Last night, the New York Rangers won a crucial game against the Carolina Hurricanes, keeping their season alive. Andrew Copp, who the Rangers acquired from the Winnipeg Jets at the trade deadline, has been a major reason for the team’s success in these playoffs. Given his status as a pending unrestricted free agent, it’s natural to believe that Copp has earned himself some money on his next deal with how he’s performed in New York. On the 32 Thoughts segment of last night’s Sportsnet broadcast of the Rangers/Hurricanes game, Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek supported that line of thinking, reporting that it “sounds as if” Copp’s market is going to land between the deals signed by two recent comparable unrestricted free agents: Phillip Danault and Zach Hyman.
Danault signed his contract after leading the way on a Canadiens team that to the 2021 Stanley Cup final, inking a six-year, $33MM deal with the Los Angeles Kings. Hyman signed a seven-year, $38.5MM deal with the Oilers after a season where he scored at a 63-point pace. While Copp’s defensive game may not be quite at the level of Danault’s (who is a consistent down-ballot Selke candidate) and his offense may be slightly below where Hyman’s was in his platform year, Copp has proven to be an incredible fit with Artemi Panarin and Ryan Strome and is now producing better than he ever has as a professional.
As a Ranger, including the playoffs, Copp has 28 points in 29 games, showing that in the right fit, he can be a very strong offensive producer to go along with his defensive game. The Rangers also have Strome as a pending unrestricted free agent and could find themselves forced to choose only one of the two to retain after this season, given the constraints of the salary cap. Strome may have a longer and more proven track record of chemistry with Panarin than Copp does, but Copp has outproduced him in these playoffs and offers more versatility, as well as a more well-regarded defensive game. The Rangers’ attempts to retain both or their choice between the two will be one of the Rangers’ top storylines this offseason, and recent reporting indicates that they will be aggressive in their pursuit of Copp.
Copp’s performance also still holds significance for his former team. As part of their trade with the Rangers, the second-round pick the Jets received for Copp was actually conditional, and is upgraded from a 2022 second-rounder to a 2022 first-rounder if the Rangers make it to the Eastern Conference Final (to be decided Monday) and Copp plays in at least 50% of the team’s playoff games. So while two fanbases will see their teams battle to remain alive in the chase for the Stanley Cup, there will be a third fanbase also likely to be deeply invested in the fate of Monday’s high-stakes seventh game.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
The worst part of being locked into that first round matchup months before the playoffs by those insipid brackets was knowing when the Rangers traded for Copp and Vatrano that they were going to kill us.
The Rangers have some real cap issues ahead, though.
They could end up like the Leafs, in cap hell before they ever win anything.
They could wind up in cap hell. But still have a deep amount of talent in the pipeline. In the meantime Ranger fans enjoy the ride!
My best guess is they re-sign Copp, let Strome walk and either try and slide Kravtsov into wing spot on that line or trade him for another change of scenery candidate (like the Strome for Spooner deal that worked out well). I hope they can find the cash somehow to re-sign Vatrano as well but I just don’t know if that’s gonna be possible. Motte is probably a goner.
Deal that’s not as crazy as it sounds at first…
Kreider to CGY for Tkachuk and then NYR flips Tkachuk to NJ for the #2 pick and a second round pick. Maybe a few smaller pieces to even it out, but that general framework.
Kreider replaces what Tkachuk gave the Flames but locked into a long term deal at a team friendly price and the Flames use the savings to keep Gaudreau.
Rangers can’t afford Tkachuk either so they flip him for the #2 pick and take either Wright or Cooley to center Panarin. Lafreniere takes Kreider’s spot on Zibenajad’s line. Having that #2 pick on an ELC gives the Rangers a window to really contend.
Devils get one of the best players in the league who gives them a true power forward.
That is crazy haha. Yes Kreider has had an unbelievable year but based off his career statistics, the odds of him replicating this season are slim. He’s also on the wrong side of 30 where Tkachuk is just entering his prime and has already proven to have a higher ceiling. You’d have to throw in additional pieces with Kreider in that deal to make the Flames even think about it. Let’s say the Flames accept though for the sake of the argument, getting the 2nd pick from New Jersey is not equal value for a guy that just posted a 100 point season. Your valuation on the pieces here are off.
Strictly from a valuation on a piece of paper, sure.
But, in the real world, if you are Brad Treliving and you can only keep one of Tkachuk or Gaudreau, who are you keeping and how are you replacing the other one?
The Flames have a short window that Kreider fits.
Calgary would never do that and can retain both. Kreider for Tkachuk…that’s hilarious.
They’re way off. Random drug test off.
If they truly view Tkachuk and Gaudreau as “franchise” type players, they will find a way to keep both. Losing Tkachuk and adding Kreider is a downgrade.
OK, so if Gaudreau wants $12 million and Tkachuk wants $11 million, they are keeping both?
Keep both is easy to say. Demanding that you get full peak value for your asset is easy to say.
When you have limited trade options and a finite window for success, would you hold out for the best asset valuation or the best hockey move to try to win a Cup?
If you’d rather have a package of picks and prospects that fulfills your valuation of what Tkachuk is worth, even if that doesn’t match your window of contention and you go from one pretender roster to another…so be it.
In that situation, I’d want the closest replacement and the cap space to find the final pieces now.
Malkin/Cosby – it’s doable. They seemed to have pulled in a cup or two…
Tkachuk and Gaudreau are coming into their own, going from good to great. Takes time for everything else to fall into place.
Cobb will walk. He’s a product of being placed on a good line in his free agent year. A nice to have, but not a necessity.
Strome will probably walk as well. Not enough cash to keep him around. Kid line is intact and if they can resign Motte that 4th line is set as well. Kravstov has to happen now – keep him up on the second line and Othmann for the top line – he’s ready as well. Plenty of depth at D.
Biggest loss will be Strome, but two more kids on the right side coming up. Off-season they can look at their options – cheap veteran center looking to win that may be willing to roll the dice on a small contract.
Yeah. Cobb’s career year — and we’re talking reaching 20 goals and 50 points, not precisely among the league leaders — placed with top players and with a career high TOI, doesn’t suddenly make him a great star. Someone will give him big term and north of $6 million, and come to badly regret it well before the end.
He’s Andrew Copp. Let’s get a handle on this. Whoever signs him with be burdened with an unmovable contract very quickly.
Yeah, I didn’t see the auto correct. Same with me Cosby when it should be Crosby.
I do want to add that Copp has been on the shutdown line almost his entire career with the Jets. He goes against the best lines of every team and is asked to shut them down while creating offense as a secondary task. He has been thrown on different lines at every forward spot and has produced every time. His versatility is huge when it comes to injuries and filling gaps on a team. He deserves a good pay day.