The New York Rangers have made a number of key improvements to their team with two significant moves that have affected the team’s salary cap situation. The Rangers signed star winger Artemi Panarin to a seven-year, $81.5MM deal on July 1, but also traded for defenseman Jacob Trouba and signed him to a seven-year, $56MM deal. While the team had plenty of cap space, the team now is somewhere between $900K and $1.55MM over the cap and that’s not including a number of restricted free agents left to sign, including Pavel Buchnevich, Brendan Lemieux, Anthony DeAngelo and Vinni Lettieri.
Because of that, The Athletic’s Rick Carpiniello (subscription required) writes that with those kinds of cap issues which should only get more challenging in the future, it likely ends the team’s run with forward Chris Kreider. The 28-year-old is in the final year of his contract and would likely seek a deal somewhere around seven years at $7MM per season, something that the Rangers can’t afford for a inconsistent forward who will be 29 years old when the new contract kicks in. It makes more sense that the Rangers will try to unload Kreider now for the most possible return to help with their cap issues.
- In an article looking at three ways to improve the New Jersey Devils roster this offseason, NJ.com’s Chris Ryan writes that in a summer in which general manager Ray Shero has made some savvy moves, including acquiring P.K. Subban from Nashville for practically nothing as well as signing forward Wayne Simmonds to a one-year, $5MM “prove it” deal, the team can still make upgrades. He writes that the team should consider signing free-agent defenseman Jake Gardiner, who remains unsigned, in hopes of bolstering their weak left-side which has just Andy Greene, Will Butcher and Mirco Mueller there. Even Ty Smith, who is left-handed, played on the right side in junior, so there is a realistic opening on the left side and Gardiner might be a good fit there, assuming he’d be willing to come down from his rumored $7MM pricetag.
- With a few key restricted free agent forwards already having signed, the Courier Post’s David Isaac writes in his mailbag piece that he believes that Philadelphia Flyers forward Travis Konecny is likely to sign within the next few weeks, especially now that a couple significant comparables have signed. the scribe writes that with Timo Meier having signed for four years at $6MM with San Jose and Jakub Vrana agreeing to a two-year deal at $3.35MM, it has set a market for Konecny. It’s likely that Konecny will fall somewhere between the two. The 24-year-old has had two straight 24-goal seasons and had a career-high 49 points last season. With the legitimate potential that a breakout season could come soon, it’s much more likely that Konecny opts to sign a short-term bridge deal over a long-term one.
The Athletics Rick Cap should start watching hockey. You don’t sign Panarin and Trouba to take a step forward and then trade away you me only physical presence and power forward ego can score 20 plus goals in his sleep on the rush with his speed or ifo the net. It makes no sense. If you can get a huge return then yes do it but if your not getting multiple firsts and a top prospect then don’t bother and try and make the playoffs this season.
Are you nuts! That would be so smart to trade Kreider now, while they can actually get something for him. And there is no way they get multiple 1st’s for him
Hahahaha multiple firsts? When everyone knows they HAVE to get rid of someone? They lost all leverage and will be lucky to get a late first. More like two seconds and a prospect.Huge devils fan here so I’m biased but rangers went from rebuilding with a ton of cap to now basically over the cap and hoping they can get somthing for their loose scraps. I love panarin and I love Kakko, and even trouba, but the ball is in a different court now, not the rangers.
The point Ms. NJ Snippets is that the Rangers would not get s great return so it makes zero sense to trade Kreider who is in his prime and is a power forward and too be honest one of the better power forwards in the game when healthy. So I would not deal him for two number twos and a prospect because that is basically giving him up. You would need s high end prospect with those number 2’s or a number one and a very solid prospect. Keep him and trade Buchnevich with another decent defensive prospect and try and unload Smith in the deal.
Kreider is the logically trade chip. Rangers cap issues are going to get more difficult. Dealing any of those other players will not help the cap issue anywhere near as well as dealing Kreider would. He’s in the final year of his deal! They’ve already lost any leverage, they’d be silly to hold onto him now and risk losing him for nothing. Which is exactly what would happen if they took your advice. They’re never going to sign him to long term deal that they can’t afford. It’s not happening. They’ll be happy to get a 2nd and a prospect at this point I’m sure.
I would rather unload Shattenkirk to somebody or even a buyout , the Rangers need to do something hell throw in Smith in deal , keep Kreider get rid of Shattenkirk, he’s been lost since he left St. Louis,