It isn’t always as dramatic as the name may entail. Based on the term you may think the day consists of the guys cleaning out their lockers, signing each other's year books and going home for the summer… okay maybe minus the yearbooks that basically is what it is. Regardless, you know the season is really over when you see the freshly shaved faces of tired, worn down guys who are still trying to process that their season is over. For this Rangers team, it’s an even bigger challenge after all the excitement and emotion that came along with the season they had and the playoff run they went on. While this group has nothing to feel sorry about, there is still a feeling of unfinished business that many of them spoke about as well as a challenge surrounding the ability to feel pride after coming so far just to fall short in the Conference Finals.
There’s lots to talk about and digest from the players last media availability of the year and plenty of story lines that came with it. For Ryan Strome, Andrew Copp, Frank Vatrano, Tyler Motte, and several others, this could be the last time they set foot in the Garden as a member of the home team. For Ryan Strome, it certainly seemed like this could be the case. During his interview, he got a little emotional when talking about the future and made it very clear how much he loves New York and wants to remain here. At the same time, he knows the business and on the Rangers end, it doesn’t make a ton of sense to keep him here. If the Rangers were to keep him, it would have to be at quite the discount and for Strome, that just doesn’t make good financial sense at all. He can easily secure anywhere between five and seven million a year for the next five plus years with another team but if his money is where his mouth is, perhaps he’ll take much less to stick around.
The other problem that comes with that is Artemi Panarin. The two have formed quite the chemistry over the last couple years and Panarin has made it clear how much Strome means to him on and off the ice. It’s worth considering the sort of domino effect moving on from Strome would have on Panarin but at the end of the day, Panarin is one of the team’s top players, not the general manager. A player like him needs and should be able to play with anyone and if this team is going to have success for years to come, he’s going to have to get used to playing with different guys. Panarin got pretty acquainted with Andrew Copp since the Rangers acquired him at the deadline and if the Rangers are done with Strome, they could look to get Copp extended and run him at the second line center position.
At the end of the day, regardless of how you feel about his on ice performance, you have to feel for Ryan Strome the person. Off the ice, he’s a class act, a great guy to have on your team and exactly the kind of guy you want representing your organization. He’s loved by his teammates, favored by the media as being one of the best guys to talk to and seems to always have a smile on his face, bringing a great personality to everything he does. One of the more emotional moments of the final media day was Strome taking the time to shake everyone’s hand, thanking them for all their hard work throughout the years. That’s the kind of stuff that makes the New York Rangers, the New York Rangers. On top of all of this, Strome informed everyone that he suffered a pelvic injury towards the end of the season that was severely agitated during game three against the Lightning. We knew something was wrong with him given how he played, especially in game six but the fact that he may need surgery should be enough to forgive his shortcomings and question why we played him through it in the final games.
If the Rangers do decide to move on from Strome, Andrew Copp could be the favorite to stick around out of all the team’s unrestricted free agents. Copp also made it known that he feels the team has unfinished business and he has enjoyed his short time here and the playoff run only amplified that. His good buddy Jacob Trouba is already taking on the task of convincing him to stick around, saying to him “this better not be our last day together.” While I wouldn’t mind bringing Copp back if the price is right, the main thing you have to consider is Filip Chytil and the rest of the kids. We’ll get into more about Kakko and the others later but given how Filip Chytil stepped up in these playoffs, you have to wonder if he could be ready to take on the second line center responsibilities full time. It is still this team’s goal to compete and win a cup and for that reason alone, they may not be ready just yet to fully trust him in that role for a full season.
Another big storyline going into the media day was Kaapo Kakko and what went into Gallant’s decision to scratch him for Dryden Hunt. Like the seasoned hockey coach he is, Gerard Gallant stuck to his guns and informed us that it was “just a hockey decision” and that he was “trying to put a line up together” the one he thought “gave them the best chance to win” in that situation. Like many Rangers fans, my biggest concern with the decision was the long term implications the decision could have. Kaapo Kakko is at the end of his entry level deal this year and will be a restricted free agent unless the Rangers can get him signed to an extension. This means that until a deal with the Rangers is agreed upon, come the official start of the off season, any team could send Kakko an offer sheet and should he decide to accept, the Rangers will either have to match or take compensation for losing him.
The good news after the media talked to Kaapo seemed to be that he doesn’t think the decision changes his outlook going into next season. Like many players, he stated how he likes playing in New York and wants to stay with this team, mentioning that if anything, he will use this as motivation to come into next season. The good news for him relating to that was when asked if Gallant sees Kakko and Lafreniere as top-six forwards to start next season, his answer was 100%. Given the success of the Kid Line on top of the fact that the Rangers have Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider and Artemi Panarin dialed into their top six, the chances of the Rangers having a place for Frank Vatrano next season are a bit on the slim side. Especially if Vitaly Kravtsov, who recently signed a one year, one way extension with the Rangers, is finally ready to be a full time NHLer. On top of that, the Rangers will look to finally give Sammy Blais a look who, similarly to Vatrano, is most comfortable on the right wing. Blais will also be a restricted free agent but after spending the entire season injured, it’s hard to imagine he has much leverage in negotiating a pay raise, therefore you can expect another one year, one million dollar kind of cap hit on his end.
