The style of rebuild Jeff Gorton and the New York Rangers went through was a very
unique one. Usually rebuilds take four or five years, but with a flurry of moves, high draft picks,
and the signing of Artemi Panarin, the Rangers are on the cusp of greatness yet again, but there
are three roadblocks in the way.
Henrik Lundqvist, Marc Staal, and Brendan Smith are all players with contracts that could
potentially hinder John Davidson and Jeff Gorton’s abilities to make moves this upcoming
offseason. So the question remains, who should or shouldn’t be bought out?
HENRIK LUNDQVIST: The King is one of, if not the greatest goalie to ever put on a blue sweater.
Over the last 15 seasons, Hank was a constant presence in between the pipes. With the
emergence of Alexender Georgiev and Igor Seshtirkin in net, Hank has no place on this team
anymore. With a contract that carries a $8.5 million price tag going into this next season, his
time in the crease at the Garden should be coming to a close. If the tandem of Georgiev and
Igor did not exist, it could be suggested to keep Hank there as a mentor/ locker room type
player, but his services are no longer needed. Buy him out, and either let him take one last shot
at the cup elsewhere, or raise his banner the first night fans are allowed back.
MARC STAAL: Although fans may not like Staal’s play over the last few seasons, unless K’andre
Miller can step in and show an Adam Fox type skillset right away, it might be hard to buy Staal
out. More importantly, the impending RFA Tony D’Angelo will be searching for a hefty contract,
one that could potentially come back and bite the Rangers, being the last few big contracts the
Rangers gave defenseman did not work out for them here, or were shipped to Tampa Bay. Staal
has one more year on his deal, and it has a $5.7 million cap hit, and a cap hit percentage of
8.84%, could the money be used better off elsewhere? The short answer is yes. But if Gorton
does not have a trick up his sleeve, it might be tough to bring in a solid defenseman to replace
Staal. Ranger fans may just have to sit through one more mediocre year of Marc Staal and his
awful looking visor.
BRENDAN SMITH: If I could pay him out myself, I would. This was one of Gorton’s more
bonehead signings. Yes, Brendan Smith could play winger and could step in on the blue line if
need be, but his versatility is a non-factor when he can’t stay on the ice. He is a guy that has
been nothing but Swiss cheese at either position, and is taking time away from guys like Vitali
Kravstov, who could be cutting his teeth in MSG rather than Hartford. Brendan Smith, pack your
bags.
This is a big time offseason coming up for JD and Jeff Gorton, after Alexis Lafreniere is officially
the number one pick, the front office is just one or two moves away from making this team a
Stanley Cup contender, but before adding guys, they must start with these buyouts.
By; Eric Belyea
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