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Rangers Not Expected To Qualify Clendening Or Pirri

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Seemingly minor news in a major article from the New York Post’s Larry Brooks today may have a substantial impact on the New York Rangers and this summer’s free agent market. Brooks reports that the New York Rangers do not plan to extend qualifying offers to impending restricted free agents Adam Clendening and Brandon Pirri. If restricted free agents are not tendered a qualifying offer, they become unrestricted free agents. The qualifying offer process, while not straightforward , is relatively pain-free for the team. For 2017, players must be offered 110% of their previous year’s salary if they made $660K or less last season, 105% if they made between $660K and $1MM, and 100% if they made over $1MM. The offer must also be a one-way contract if the player played in 180 games over the past three seasons, 60 games in 2016-17, and did not clear waivers this past season. While this may sound convoluted, it simply means that the New York Rangers only had to offer Clendening a two-way contract worth $660K, as he made $600K this past season and played in only 31 games, and Pirri a two-way contract worth $1.1MM, as he made $1.1MM this past season and played in only 170 games over the past three seasons, in order to maintain their negotiating rights. It seems as though the Rangers do not want to shoulder that burden however.

This is a familiar situation for Pirri, who was non-tendered by the Anaheim Ducks last season as well. Just 25 years old, Pirri has struggled to find a long-term NHL home, having played with four different teams in his last four seasons. He has a knack for scoring goals, which he was especially adept at in parts of three seasons with the Florida Panthers, but failed to put the puck in the net very often in New York, scoring just eight goals and 18 points total in 60 games. Though $1.1MM is not an extraordinary commitment for a young player with a good shot, the Blueshirts apparently do not feel he is worth that much when they have only limited cap space and more pressing needs to fill this summer. Pirri will again become an intriguing name on the free agent market, as some team takes a chance on an unproven player with one proven quality: goal-scoring.

The scenario with Clendening is a little more puzzling, especially taking into account the Rangers’ extension of Steven Kampfer. Much like Pirri, Clendening too has had a tough time finding his place in the NHL, having been traded three times, claimed on waivers, and non-tendered last season. That comes out to a total of six teams for a player with three years of NHL experience. Yet, Clendening had a career year in New York, posting career-highs in games played (31), points (11), and hits (22). The analytics community was especially fond of Clendening, who had an overwhelmingly positive impact on possession. Unlike Pirri, the Rangers seemed to be a good fit for the 24-year-old. Yet, the team inked the 28-year-old journeyman Kampfer to a two-year, two-way deal worth $650K (just $10,000 less than Clendending’s qualifying offer), when Kampfer is older and far less productive. In fact, the only thing that Kampfer will likely be better than Clendening at in 2017-18 is not being claimed on waivers. Perhaps that is the sole reason the Rangers chose one over the other. If not, it seems to be another evaluation mistake by the New York brass in regards to defense. With more of a bona fide resume after this past season, Clendening too should drum up some interest on the free agent market.

Rangers Notes: Staal, Girardi, Smith, Raanta

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The New York Rangers have not made a request to either Marc Staal or Dan Girardi as of yesterday about waiving their No Movement Clauses, according to New York Posts’ Larry Brooks. Both veteran defenders are coming off down years and have sizable contracts, which likely would make them unattractive to the Las Vegas Golden Knights in the expansion draft. Many believe the team will ask one or both to waive that No Movement Clause with the hopes of being able to protect other defenders. Staal still has four years at $5.7MM remaining on his contract. Girardi has three years at $5.5MM remaining.

Brooks writes that it’s still possible the Rangers could ask, but says it’s unlikely because since the club must ask before Monday afternoon’s deadline, the club would likely had given them more time to think about it. That leaves several possibilities, including waiving one of them or possibly exposing veteran Nick Holden in the expansion draft and hoping the Golden Knights might take him as opposed to some of their young forwards or goaltender Antti Raanta. Holden is coming off a regular season in which he scored 11 goals and 23 assists for a 34-point season. He might make a good veteran defensive leader or a good trade piece for Las Vegas.

  • The Rangers are the top candidates to re-sign defenseman Brendan Smith. According to Brooks, Smith is willing to discuss a contract before unrestricted free agency begins and give the Rangers a window to ink him to a contract, so long as it’s a “market-price” offer. Smith, a defensive defenseman, was acquired from the Detroit Red Wings at the trade deadline for third-round pick this year and a second-round pick in 2018. The 28-year-old is a key component to their defense and played well in their playoff run.
  • The scribe also writes that several teams, including the Calgary Flames and the Winnipeg Jets have inquired about Raanta, who is the team’s backup goaltender. However, the Rangers have not committed to trading him yet and may wait until just before expansion rosters are due to make a decision. No doubt, the hope is to raise the price for the young goaltender as offers have not been overwhelming.
  • The Rangers and general manager Jeff Gorton have until Friday to lock up one of their restricted free agents to comply with the draft exposure regulations. The team must agree with either Jesper Fast, Oscar Lindberg or Matt Puempel in order to comply. All three know this and are using this as leverage to get a better deal, according to Brooks. If the Rangers are unable to sign one of them or trade for an eligible forward by Friday, they would be subject to penalties from the NHL, including possibly getting stripped of draft picks.

