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No Extension Talks Yet Between Rangers And Ryan Strome

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Throughout his tenure with the Rangers, Ryan Strome’s job security has seemed to be relatively thin.  Two years ago, the team acknowledged that they gave consideration to not tendering him a qualifying offer in part to avoid the risk of salary arbitration.  Instead, they agreed on a two-year, $9MM contract, one that ends in July.

For that money, New York has received a pretty good return.  Last season, the 28-year-old had 49 points in 56 games, the highest point per game average of his career (slightly besting his point per game average from 2018-19, his first full season as a Ranger).  This year, Strome is off to another good start with 10 points in 13 games.  Granted, a lot of that production has come alongside top winger Artemi Panarin but the combination has worked pretty well overall.

With that in mind, it would only seem logical for the two sides to be discussing an extension.  Not so fast, as Mollie Walker of the New York Post reports that there have been no such talks nor is there a plan for any to be held in the near future.

New York has some significant additions to their salary cap for next season which certainly plays a role in their current approach.  Mika Zibanejad’s AAV goes up by $3.15MM while Adam Fox goes from a base salary of $925K to a $9.5MM cap charge.  Add that to the likes of Sammy Blais, Kaapo Kakko, and Alexandar Georgiev all needing new deals as pending restricted free agents and all of a sudden, there isn’t a lot of money left; they have more than $70MM in commitments already per CapFriendly with the Upper Limit only expected to go up by a million or so for next season.

As a result, it looks like Strome could wind up being the odd one out even though it would open up a big hole inside their top six to try to fill, particularly internally with Filip Chytil looking like more of a bottom-six forward than a top-six option.  That’s something that GM Chris Drury will need to be mindful of as he looks to add to his current group with Blais out for the year.  In the meantime, Strome will look to pile up the points and hope that it will land him a sizable deal somewhere for next season, even if it’s not with Panarin and the Rangers.

New York Rangers Looking For Middle-Six Forward

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The New York Rangers lost last night to the Toronto Maple Leafs, mustering up just one goal against the red-hot Jack Campbell. That lack of offensive output probably only strengthened general manager Chris Drury’s belief that his team needs an extra forward, something that was reported before the game by TSN’s Darren Dreger. The Rangers are after a “middle-six” forward, following the season-ending injury to Sammy Blais.

Today, Arthur Staple of The Athletic examines eight potential targets for the Rangers, including Calle Jarnkrok of the Seattle Kraken and Phil Kessel of the Arizona Coyotes. Those are obviously very different types of players, but Staple examines several others that should fall somewhere in the middle. Interestingly, the scribe also notes that a veteran defenseman is also on the Rangers’ shopping list.

In last night’s PHR Live Chat, the idea of another depth forward being the Rangers most pressing need was also touched upon. The team has been good through the early part of the season but has notably been outscored at even-strength. Their powerplay, helmed by top talents like Artemi Panarin, Chris Kreider and Mike Zibanejad, has been dynamic, carrying them through several games with plenty of production. It’s past those few of skaters that things start to get a bit less rosy, as young talents like Alexis Lafreniere, Kaapo Kakko and Filip Chytil have offered very little offense. Those three, in particular, have combined for just eight goals and 12 points, not quite what many expected heading into the season.

So another forward is on the mind of Drury, and he has plenty of ways to acquire one. The Rangers have extra second and fourth-round picks this year, plus more than $9MM in cap space. On an expiring deal, they could take on an expensive forward like Kessel or even someone that comes with a bit higher price in terms of future assets. The team is in a good place for buying, though they will have to consider the term when acquiring a new forward. Adding money to next year’s cap, when Zibanejad and Adam Fox both have huge extensions kicking in, would likely be a mistake at this point unless they are adding a key contributor.

Sammy Blais Suffers Torn ACL, Out Rest Of Season

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The New York Rangers will be without one of their offseason acquisitions, as several reports including Larry Brooks of the New York Post indicate Sammy Blais has suffered a torn ACL and will miss the rest of the season. The injury occurred Sunday night against the New Jersey Devils, when Blais collided with P.K. Subban. Brooks adds that surgery on the knee will have to wait a few weeks for the swelling to subside. The team has now confirmed the injury, noting that Blais faces a six to eight-month recovery. Greg McKegg is back up from the AHL.

