- While the Rangers found a way to make the money work to acquire Patrick Kane at the deadline, it doesn’t appear like that will be happening again this summer. The veteran’s agent Pat Brisson confirmed to Larry Brooks of the New York Post that there have been no discussions between the two sides about a contract for next season. Kane, who is currently recovering from hip-resurfacing surgery that will keep him out of the lineup for at least the start of 2023-24, doesn’t appear to be a candidate to sign early in free agency and is instead expected to wait things out and see how things go with his recovery.
Rangers Rumors
Rangers Expected To Sign Jonathan Quick
- Once the market opens up on Saturday, it is expected that the New York Rangers will find their veteran backup goaltender rather quickly. Kevin Weekes of ESPN reports that Jonathan Quick will land with the Rangers shortly after the market opens. This season, New York employed Jaroslav Halak as their main backup, who posted a record of 10-9-5, earning a .903 SV% and a 2.72 GAA. It’s expected that Igor Shesterkin will continue to shoulder much of the load in net next season, but the Rangers have reportedly coveted an upgrade to their backup netminder.
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Jaroslav Halak Expected To Hit Free Agency
- One of the longest-tenured netminders in the league is looking to extend his career in 2023-24, but it could be with a new team. Player agent Allan Walsh said today his client, Jaroslav Halak, will hit the unrestricted free agent market on July 1 and won’t re-sign with the New York Rangers before then. Halak, 38, is now sorely planted in “serviceable backup” territory, but there are certainly worse options for the No. 2 spot on your depth chart. The veteran of 17 NHL seasons posted a 10-9-5 record, .903 save percentage, and one shutout in 24 starts (and one relief appearance) with the Rangers this season.
New York Rangers Confirm Coaching Staff Additions
The New York Rangers have confirmed the hires of three previously reported coaching staff additions this morning. Former Buffalo Sabres head coach Phil Housley has been named an associate head coach, while Dan Muse and Michael Peca were named assistant coaches.
Housley is the main attraction here, bringing over two decades of coaching experience (nearly a decade in the NHL) to the Rangers’ completely overhauled bench, led by veteran head coach Peter Laviolette. Housley had worked under Laviolette with the Nashville Predators from four seasons (2013 to 2017) before heading to Buffalo, where he spent the 2017-18 and 2018-19 campaigns as their head coach. He then spent three years as an assistant coach with the Arizona Coyotes until the 2022-23 campaign, which he took off from coaching.
Housley also has a solid bit of experience dealing with younger players and achieving success in the process, capturing the gold medal at the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship with the United States. Muse joins him in that regard, spending the last three seasons as the coach of the U.S. National Team Development Program, which has churned out a number of elite prospects such as Cutter Gauthier, Frank Nazar, Jimmy Snuggerud, Lane Hutson, Logan Cooley, and Luke Hughes, as well as 2023 eligibles such as Gabe Perreault, Oliver Moore, Ryan Leonard, and Will Smith in that time. He was the video coach for Housley’s win at the 2013 World Juniors and got a gold medal of his own as the Americans’ head coach at this year’s U18 World Juniors tournament.
Muse and Peca have both also worked with Laviolette, with Muse spending three years as an assistant in Nashville while Peca worked with Laviolette as a player development coach with the Washington Capitals in 2020-21. The Rangers didn’t disclose the specific roles each coach will be taking on with the team.
The additions fill out a coaching staff that was nearly wiped clean after the team parted ways with head coach Gerard Gallant and assistants Gord Murphy, Jim Midgley, and Mike Kelly. Only goaltending coach Benoit Allaire remains from last year’s core coaching staff.
New York Rangers Hire Phil Housley
Earlier today, there were reports indicating that Peter Laviolette and the New York Rangers had an interest in bringing in Phil Housley as an assistant coach for the team’s upcoming season, and that’s exactly what they did. Arthur Staple of The Athletic reports that Housley will indeed be joining Laviolette’s staff as an assistant coach for the Rangers.
Before the Nashville Predators brought in Laviolette prior to the 2014-15 season, Housley had actually already spent a season on Nashville’s bench. The two would go on to coach the next three years with each other, helping the Predators to the 2017 Stanley Cup Final against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Because of his success in Nashville, the Buffalo Sabres were the first team to give Housley a shot at head coaching, beginning before the 2017-18 season. In 164 games spent manning the bench in Buffalo, Housley would produce a record of 58-84-22, well outside the playoff picture in both years.
After being fired from the Sabres after the 2018-19 season, the Arizona Coyotes, along with then-head coach Rick Tocchet signed Housley to a multi-year deal. During his time with the Coyotes, which ended after the 2021-22 season, Housley was primarily used as the team’s defensive and power play coach.