Rangers Look To Add Core Piece

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According a column written this morning by the New York Post’s Larry Brooks, it seems quite apparent that the Rangers are not satisfied with their current roster. After a second-round ousting at the hands of the Senators, big changes seems inevitable in New York. The primary concern of course is on defense, where they will look to unload one of Marc Staal and Dan Girardi. As of yet, however, Brooks says neither has been asked to waive their no-movement-clause in preparation for the expansion draft. Management may yet be hopeful Vegas will prove benevolent and claim one of the albatross contracts, but the more likely scenario still remains a buyout. What happens in the wake of a Girardi or Staal departure is what management is seemingly focused on.

Winnipeg’s Jacob Trouba has been linked to trade rumors since his contract negotiations dragged into the regular season. Rangers GM Jeff Gorton is apparently quite interested, but nothing new has surfaced in those preliminary trade talks. Although not mentioned in the article, the Wild are likely to move a defenseman and Mathew Dumba could fit the bill for New York. Minnesota would be looking for an offensive player in return. Brooks confirms the speculation that Colorado’s Tyson Barrie is on the team’s radar. It’s unclear what the Rangers would offer that would truly entice the Avalanche, as there are undoubtedly many suitors for Barrie’s services. Even more confusing, the Rangers are apparently in committed efforts to acquire Nathan MacKinnon. I still see MacKinnon moving as a near impossibility for anything short of a king’s ransom. And if the Rangers are incessantly inquiring about MacKinnon, it could theoretically derail the Barrie conversation. Their need for a right-handed, mobile defenseman has to trump all other desires at the moment.

In terms of who could be on the way out, Rick Nash is always a viable candidate. He will be entering the final year of his contract worth $7.8 MM, and at 32, he still has a bit of trade value (especially if salary is retained).  Mats Zuccarello was arguably the best Rangers forward last season, but he’ll be due a pay day in two seasons. Considering that Mika Zibanejad, Jimmy Vesey, Kevin Hayes, and J.T. Miller all will need new contracts before then, will he be truly be worth a core player’s contract? They could combine two of those aforementioned younger assets to get their right-handed D, but then they would take a monumental step back in terms of offensive depth. Whatever route they decide to go, one has to imagine that picks and prospects will be a huge part of the final arrangement.

Ultimately, the Rangers want a dynamic, top-line forward who can create offense on his own. However, they absolutely need to fill a gap on an aging defense if they hope to remain in playoff contention. If they can add both, it would be a total boon for Gorton and management. But in a competitive trade market, it seems wise to temper expectations.

New York Teams Leaning Away From Ilya Kovalchuk

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As Ilya Kovalchuk continues to try and find a landing spot in the NHL, new reports from Igor Eronko of Sport-Express and Arthur Staple of Newsday have both the New York Islanders and Rangers out of the running. Staple goes so far as to say that both teams had little interest in the first place, as we touched on in the live chat yesterday.

Kovalchuk’s suitors seem to be dwindling by the day, as teams struggle to find room for his expected contract. If the 34-year old is to land somewhere, it would also cost the team an asset to acquire him from the Devils as he’s not allowed to sign directly with anyone else. Giving up an asset and somewhere around $5MM in cap space for a player who is four years removed from playing in the NHL. Ilya Kovalchuk

It’s unclear so far what the Devils would be asking for in trade, but with Ray Shero seemingly washing his hands of the situation until Kovalchuk comes with a real interested party it may drag on much deeper into the summer. No deal can be officially announced until July anyway, when Kovalchuk becomes eligible to sign a new contract with the Devils and then traded to a destination.

The other option that exists for Kovalchuk is waiting until next summer when he will be an unrestricted free agent and able to sign anywhere in the NHL. While that deal would come with restrictions due to his age—contracts signed after the age of 35 count towards the cap regardless of any actions (retirement, buyout, injury) taken—it might be easier to convince a team to take a short-term deal with him without the attached asset. That would also allow him to play in the Olympics, though the relationship between the Russian Hockey Federation and Kovalchuk has been strained for years.

The Rangers are clearly trying to get younger up front, and with Rick Nash already filling the overpriced aging left winger role, have always seemed like a long shot in the Kovalchuk sweepstakes. The Islanders on the other hand could pair Kovalchuk with John Tavares up front, but likely have a better option in Anders Lee already in house. His 34 goals are more than you could expect from Kovalchuk, and they’re already paying Andrew Ladd more than enough to provide some secondary scoring.