Blais, 25, was the player the Rangers received in exchange for Pavel Buchnevich earlier this year. He found a nice role in the team’s lineup adding his patented physicality, but was still looking for his first New York goal. In 14 games Blais had four points, 17 penalty minutes, and 37 hits.

It’s not that the Rangers are losing a forward that logs 18 minutes a night and carries the offense, but Blais was a perfect representation of the kind of hockey the new front office wanted to play. ’Hard to play against’ could describe the 6’2″ forward, a goal that general manager Chris Drury and staff had chased all offseason. Now with this injury, they’ll have to find someone else to take his minutes in the middle of the roster. Blais had been averaging close to 14 minutes a night through the first month of the season, including some time on the powerplay.

Though he carries a $1.5MM cap hit that could be moved to long-term injured reserve, the Rangers aren’t pushing the salary cap ceiling this season and will likely move him to normal IR. That said, the young forward is heading into an arbitration year as a restricted free agent, meaning he’ll have almost no leverage to bring up after a lost year. The Rangers could potentially get a slight discount because of this injury, a small silver lining given they have massive extensions for Adam Fox and Mika Zibanejad kicking in next season and will need all the cap space they can get.

Filip Chytil Doubtful For Tonight But Is Nearing Return

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  • Rangers center Filip Chytil is expected to miss his second straight game tonight versus Columbus as he works his way back from an upper-body injury, notes Mollie Walker of the New York Post. However, it doesn’t appear as if he’ll be out much longer as he skated for a half-hour before practice on Friday which suggests he’s close to returning.  The 22-year-old has two goals and an assist in 12 games this season.

Senators And Canadiens Have Shown Interest In Vitali Kravtsov

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Back when Rangers winger Vitali Kravtsov refused his assignment to AHL Hartford and was given permission to seek a trade, it was reported that several teams had shown interest in the 21-year-old.  According to Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli, the Senators and Canadiens were the two teams with the most interest in acquiring the 2018 first-rounder.

Kravtsov came to North America last season after a good showing with Traktor Chelyabinsk of the KHL where he potted 16 goals in 49 games.  However, that production didn’t carry over to New York as he had just two goals and two assists in 20 contests with the Rangers.  He had a goal in three preseason contests this year but it wasn’t enough to make the team as he was sent down.  It was only last week that Kravtsov was officially loaned back to Chelyabinsk to get some playing time and he made an immediate impact, scoring twice while adding an assist in his first game back.

Ottawa has been known to be seeking forward help going back to the start of the season and as a team that’s only now just trying to start to emerge from their rebuild, Kravtsov is the type of player that they would want to add to their existing young core.  As for Montreal, their depth is limited when it comes to left-shot wingers so there would be a spot in the bottom six for him to try and fill.

Of course, given his draft pedigree, New York placed a high price tag on Kravtsov’s services, one that clearly no one has met yet.  The fact that he’s now playing again can only help his value over sitting at home and a good showing back in the KHL could be enough for teams to up the ante on their offer.  Based on Seravalli’s report, the Senators and Canadiens will be among the teams keeping a close eye on how Kravtsov does in the weeks to come.

Snapshots: Eichel, Rask, Hajek

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It didn’t take long for new Golden Knight Jack Eichel to get his way in Vegas. The Associated Press reports that Eichel will undergo his preferred neck surgery, an artificial disc replacement, on Friday. Eichel’s surgical plans for his herniated disc was really the lynchpin topic of the crumbling relationship between Eichel and the Sabres that led to the Buffalo star requesting a trade after nearly a year out of action. While the disc replacement surgery has never been performed on an NHL player before, it is not an unheard of procedure and provides a number of potential benefits that the alternative fusion procedure. Eichel hopes that his saga with the Sabres will pave a path for players to have more input into their healthcare. “I think my situation shined light on maybe some things that could be changed, and I hope that they are in the future,” Eichel said. “I don’t necessarily agree with the team having the full say in what to do with medical treatment. I think it should be a collaboration.” Vegas was willing to acquire Eichel at a sizeable price and still allow him to have the surgery of his choice, an example of a team allowing a player to call the shots in his own rehabilitation.