Aside from Laviolette bringing in some familiar faces to his coaching staff, this is quite the shrewd move for Housley as well. Since the run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2017, Housley has failed to be on the bench of a competitive team. During those separate times with the Sabres and Coyotes, Housley did not manage to find any success at all. Joining a Rangers team that is expected to contend for the Cup next year, this will be an opportunity for Housley to gain back confidence and strengthen his resume.
Dan Muse Joins Rangers Coaching Staff
The new head coach of the New York Rangers, Peter Laviolette, is working diligently on getting the rest of his bench filled out for the upcoming season. In the last 36 hours, one name has already been inked, as former player Michael Peca will be brought on to serve as an assistant coach.
Adding to that list, Mollie Walker of the New York Post reports that Dan Muse will also be brought on to serve as an assistant coach on the Rangers’ bench. This will not be Muse’s first shot in the NHL, as he served under Laviolette with the Nashville Predators from 2017-20.
New York Rangers To Hire Mike Peca
Wake up, Mike, you’re headed to the Big Apple. Late last night Jeff Marek of Sportsnet reported that Mike Peca will be joining the New York Rangers coaching staff. Peca will be on the bench as an assistant alongside Peter Laviolette.
The former NHL forward has spent nearly his entire career in the state of New York. Captain of both the Buffalo Sabres and New York Islanders during his playing days, he then joined the Buffalo Jr. Sabres in a managerial and coaching role, before serving as an assistant with the Rochester Americans the last two seasons.
Though he never played for the Rangers, he’ll be familiar with the coaching style of his new boss. Laviolette was Peca’s coach with the Islanders for two years, including during his career-best 60-point campaign in 2001-02, after being given the captaincy.
In all, Peca registered 465 points in 864 NHL games, while taking home the Selke Trophy as the league’s best defensive forward on two occasions. This will be his first NHL coaching role.
New York Rangers Extend Zac Jones
The New York Rangers have agreed to terms with defenseman Zac Jones on a two-year contract extension, the team said today. The New York Post’s Mollie Walker reports the deal carries an $812,500 average annual value and is a one-way deal in both seasons.
Getting Jones under contract early into June takes care of one of many depth defenders the Rangers have to give new deals. An early third-round pick of the team in 2019, Jones signed his entry-level contract after just two seasons of college hockey at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and has seen NHL ice in each of the past three campaigns, including a goal and an assist in 16 appearances this year.
He’s still looking to secure a full-time role, but extended time in the minors has been kind to him. Jones has recorded 66 points in 106 games with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack since 2021, making significant strides in his defensive game this year as well.
Jones’ cap hit comes in lower than the $874,125 qualifying offer he was due, but a one-way deal over the course of two seasons guarantees him quite a bit more money. It’ll also help his chances for a recall or even making the team out of camp – every dollar against the cap counts in a tight situation like the Rangers’, and they’ll be looking for offensive contributions from more mobile defenders like Jones. Signing him to a one-way deal reflects that, and it should be a safe bet to see Jones play a career-high in NHL games during the upcoming campaign.
Offseason Checklist: New York Rangers
The offseason is now fully underway after Vegas took home the Stanley Cup which means that it’s time to examine what each team will need to accomplish over the coming months. Next up is a look at the Rangers.
Expectations were high for New York heading into the playoffs. They had a solid regular season and loaded up for the playoffs, adding wingers Vladimir Tarasenko and Patrick Kane while also getting Niko Mikkola to help on the back end. Instead of their firepower carrying the day though, they struggled to score with consistency which played a big role in their early exit at the hand of New Jersey. One big change has already been made behind the bench but GM Chris Drury still has some work cut out for him in the coming weeks.
Finalize Coaching Staff
After a long search, the Rangers have figured out who their head coach is going to be following yesterday’s hiring of Peter Laviolette on a three-year deal worth just under $5MM per season. Now, the team will need to finalize the rest of their staff. Mike Kelly and Jim Midgley were let go last month along with former bench boss Gerard Gallant while Gord Murphy will now also not return. That means the only holdover from last year’s staff is goalie coach Benoit Allaire.
It’s not entirely uncommon for a head coach to come in with a clean slate. Two of Laviolette’s assistants from last season in Washington, Kevin McCarthy and Blaine Forsythe, also departed the Capitals and possibly resurface in similar roles with the Rangers. It’s also possible that AHL Hartford head coach Kris Knoblauch could be promoted after four years with the Wolf Pack. He does have two seasons as an NHL assistant under his belt in 2017-18 and 2018-19 with Philadelphia.
Having the assistants in place by free agency isn’t a necessity since Laviolette is in place but it wouldn’t be surprising to see this one get checked off within the next couple of weeks.