Despite reports that Kovalchuk wanted to stay in New York (or Florida), neither team looks like much of a fit for the Russian sniper. These reports shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, though they do take a bit of the fun out of the speculation.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Hartford Wolf Pack Signs Brenden Kotyk To AHL Deal

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Chris Drury has made one of his first signings as GM of the Hartford Wolf Pack, inking college free agent Brenden Kotyk to an AHL contract. The huge defender (6’6″ 240-lbs) spent the past three years with the University of Minnesota-Duluth where he continued to develop as a defender. It’s hard to project much for Kotyk as he is already 25 years old and will turn 26 before the season starts, but perhaps he’s turned a corner and can compete professionally.

At the very least he’ll offer a big body who won’t shy away from physical play and could add a presence to the Wolf Pack penalty kill. He’s obviously already big enough to compete at the next level, but whether his skating and decision making is good enough to keep up is still up for debate. In the National Championship game against Denver this spring, Kotyk was on the ice the second Pioneers goal, in which Troy Terry and Jarid Lukosevicius exposed his ability to defend the front of the net. Though it’s just one example, it points to the part of his game that he’ll need to improve and rely upon at the next level.

  • The Calgary Flames have announced a new ECHL affiliation, partnering with the Kansas City Mavericks for the 2017-18 season. Previously known as the Missouri Mavericks, the franchise had been associated with the New York Islanders but will now work with the Flames on a year-to-year agreement. The Flames were affiliated with the Adirondack Thunder last season, who will announce a new affiliation in the coming days.
  • Wojtek Wolski is back in hockey, signing a two-year deal with Kunlun of the KHL. The former NHL forward suffered a career-threatening injury last year when playing with Magnitogorsk, sliding head first into the boards with an opposing player on his back. He suffered spinal cord trauma, fractured vertebrae in his neck and a concussion on the play, and was at risk of never playing again. He’ll return less than a year later, and try to reinvigorate a career that had found new life in the KHL. After several unsuccessful stints with teams in the NHL since his departure from the Colorado Avalanche, Wolski went to the KHL in 2013 and has produced quite well ever since. At 31, there is a chance he could try a comeback to the NHL after this contract expires, but we likely have seen the last of the former first-round pick.

Should The Rangers Buyout Girardi Or Staal?

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The New York Rangers are a team that is likely to make a buyout this off-season on the blueline. With $22.025 MM spent on the back-end, the team has expected far better results. Long past are the days where the Rangers were among the best defensive squads in the league. Both Dan Girardi and Marc Staal have drastically underperformed, as both have been burned consistently to the net. With the team potentially looking to re-sign defenseman Brendan Smith and certainly hoping to add some offensive punch to their top-nine, it seems inevitable that one of the two will find their way out of town. The trade value for both is minimal, and GM Jeff Gorton would need to execute some serious magic to unload either without a mass of sweeteners in a deal.

The biggest argument against buying out Staal is that his contract runs for a year longer. Buyouts count as cap penalties (the amount varying depending on a multitude of factors), but always for twice the amount of years of the original contract.  Staal has 4 years remaining on his contract, while Girardi only has 3 – consequently, the Rangers would take a hit in “dead space” for 8 years for the former but only 6 for the latter. That may not seem like a hugely important factor, but neither of these players is performing at an AHL level quite yet – they merely are nowhere near worth their contracts. According to CapFriendly, a Girardi buyout would be structured as $2.6 – $3.6 – $3.6 – $1.1 – $1.1 – $1.1  (in MM), whereas a Staal buyout would be structured as $2.1 – $2.1  – $3.1 – $3.9 – $1.4 – $1.4 -$1.4 – $1.4 (in MM). Many teams opt to ride out a final year with a struggling veteran than eat cap dollars for 2 whole seasons. Cap dollars truly matter, and every year you pay for a mistake is a potential lost opportunity at a deadline. Playing a player to not play whatsoever until 2025 is nothing short of drastic.

The biggest argument for buying out Girardi is, simply put, his play. His possession numbers were far worse – 44.0% vs Staal’s 46.6% Corsi For. They both had a similar number of giveaways, 47 versus 46, but Girardi had far fewer takeaways. Girardi also didn’t have what could be categorized as an anomalous season – he’s hasn’t been a positive possession player since he broke into the league. His lowest totals are also far worse than Staal’s, which implies his floor is far lower. Girardi seems slightly slower, although neither is a speedster, but he seems to take more of a physical beating on a nightly basis – which, to be fair, has a great deal to due with quality of competition. It could also easily be argued that Staal had an abysmal playoffs, which should always be a determinant factor.