  • Tuukka Rask was back in action on Monday, skating with – who else – the Boston Bruins. The veteran goaltender is still recovering from offseason hip surgery, but the expectation has always that he would return to his team at some point this season. That return could come sooner rather than later with Rask at Bruins practice today (though still technically a free agent). Rookie Jeremy Swayman and substantial free agent addition Linus Ullmark have played well thus far, combining for a .911 save percentage and a 2.45 GAA, but Boston has maintained that Rask will be welcomed back if he is healthy and able to return. The team clearly feels that the future Hall of Famer has enough left in the tank to improve their play in net for another year.
  • Even before the season began, there were reports that Libor Hajek had lost his starting job in New York and could be on his way out, either by trade or waivers. The first part of that assumption has proven true, as the 23-year-old has not played a game so far this season, yet Hajek is still a member of the Rangers. The team has opted not to test Hajek on waivers, protecting the once-promising blue liner from their competition, but wasting a roster spot and keeping the defenseman cold are not great strategies either. As a result, the team has announced today that Hajek will head down to the AHL’s Hartford Wolfpack on a conditioning stint. Whether this could be precursor to another move involving Hajek remains to be seen, but getting Hajek some game action certainly can’t hurt the Rangers.

Minor Transactions: 11/07/21

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Today may not be a busy day on the NHL schedule, but it’s certainly been a hectic day on the transactions slate at all levels of the game. There was a lot of action today on the NHL to AHL wire, but there have been some other moves today, too. Keep up with today’s minor transactions here.

  • New York Rangers goalie prospect Talyn Boyko was dealt in the WHL today from the Tri-City Americans to the Kelowna Rockets. Boyko was drafted in the fourth round in 2021, largely because of his massive 6′ 8″ frame. However, it’s been a rough start for Boyko with a 1-6-1 record and .887 save percentage on the season. Hopefully a move to Kelowna turns his fortunes around this season.
  • Carolina Hurricanes netminder Beck Warm was re-assigned to the AHL’s Chicago Wolves from the ECHL’s Norfolk Admirals, per the AHL transactions page. The move comes after Alex Lyon was brought up to Carolina today in the wake of Antti Raanta’s injury Saturday, meaning Chicago needed another goaltender. Warm’s impressed in the ECHL with a 4-1-0 record and .921 save percentage to start the year.

New York Rangers Sign Matt Rempe

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November 4: CapFriendly released the terms of Rempe’s contract today, and they read as follows:

2021-22: $750,000 salary + $80,000 SB
2022-23: $750,000 salary + $80,000 SB
2023-24: $775,000 salary + $80,000 SB

The three-year deal carries a cap hit of $838,333.

November 3: The New York Rangers have agreed to terms with another prospect, this time inking Matt Rempe to a three-year entry-level contract. The young forward was selected in the 2020 draft and is currently playing for the Seattle Thunderbirds of the WHL.

Rempe, 19, may have been drafted in the sixth round but is no small fry. In fact, he stands 6’7″ and dwarfs almost all of his junior competition, using his huge frame to separate opponents from the puck on the regular. While there may be some questions about his offensive upside–Rempe has just 40 points in 65 career WHL games–he certainly has the size to succeed at the professional level.

The Rangers have coveted size since their front office switch, but there’s still a ton of work to do to make Rempe a legitimate NHL prospect. That entry-level deal will slide for this year and won’t kick in until 2022-23, meaning he’s now scheduled for restricted free agency in 2025. The team obviously believes he can be a valuable member of the organization though, so his progression this year for Seattle will be interesting to watch. In ten games, he has four goals.

Vitali Kravtsov Loaned To KHL

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The New York Rangers have officially loaned Vitali Kravtsov to Traktor Chelyabinsk of the KHL, allowing him to spend the rest of their season playing in Russia. Kravtsov had requested a trade earlier this season, failed to report to the AHL Hartford Wolf Pack and subsequently been suspended by the team. In the release, Rangers GM Chris Drury explained the situation:

After discussions with Vitali and his representation, we decided a loan to Traktor was in the best interests of both him and the organization. We think very highly of Vitali and the Rangers development staff will continue to work with him to reach our mutual goal of him some day being a New York Ranger.

