrano and ever since coming to New York, he has proven what he is capable of. Vatrano is a hard working, in your face type of player with the skill of a top six kind of guy. He has an incredible shot that he rarely hesitates to release, something that is extremely valuable to any team, especially one that passes the puck as much as the Rangers do. Not only did he thrive with the Rangers, scoring eight goals in 22 games with the team, but he truly hustled, especially in the playoffs. Fewer guys on the Rangers side of the ice back checked and fore checked with the tenacity that Vatrano did. He rarely lost battles for the puck and put up a hell of a fight in the ones he lost. Vatrano also put up a hell of a fight In the literal sense when he dropped the gloves in the middle of the Tampa series when tensions rose and the team needed a jolt to get them going.
Given the Rangers cap situation, you have to think it’s going to come down to either Andrew Copp or Frank Vatrano as far as whether or not they decide to keep a bigger name UFA. There’s no question this team’s top priority is finding an answer at the second line center role; however, if the Rangers feel they can address that need elsewhere, they could look to keep Vatrano if the price is right. Granted, the Sammy Blais and Vitaly Kravtsov extensions sort of hurt that concept as both of them play the same position Vatrano does. Unless the plan is to keep one of those three on the left side, they may not see a place for Vatrano in their lineup next season. Although, you have to think a third line of Kravtsov - Chytil/FA Center - Vatrano could really be something…
At the end of the day, the versatility of Andrew Copp is a big factor in the decision and as a result, if the Rangers elect to keep anyone, it will likely be Copp. There is a world in which the Rangers can keep both; however, term will have to be low and neither player should expect any grand raises in pay. If they put their money where their mouth is and are open to taking a cheaper deal on shorter term, they could both remain with the team and look to run this whole thing right back next season. Time will certainly tell!
Tyler Motte:
Very similarly to Frank Vatrano, Tyler Motte was a force to be reckoned with for the Rangers. He missed a fair amount of action, dealing with an injury late in the season but when he came back toward the end of that first round, he worked harder than anyone out there and provided the team with a necessary jolt that kept them fighting. So much so that the Rangers occasionally had him out there with guys like Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider during pivotal moments of the game. That goes to show you how important a guy like Tyler Motte could be in a depth role for a team like the Rangers. You have to think, a picture perfect fourth line for this Rangers team next season would be Goodrow - Motte - Blais with Reaves and Hunt as the 13th and 14th forwards. However, one of the many takeaways from the breakup/media day was Tyler Motte being significantly less enthusiastic about a potential return to the team.
Perhaps there isn’t much purpose in looking too much into that but Motte could very well decide to walk and test out the market this summer. For all we know, he could very well find himself signing a Barclay Goodrow kind of deal if a team has enough interest in him, who knows how the free agent market is going to play out this season. You have to think Chris Drury and management will be interested in bringing him back but if the negotiations start at anything more than what Sammy Blais signed for, I find it hard to see the Rangers making it work with their cap situation. Motte walking would be a tough pill to swallow but there’s always going to be cheap fourth line options to explore come free agency.
Ryan Strome:
One thing to always keep in mind when it comes to the offseason is that hockey is a business and with that, oftentimes come difficult decisions. Ryan Strome has become one of the more likable Rangers players in recent years. Fans like him (except when he misses wide open nets, still can’t believe it) players like him, the media loves getting answers from him. He’s a great guy to have in the room and a great guy to have representing your organization. On top of all of that, he was one of the six hundred assistant captains for the Rangers this past season so if they let him walk, they would lose a key member of their leadership group. Not only that, but they would risk a morale decrease from one of their top players as Artemi Panarin loves having Strome centering his line. Strome is absolutely due a raise that the Rangers can’t afford and shouldn’t even consider, but if the price is right, could keeping him around be the right move?
As of right now, Copp seems to be the favorite for the solution at second line center. The major factor in this decision is ultimately going to be money and that is where Strome could kind of have an advantage in a strange way. Strome made it abundantly clear while he was holding back tears in his media day interview that he loves New York and wants to stay here; however given common hockey knowledge, he is pretty much preparing for the team to choose to move on. Since Strome would likely consider taking a discount to stay, that could be a major advantage in the Rangers deciding between Strome/Copp/Vatrano. Strome could also be a little more open to the idea of bouncing between the second and third line then Andrew Copp might be, giving more leeway to Filip Chytil to get opportunities to develop.
Another big thing to keep in mind with Ryan Strome is he is potentially about to have a major surgery and part of why he looked so bad in the playoffs and towards the end of regular season was because of this injury. Strome is still a productive NHL center and could be a very important piece to any team but you have to wonder how deep in his prime he currently is and where the trajectory of his career is going to take him in the next couple of seasons. If I’m Chris Drury, I’m keeping the negotiations between Strome and Copp pretty similar and whoever says yes to something in the four million dollar range first, gets to stick around. However, at the end of the day, moving on from both, putting Chytil on the second line and signing a free agent to center the third line isn’t the worst plan in the world either.