Clear Cap Space
At first glance, New York’s cap situation doesn’t look terrible as they project to have a little over $11.7MM in space, per CapFriendly. However, when you consider that they have to sign eight or nine players with that money, including second contracts for a pair of core youngsters, it doesn’t take long to realize that this is going to be a problem. They need to open up some cap room which isn’t necessarily going to be easy in an environment where many others will be looking to do the same.
At first glance, forward Barclay Goodrow seems like a possible cap casualty. The 30-year-old has certainly come as advertised in his first two seasons with the team, providing his two best offensive seasons while still providing the grit and defensive play that endeared him to Drury in the first place. The problem is that he carries a cap hit of just over $3.64MM. For a bottom-six forward, that’s an above-market rate and one they can’t afford. On top of that, he has four years left on his contract. That will make it difficult to move him but he’s the logical one to try to trade.
If a trade involving him can’t be reached, then it gets tough. Defenseman Ryan Lindgren and forward Filip Chytil are on either side of Goodrow on New York’s salary scale but both are important parts of their younger core. Moving anyone making less than that isn’t going to move the needle much in terms of cap savings and going above Chytil’s contract lands you with six skaters that have full no-move clauses.
There are definitely things that are easier said than done and when it comes to opening up cap room, this is certainly one of those for the Rangers. However, they’re going to have to bite the bullet at some point over the next few weeks; whether it’s the one they likely want to move (Goodrow) or one they don’t remains to be seen.
Re-Sign Key RFAs
A good chunk of the cap space that they have is going to go to two of their prominent restricted free agents, players that are pegged to be significant pieces of both the present roster and the future one. Accordingly, the Rangers would like to avoid having to move either defenseman K’Andre Miller or forward Alexis Lafreniere to alleviate their cap challenges.
Miller has the better track record of the two and established himself as a fixture in the top four in his sophomore year. This season, he was even better, more than doubling his point total from 20 to 43 while taking a bigger role in the lineup, finishing second to only Adam Fox in ice time. As a result, even a short-term bridge contract is going to be on the pricey side, likely somewhere in the $3.5MM to $4MM range. Meanwhile, a longer-term agreement that buys out some UFA time is likely to creep past the $6MM mark based on the year he just had. The Rangers would undoubtedly love to give Miller that long-term contract but unless they find a way to free up significant cap room (by moving one of those six high-paid players with NMCs), they’ll be forced to go the bridge route with him, giving them some short-term flexibility with a higher price point to come when it’s up.
As for Lafreniere, the 2020 first-overall pick has yet to become a top offensive threat. However, his production has increased over the last couple of years and with it, his playing time. Still just 21, there’s still plenty of time to live up to his potential or at least carve out a bigger role in the lineup. The fact that he has underachieved so far along with their cap situation completely takes a long-term contract off the table. Lafreniere will be getting a short-term bridge deal, an arrangement both sides will be content with. A two-year deal should check in around the $2.75MM mark while a three-year pact would push his AAV past $3MM. It could also be suggested that if they can’t move Goodrow or clear out salary otherwise, it’s not outside the realm of possibility that Lafreniere could become a cap casualty although that clearly wouldn’t be their preference.
Sign A Backup Goalie
Last summer, the Rangers decided to cut some costs in goal, moving out Alexandar Georgiev to Colorado for a trio of draft picks and signing Jaroslav Halak for less than half of what Georgiev received from the Avs. The decision was certainly understandable; with one of the top starters in the league in Igor Shesterkin (coming off a Vezina-winning campaign) and a tight salary cap picture, going cheaper on a second-stringer made sense.
Halak worked out reasonably well for New York, posting a 2.73 GAA with a .903 SV% in 25 games and in a year that saw goal rates go up, his numbers wound up being a bit better than league average. In the end, they got good value on their $1.5MM investment.
But Halak is 38, making him one of the oldest goaltenders in the league. Does he have another season like that in him? Do they want to look at other options, perhaps ones that are a bit cheaper to try to free up more room? Internally, veteran third-stringer Louis Domingue is in the fold and is signed for the league minimum which would help from a cap standpoint but the 31-year-old hasn’t had double-digit NHL appearances since 2019-20. The goalie market moves fast in free agency with the annual game of musical chairs often starting and ending on July 1st so Drury has a few weeks to figure out his plan and wish list on this front.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Rangers To Retain Kris Knoblauch As AHL Head Coach
- The New York Rangers will retain Kris Knoblauch as their AHL head coach for next season, according to The Athletic’s Arthur Staple. Knoblauch was a candidate for the Rangers’ head coaching vacancy and has been the bench boss for the Hartford Wolf Pack for the past four seasons. He led Hartford to the AHL playoffs this past season and upset one of the Eastern Conference’s best teams, the Providence Bruins, in a playoff series. Knoblauch, 44, will look to build on the progress made for Hartford this past season and make a push toward Calder Cup contention.