Kravtsov released his own statement, which certainly strikes a different tone than many of the reports earlier this year:

I want to thank the Rangers for working with me, and appreciate the open and honest conversations we have had during this process. While this has been a challenging time for me personally, I believe having the opportunity to return to Traktor and work on my game is the best thing for me right now. My main focus is getting better every day to continue towards my goal of playing hockey for the New York Rangers. 

The 2018 ninth-overall pick has never seemed thrilled about the idea of playing in the AHL and to this point has just 39 games for the Wolf Pack, all of them coming in 2019-20. He’s actually spent more time with Traktor than the Rangers organization, even since signing his entry-level deal in 2019. That contract is set to expire at the end of this season, which would potentially allow him to sign a new deal in the KHL, though the Rangers would maintain his exclusive NHL rights through his 27th birthday.

The Rangers were reported to have several trade talks earlier this season but were asking a high price for the young forward. This release suggests that both are willing to try to overcome their differences down the road, but it also could be as simple as the Rangers not wanting to have an asset’s development thrown off track before they can move him for equal value.

Adam Fox Signs Seven-Year Extension

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The New York Rangers have locked up the reigning Norris Trophy winner, signing Adam Fox to a seven-year extension. Fox was scheduled to become a restricted free agent at the end of the season. The deal will carry an average annual value of $9.5MM, according to Vince Z. Mercogliano of USA Today. The breakdown of the contract is as follows, per CapFriendly:

2022-23: $11.0MM salary
2023-24: $12.0MM salary
2024-25: $12.0MM salary
2025-26: $9.5MM salary (NMC)
2026-27: $1.0MM salary + $6.5MM SB (NMC)
2027-28: $1.0MM salary + $6.25MM SB (16-team no-trade list)
2028-29: $2.5MM salary + $4.75MM SB (16-team no-trade list)

Fox, 23, is one of just two players in NHL history to win the Norris Trophy in one of his first two seasons, joining Bobby Orr who also won it in his sophomore year. He’s also just the fourth American defenseman to win the award, and has quickly become one of the faces of the NHL. Originally selected by the Calgary Flames in 2016, Fox was traded twice before ever signing his entry-level contract, which he eventually inked in 2019 after three years at Harvard.

With his ELC coming to an end, it was obvious that a mega-deal was awaiting the young defenseman. This contract though, which buys out four years of unrestricted free agency, could actually be considered something of a discount for the Rangers. Fox will now be tied for the fourth-highest paid defenseman in the league in 2022-23, matching the extensions signed by Seth Jones and Charlie McAvoy earlier this summer. Zach Werenski, whose extension is for only six years but of which five are UFA seasons, slots in just ahead of that group with a $9.58MM cap hit moving forward. All of those are well behind Erik Karlsson ($11.5MM AAV) and Drew Doughty ($11MM AAV), who each signed their massive contracts ahead of full UFA status.

Even though this will become the largest contract ever given to a defenseman coming out of his entry-level deal, it’s the seven-year length that is so important for the Rangers. Fox likely could have squeezed out more total salary by going with a shorter term, though obviously, that comes with the risk of injury or a decline in performance. Locking in at a very healthy number while also committing long-term to the franchise he always dreamed of playing for is the best option for both parties, though it still does leave some risk on the team side.

As with any deal of this length, there is a chance that Fox’s play declines, but there’s also the fact that New York has now committed a huge amount of their cap to just a handful of players. Artemi Panarin ($11.64MM AAV), Mika Zibanejad ($8.5MM AAV), and Jacob Trouba ($8.0MM AAV) are already signed to massive deals, meaning with Fox, a huge chunk of the payroll is already accounted for. In fact, the Rangers now have more than $70MM committed to next season already with a roster of just 15 players.

In a league with a salary cap, surplus value is king, and even with Fox’s tremendous ability that has now been greatly reduced for the Rangers. They’ll be paying him near what he’s worth on the open market after this season, without being able to take advantage of any of his inexpensive seasons. That is of course unless they go on a deep run this year, something that isn’t out of the question as they sit second in the Metropolitan Division.

Despite all the implications moving forward, getting a deal done now with Fox will certainly cause many Rangers fans to breathe a sigh of relief. He’ll now be a part of the team for the best years of his career, pushing for more Norris Trophy votes and potentially even more team success.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

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