Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Rangers Rumors

Rangers Re-Sign Rob O’Gara

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

With the deadline to accept qualifying offers now just a day away, Rangers defenseman Rob O’Gara has accepted his qualifier, reports CapFriendly (Twitter link).  The deal will pay just over $874K in the NHL (105% of his base salary from last season) and $70K at the minor league level.

New York acquired O’Gara back in February from Boston in exchange for defenseman Nick Holden (who has since signed with Vegas in free agency).  Prior to the trade, he spent most of last season with the Bruins AHL affiliate in Providence, suiting up in 43 games while playing just eight times with Boston.

Following the trade, he became a regular on New York’s third pairing, playing in 22 games while averaging a respectable 17:10 in ice time.  Considering that the Rangers have not really done much to add to their back end this summer (aside from adding Fredrik Claesson), O’Gara has a good chance to reprise that role next season which likely played a role in him merely accepting his qualifying offer over negotiating a lower NHL salary in exchange for more guaranteed pay in the AHL.  If he fails to make the team, he will gave to clear waivers in order to go back to the minors.

Boo Nieves Re-Signs With New York Rangers

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The New York Rangers have retained Boo Nieves without a fight, as CapFriendly reports that the young forward accepted his qualifying offer and will sign a one-year two-way contract worth just over $708K in the NHL.

Nieves, 24, finally broke into the NHL this season and played 28 games for the Rangers throughout the year. The smooth skating center has size and speed on his side, but hasn’t ever really developed a scoring touch and will have to bring defensive reliability if he’s to carve out an NHL career. In the minor leagues, Nieves never registered more than eight goals in a season but did have some solid assist totals. That repeated itself in the NHL this season, where he scored just one goal but added eight assists in those 28 contests.

It will be interesting to see if he is given a chance this season with the Rangers, given that they already have plenty of NHL experience up front and top young prospects like Filip Chytil and Lias Andersson pressing for roles. Nieves is still waiver exempt for another season, but will qualify for Group VI unrestricted free agency next summer if he doesn’t see the NHL ice at least 51 more times this year. Obviously there’s no guarantee that he’d leave the organization, but if they want to keep him they may have to give him a chance.

New York Rangers Re-Sign Cody McLeod

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The New York Rangers have decided that the added leadership and toughness that Cody McLeod provided down the stretch last season is worth another go, and have signed the veteran forward to a one-year contract. No financial details have been released yet.

McLeod, 34, has played 738 regular season games in the NHL including 25 for the Rangers last season. The team claimed him off waivers from the Nashville Predators and played him regularly down the stretch. While New York is trying to become younger and quicker, McLeod should provide at least some level of professional accountability to the inexperienced prospects as they try to develop on the fly. He also gives the team a physical presence in the bottom six and a (perhaps only perceived) measure of protection against unwanted attacks on the team’s more skilled players.

What he doesn’t offer, is any measure of offensive production. McLeod has just 126 points in his long career, and registered just four of those last season in 48 games. He’s a brutal possession player, but won’t be asked to play the puck much during his stay in New York. Instead, he’ll likely be a part-time player that is only asked to hit the ice for 7-9 minutes a game whenever he does dress.

Rangers Willing To Take Ryan Callahan Even If Separate From An Erik Karlsson Trade

at CDT | by 4 Comments

  • From the same report, Brooks adds that the Rangers still have some interest in bringing back winger Ryan Callahan if Tampa Bay decides that they still need to free up some cap space for this season and next. New York will likely be seeking some form of draft pick compensation from the Lightning to relieve them of their $5.8MM per season obligation over the next two years.

    [SOURCE LINK]

Salary Cap Floor Should Not Pose Problems For Any Team In 2018-19

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The purpose of the salary cap in the NHL is to maintain a sense of competitive balance across the league. That means both limiting how much a team can spend, the salary cap ceiling, but also ensuring that every team is competitive with a minimum expenditure, the salary cap floor. Some teams, generally those in smaller markets or undergoing rebuilds, tend to try to toe the line of the salary cap floor, paying as close to the minimum as possible for their roster. In years past, some teams have even struggled to hit that mark, taking on injured players or overpaying players in order to pass the floor. It’s unlikely that any of the 31 franchises will face that problem in 2018-19.

This season, with a corresponding jump in the salary cap ceiling, the floor moved to $58.8MM. With the bulk of unrestricted free agency accounted for, just three teams currently sit below that mark: the New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers, and Winnipeg Jets. However, both the Rangers and Jets can immediately be crossed off as a salary floor concern. The pair are perhaps the two teams with the most potential salary tied up in salary arbitration this off-season.

The Jets currently have the lowest projected payroll in the league, with a 16-man roster that accounts for approximately $52.7MM. However, Winnipeg’s list of restricted free agents who have filed for arbitration include Vezina candidate Connor Hellebuyck, defenseman Jacob Trouba, and forwards Adam Lowry, Chris Tanev, and Marko Dano, as well as defenseman Tucker Poolman who did not file. Those six players could easily combine for more than $20MM in combined salary when all is said and done, putting the Jets well clear of the floor and closer to the ceiling. Defenseman Josh Morrissey, who is not arbitration eligible also needs a new contract. Winnipeg is far from a floor concern.