Libor Hajek:
Libor, Libor, Libor. The lone remaining piece of the infamous Ryan McDonagh/JT Miller trade. (Draft picks excluded). Hajek has survived expansion drafts, trade rumors, made the team over highly regarded prospects, will this finally be the year that the Rangers move on from him? It’s no secret that there aren’t many opportunities for him to be an everyday member of the Rangers blueline and quite frankly, he has yet to really prove he is capable of being an everyday NHL player. For that reason alone, you have to think the Rangers will let him go to free agency and potentially find a new home somewhere else. However, because Hajek is set to be a restricted free agent, they could look to give him a qualifying offer and in the event that he accepts it, could spend another season in Hartford’s top-six. Or you know, maybe he’ll make the team over Patrik Nemeth.
Alexandar Georgiev:
Unfortunately, there isn’t much to say regarding Alexandar Georgiev aside from the fact there is almost no chance of him returning to the New York Rangers next season. I feel it’s important for fans to take a second to appreciate him before he moves on to another team because for a while, he was a really important piece to this team. A lot of fans were a little harsh on him and yes, some games throughout the last two seasons he could’ve and should’ve been a lot better. However, at the end of the day, he had far more great games than bad for the New York Rangers and really bridged the gap between Henrik Lundqvist and Igor Shesterkin.
Part of the reason I think so many fans are a bit harsh on Georgiev is because he’s partially the reason the Rangers bought out Henrik Lundqvist. Georgiev was coming off a great season and Igor Shesterkin was beginning to dip his toe in the NHL waters so the Rangers made the decision. In with the new, out with the old. The problem with that quickly became that Alexandar Georgiev is not a backup goalie and therefore, did not thrive in that situation. For as easy a job you may think it is, it takes a very special skillset to be a successful back up goalie. So much of keeping the puck out of the net is repetition, getting a good feel for the puck and riding hot streaks. It’s very difficult to do that when you aren’t playing night in and night out. With Igor Shesterkin becoming Igor Shesterkin, Georgiev saw less and less games, making for the games he did play to not be his best.
Between fans blaming him for the betrayal of the King and frustration in him not being as good as Shesterkin, Georgiev really had a tough go of it throughout the last year and it couldn’t be more clear that he is ready to move on. Wherever he ends up, I hope he follows in the Cam Talbot footprints and becomes a successful starter, preferably in the Western Conference and finds nothing but success with it. His time in New York is likely over and while we don’t have much use for him anymore, I will still miss the guy.
Julien Gauthier
Ah Julien, is there any better player in the league at putting himself in scoring positions where he doesn’t score? Gauthier had so much offensive success in the junior and AHL level but ever since being traded to the Rangers, he has yet to get those skills to translate at the NHL level. For the same reasons the Rangers may not be able to keep Frank Vatrano, Julien Gauthier may not have an immediate place on this team next season. However, an important thing to remember is Gauthier is still very early in his twenties. It’s not the end of the world if he still finds himself in the AHL every now and then.
For the Rangers, it makes great sense to give him his qualifying offer and if he chooses to take it, he will likely start the season in Hartford being one of the first in line call ups. Sure, the Rangers would risk losing him to waivers and another team could always send him an offer sheet that likely wouldn’t require any compensation but that’s kind of where Gauthier is at in his career. Mid risk, mid-high reward. I still believe Julien Gautheir has the potential to be a middle-six forward in the NHL however it certainly won’t be with the Rangers, at least for another couple of seasons. If he grows impatient, I wouldn’t blame him for seeking other opportunities but I do think he’s worth holding on to as long as the Rangers can.
Kaapo Kakko
Last but certainly not least is one of the hotter topics of conversation since the Rangers have been eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Kaapo Kakko, former second overall pick by the Rangers who as we all know, became a healthy scratch in the final game of the post season. As he said in his media day interview, he doesn’t see that playing a role in how he envisions his near future so hopefully all the trade rumors and other narratives involving that can be put to bed. What can’t be put to bed until Kakko puts ink to the paper is his contract negotiations, as he is at the end of his entry level contract.
Crazy how those three years came and went already but nevertheless, there is a deal to be made. Obviously Kakko hasn’t had the easiest transition to the NHL, dealing with a pandemic, injuries and not making an immediate, game changing type of impact. However, if you watched him play every night like many of us do, you know as well as anybody that he is an incredible hockey player and still holds so much potential. He was a huge part of why the Kid Line was so successful in the playoffs and next season could be that breakout season we’ve been waiting so long for. Especially considering Gerard Gallant’s comments about seeing Kakko and Lafreniere in the top-six next season.
WIth that being said, you have to imagine that his next deal is going to be a bridge deal, likely in the conversation of one or two years. Again, with the Rangers cap situation, the longer they can get Kakko signed for less money is going to be huge, so if they can turn that possible two year deal into a three, it could really help them in the long run. However, you have to think that a two for two kind of deal is most likely going to be the case, perhaps similar to the bridge deal Filip Chytil is currently signed to. Regardless of the money, getting Kakko’s extension done is undoubtedly one of the biggest priorities on Chris Drury’s to-do list this off season and will hopefully get done sooner rather than later.
Bottom line, if the Rangers can keep two of Strome, Copp, Vatrano and Motte, they're in a pretty good place for next season while still having the ability to bring in a couple cheap free agent pieces. The Rangers will still need a backup goalie and like any other team, will look to add some solid depth pieces but if they want to address their major needs in house, extending two of those pending UFA’s is the way to do it. It will be very interesting to see how those negotiations play out but as we know with the Sammy Blais extension, the season never truly ends and Rangers management is already getting to work on getting this group ready to run it all back next season.
Chris Feldman
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