Given how Frank Vatrano played after the Rangers acquired him and especially considering his hustle throughout the playoffs, I wouldn’t mind it at all if they found a way to keep him around but again, you have to think if Vatrano stays, Kravtsov could get traded unless he moves to the left side, Copp won’t be brought back and Blais will likely stay on the fourth line. The bottom line when it comes to deciding which of the pending UFA’s should get an extension is it essentially comes down to who the Rangers want to keep more, Andrew Copp or Frank Vatrano. There’s pro’s and con’s to both. As I said, I liked Vatrano’s efforts throughout the playoffs a lot and he can shoot the puck as well as anybody but Copp is a much more versatile player who can help the Rangers in face-offs and on special teams. Vatrano, like many of the players on expiring deals, also expressed his interest in staying with the Rangers and how he “came here to win and wants to do just that.”
The only player on an expiring deal who didn’t really seem to show much enthusiasm on the idea of coming back was Tyler Motte, which is a shame because out of all the pending UFA’s he could be one of the more valuable pieces to this team going forward. In a perfect world, you have to think a consistent fourth line of Motte-Goodrow-Blais is exactly the kind of shutdown line that can play well in both ends of the ice and provide secondary scoring every now and then. Despite his injury, Motte proved to be a valuable bottom-six piece and was even trusted in key moments, sometimes on the wing with Zibanejad and Kreider. There could be a million different things going on in his head at the moment so I wouldn’t say we should read too much into his enthusiasm or lack thereof, but I would put him high on the priority list for the Rangers this off-season.
Aside from that, most of what we expected came from the regular's interviews. Ryan Lindgren spoke on his injury that he was clearly dealing with, although it seemed to be a lingering injury from the final regular season game that continued getting worse throughout the Penguins series. Barclay Goodrow talked about his fractured ankle and while blocking the shot in the same spot after returning from injury didn’t make it worse but “still didn’t feel good.” Ryan Reaves spoke on the challenges that came with getting scratched in the final two games but noted he was “very honest” with himself at this point in his career and even said he “was dogshit” in game four and essentially “knew it was coming.” Igor was much more laid back during his interview after keeping very serious and quiet throughout the post season and as we all could imagine, Chris Kreider was quite emotional and needed to have Mika Zibanejad in the room for emotional support.
I plan on writing a lengthier piece on what the Rangers should do regarding the captaincy going into next season but the fact of the matter is, Chris Kreider has done everything and then some to prove the C belongs on his sweater. Just by watching him get emotional, talking about how proud he is of Zibanejad for becoming the player he has goes to show how much of a leader he is on this team and how much he cares about his role here. Like many, he also spoke on how much getting eliminated stings and how that is going to be a driving factor for this group moving forward. It’s getting to the point where you have to wonder what this team is waiting for regarding naming a captain. Gallant mentioned they are going to revisit that discussion heading into next season so there could be a change of heart on the decision but as for now, the Rangers still have most of their “A”’s
Some of the players we didn’t hear from that I would’ve liked to would be Justin Braun, Sammy Blais and Alexandar Georgiev. I’m sure for Georgiev, he’s as ready as one can be to move on. While this team may love each other and appear to have all the fun in the world, it’s no secret that Georgiev has struggled with being a backup goalie and is ready for an opportunity to become a starter elsewhere. That being said, I wouldn’t expect him to have much to say at this point and is likely looking to hit the free agent market despite being a restricted free agent. Justin Braun is in an interesting situation. He’s a seasoned vet who hasn’t really moved around a ton in his career and likely wants to win a cup as much as anybody. His best chance of doing that may be here in New York but with Patrik Nemeth still under contract for two more years and Braun set to be a UFA, it’s hard to imagine the Rangers will look to bring him back.
Sammy Blais has without a doubt had a tough year as well, only playing in a handful of games with the Rangers before tearing his ACL, leaving him out for the season. Had the Rangers been able to go onto the Cup Final, he could have become an option for this team but you have to consider the challenges that come along with playing your first game in seven months in the Stanley Cup Finals. Blais should have a great opportunity to be an everyday part of this roster, in a Jesper Fast type of role and you have to hope that he will come into camp stronger than ever, ready to bounce back from this major injury.
All in all, those were pretty much the highlights to come from the final media day with the players. While there are still many questions in need of answers, we can begin piecing together an idea of what this team could look like next season. The players will have plenty of time to heal, rest up, and unwind before getting back to work to start preparing to come back strong next season. We’ll know more once we get closer to the entry draft and the contract negotiations start to pick up before the free agent frenzy. The main thing to take away from all of this is that for as hungry and desperate the fans are, the players seem to be just as motivated to get back to where they left off next season as they know they have unfinished business to take care of.
Chris Feldman
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