In New York, the Rangers sit at $55.8MM in projected cap committed to 16 players, just $3MM shy of the floor. They also need to re-sign a majority of their young core, with forwards Kevin Hayes, Ryan Spooner, and Jimmy Vesey and defenseman Brady Skjei having filed for arbitration. The Rangers could pass the floor by extending just one of those players, nevertheless all four. New deals for those three forwards still leaves New York one or two shy of a full roster as well, meaning more salary will come into the fold via promotion or an additional acquisition.

As for the Devils, New Jersey is already close to the floor at a projected $56.4MM for 19 players. Forwards Blake Coleman and Stefan Noesen have filed for arbitration and the deals for both could be enough to push the Devils to where they need to be. Even if it doesn’t, the team will still need to sign non-arbitration eligible RFA’s Miles Wood and Steve Santini, whose deals should definitely be enough. New Jersey will likely be a team that hovers close to the floor next season; that didn’t stop them from making the playoffs in 2017-18, though.

Perhaps the only team who should be legitimately concerned about the salary cap floor next season in Ottawa. The Senators and owner Eugene Melnyk have made it no secret that they are trying to shed salary and come in as close to the minimum as possible. Right now, the team sits just $3MM above the floor at a projected $61.8MM roster for 20 players. However, that isn’t including the arbitration resolutions for both defenseman Cody Ceci and forward Mark Stone. Those two deals will put Ottawa well above the floor. Even if the team was to trade star defenseman Erik Karlsson, they should remain above the floor, especially with additional salaries likely to be added in the trade return. The one scenario in which Melnyk could succeed in dropping significant salary would be if both Karlsson and Bobby Ryan were to be traded away. The resulting $13.75MM loss in payable salary would more than offset the contracts for Stone and Ceci and likely the contracts of those players coming back as well, potentially dropping the team below $58.8MM. Yet, even in that case, the Senators’ efforts to fill out their roster after losing Karlsson and Ryan – either by promotion or acquisition – could easily be used to get back to that mark.

The salary cap floor was never intended to be used as a target for teams to hover above and spend as little as possible. The goal of the NHL is have each and every team be competitive, not simply trying to maximize profits. As such, the 2018-19 season has some parity promise as seemingly no team will struggle to get over the floor or have to use contracts for the old and injured to get there. For the first time in years, every team seems set to be competitive and comfortably over the minimum cap hit.

All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.com.

Vitali Kravtsov Signs In KHL

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The New York Rangers took a calculated risk in the first round of the most recent NHL Entry Draft, when they selected big Russian winger Vitali Kravtsov ninth overall. The Rangers avoided several other top rated prospects, betting on the high-end potential that Kravtsov brings. With any Russian player though, there is always the threat of them staying in the KHL for several years and failing to join their NHL organization. For at least one season, that will be the plan for Kravtsov who today re-signed with Traktor Chelyabinsk. The deal is for just one year, at which point the Rangers will attempt again to bring their young forward over and add him to the organization. There was a very small chance that Kravtsov would play in the NHL this year, leaving the KHL as likely the best destination for his development path.

Kravtsov was always expected to stay in the KHL for this season, but some had hoped that given his new status as a top-10 pick there would be a impetus to get him into the Rangers organization right away. Instead his camp has negotiated an improved contract for the 2018-19 season with Traktor, where he’ll continue on his steep development path. The Rangers can re-visit contract negotiations in the spring after his KHL year ends, and potentially get him into minor league action before the end of the season.

The 18-year old winger played just over nine minutes a night last season with Traktor, but saw that bumped up quite a bit in the playoffs where he went on a tear offensively. Kravtsov scored 11 points in 16 games and shot up the NHL draft rankings, with teams drooling over his skilled power forward frame and excellent skating ability. If he does eventually come over—which is assumed at this point—he’s a good bet to be a versatile top-six forward who the Rangers should feel comfortable playing in nearly any situation. If he reaches his absolute ceiling, there could be a dominating offensive presence in New York for years to come.

Metropolitan Notes: Johnson, Myers, Rangers

at CDT | by 2 Comments

While defensemen have been receiving big deals in the last week or two, one deal that caught many by surprise was the five-year, $16.25MM deal that Jack Johnson signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins signed on July 1. While Johnson was a highly-touted prospect at one time and developed into a solid NHL veteran, the five-year term seemed like a lot considering that the 31-year-old had lost his job at the end of the season with the Columbus Blue Jackets and instead took up a role as a healthy scratch for the remainder of the season and the playoffs. Johnson finished the year posting

Regardless, Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford had coaches’ Mike Sullivan and Sergei Gonchar look into the three games leading up to Johnson’s benching and they walked away with a positive impression and the team signed the veteran.

The Athletic’s Jesse Marshall (subscription required) took a look at the three games before Johnson was benched and analyzes and breaks down the veteran’s play, citing that his performance was solid, but underwhelming and while the defenseman did have some bad luck at times, what stood out the most was his lack of involvement in the team’s offense as he seems to only have been focusing on his defensive game, which might be exactly what Rutherford and the Penguins want out of Johnson.

  • Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that the Philadelphia Flyers’ signing of Christian Folin almost guarantees that defensive prospect Philippe Myers will begin the season with the AHL Lehigh Valley Phantoms. The 21-year-old undrafted free agent had a solid rookie season with the Phantoms last season and was expected to get a “long look” in Flyers training camp in September. However, with six quality NHL established defenseman already on the roster (not counting the injured Samuel Morin), Myers would have to beat one of them out to make the team. General manager Ron Hextall wouldn’t allow Myers to make the team as the team’s seventh defenseman when he could return to Lehigh Valley and get valuable playing experience. So, while many were upset that the team went out and signed Folin, it’s likely that Folin will man that extra defenseman role instead.
  • The New York Rangers have been talked about as a potential third-team in any deal involving Erik Karlsson. The team has $23.7MM in cap room to work with and with the team in a quick rebuild, this would be the perfect time to add more picks or prospects to that effort. While the team might be open to acquiring Ryan Callahan from Tampa Bay, The Athletic’s Rick Carpiniello (subscription required) writes that the team will not take on the contract of veteran Bobby Ryan, who still has four years at $7.25MM remaining on his deal. He writes that the Rangers don’t believe they will still be rebuilding in three or four years and being burdened by that deal down the road wouldn’t make any sense.

Should The Rangers Re-Sign Or Trade Kevin Hayes?

at CDT | by 8 Comments

Between the draft and the early days of free agency, it has become clear that quality centers are in more and more demand. Accordingly, Larry Brooks of the New York Post opines that the Rangers may soon face a crossroads with Kevin Hayes.  The restricted free agent is one year away from unrestricted free agency and is coming off the type of season that would have a lot of teams interested in him; he had a career-high 25 goals in 76 games last season.

With that in mind, Brooks thinks that a $6MM or more payday will be on the horizon if Hayes makes it to the open market next summer. That means the Rangers will have to decide in the coming weeks whether they want to be the ones to give him that type of contract or look to cash in on the demand for centers around the league and make a trade instead.

New York Rangers Re-Sign Steven Fogarty

at CDT | by 2 Comments

According to CapFriendly, Steven Fogarty has accepted his qualifying offer, signing with the New York Rangers for one year. The deal is a two-way contract that will pay Fogarty $709K in the NHL, and will keep him a restricted free agent next summer unless he fails to play in 79 games in the NHL. At that point, he would be eligible for Group VI unrestricted free agency.

Fogarty, 25, was originally selected in the third round by the Rangers in 2011, but only made his NHL debut in 2017-18. That was just a single game for the big center, who hasn’t been able to develop into the two-way power forward the team had hoped. With just 20 points in each of the last two seasons in the AHL, he won’t be relied upon for much offense.

Instead, it’s his physical play, defense and leadership that the Hartford Wolfpack will welcome back for another year. Fogarty is still waiver-exempt despite his age, and could be used as an injury replacement throughout the year for the Rangers. He’ll have to show at least some improved skill with the puck to stick at the higher level though, as even the best defensive forwards need to contribute sometimes.

Avalanche Sign Scott Kosmachuk, Sheldon Dries; Re-Sign Joe Cannata

at CDT | by 1 Comment

The Colorado Avalanche added depth to their team today signing two players when they inked Scott Kosmachuk and Sheldon Dries, according to Denver Post’s Mike Chambers. No terms were announced for the two signings. The scribe also added that the team re-signed goaltender Joe Cannata, who signed a one-year, two-way, $665K deal (via CapFriendly).

Kosmachuk comes over from the New York Rangers organization where he played exclusively for the Hartford Wolfpack of the AHL. The 24-year-old winger posted solid numbers there with 15 goals and 42 points. A Winnipeg Jets’ third-rounder in 2012, he has spent most of his career in the AHL, although he did get into nine games for the Jets back in 2015-16.

Dries may have the most upside as the 24-year-old had a solid rookie campaign last year with the AHL’s Texas Stars, on an AHL deal, after a four-year career at Western Michigan. The undrafted free agent scored 19 goals and 30 points, but even more importantly, posted 10 goals in 22 playoff games which took the team to the Calder Cup Finals. Dries’ new NHL deal is a one-year entry-level contract.

Cannata split time between the ECHL’s Colorado Eagles and the AHL San Antonio Rampage, but spent the majority of the season as the starting goaltender for Eagles, who won their second straight Kelly Cup title this year. The 28-year-old played 28 regular season games, posting a .931 save percentage and then followed that up with 22 playoff appearances in which he picked up 16 wins and a .913 save percentage. With the team’s ECHL affiliate now moving to Utah, the team wants to lock down their champion goaltender for another year.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top