Ultimately, both players are in the unenviable position of earning too much on the backend of their careers. Girardi, 33, and Staal, 30, simply aren’t in their primes as defensive defensemen. The game takes a toll on shot-blocking, physical players. There is the distinct possibility that either could rebound in a new environment, and have simply worn out their welcome in the Big Apple. But the Rangers would be unwise to gamble on both struggling players to return to their former selves. If only for cap-related reasons, Girardi would be the wiser choice to buyout.

Jesper Fast Undergoes Hip Surgery, Out Five Months

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The New York Rangers will be without at least one young forward for training camp after announcing that Jesper Fast would be out for five months following hip surgery today. With just over four months before the start of the 2017-18 season, Fast will likely miss a chunk of games as he recovers.

Fast entered this season with high expectations following a 30-point sophomore effort in 2015-16, but failed to quite live up to them. The 25-year old scored just six goals and registered 21 points in 68 games. His play did pick up in the playoffs, recording six points in 12 games but overall took a slight step backwards this season. A restricted free agent, the Rangers will now have to weigh whether or not to commit to him long-term as an option for their bottom-six.

It’s a tough break for the Rangers, and possibly for Vegas who could well have been looking at Fast in the upcoming expansion draft. New York will be one of the more interesting protection lists in the league, as their forward group could be structured in several different ways. Missing the first two months of the season on a new contract would be a tough way for him to start his Vegas career, especially because they won’t know much about his health until after they select him.

New York Notes: Kovalchuk, Raanta, Lundqvist

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The list of teams who are lining up to trade for the rights to winger Ilya Kovalchuk continue to increase. New York Post’s Larry Brooks writes that the Devils have multiple suitors trying to acquire the 34-year-old, including the St. Louis Blues, the San Jose Sharks, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the New York Rangers. Brooks writes that the most interesting part is that many of those teams have Kovalchuk’s old Devil teammates or personnel in their front office, including Martin Brodeur (assistant general manager for the Blues), Lou Lamoriello (general manager of the Maple Leafs), Pete DeBoer (coach of the Sharks) and Johan Hedberg (assistant coach of the Sharks). That might make it easier for Devils general manager Ray Shero to move the veteran since he has requested to play in New York or Florida, but a friendly face in San Jose, Toronto or St. Louis might change his mind.

Brooks writes that Shero would prefer to move Kovalchuk anywhere but across the Hudson River to the Rangers and no matter what, the cost to trade him to the Rangers would have to be more than for the other teams. However, he points out that Kovalchuk has some power as well. Shero only has until July 1 to get the deal done or Kovalchuk could wait one year and come back and be an unrestricted free agent in 2018. If Kovalchuk wants to play for the Rangers, Shero may have no choice.

Brooks also adds that the Rangers could offer 25-year-old center Oscar Lindberg and 30-year-old defenseman Nick Holden to get a deal done if they want Kovalchuk. Lindberg could easily become a top-six forward in New Jersey, while Holden would help aid a poor Devils’ defense.

  • Brooks also writes in the same story that the Rangers are getting a lot of interest in backup goaltender Antti Raanta. While the Rangers could easily trade him, the fear is that they would then lose a quality forward to the Las Vegas Golden Knights in the expansion draft. They have made it clear they don’t want to lose Lindberg (unless they were getting Kovalchuk back), Jesper Fast or Michael Grabner. Fast, 25, showed a lot of promise in the playoffs, scoring three goals and three assists in 12 playoff games. Grabner, 29, is coming off a 27-goal season this year. So unless, the team is overwhelmed with an offer, the Rangers may just allow Raanta to go to Las Vegas.
  • Brooks also writes that Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist will be rehabbing for four to six weeks due to an isolated MCL tear he got early in the IIHF World Championships. He is not expected to miss training camp, however. Lundqvist was the goaltender for Team Sweden who went on to win the championships.

Expected Extensions Prior To Expansion

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Over the next few weeks, leading up to  June 17th, when each team must submit their list of protected players from the Expansion Draft, there is going to be a flurry of activity. The Vegas Golden Knights are expected to make several side deals regarding the selection process, while the other 30 teams will be working through trade proposals with one another as well. Many teams will also make smaller moves, such as extensions and buyouts, to make the expansion process easier on themselves. Examples could include potential extensions by Carolina or San Jose if they decide they would like to protect Lee Stempniak or Mikkel Boedker respectively. However, there remain several teams that must re-sign a current player, following logic anyway, prior to Saturday the 17th, or else risk having to expose and possibly losing a major piece instead. Each team must expose two forwards and one defenseman that played in at least 40 games this season or 70 games over the past two seasons and also have term remaining on their contract. While meeting these quotas is not a problem for some teams, others lack the roster depth in long-term contracts to do so. No team wants to be pressured into exposing a valued player just to fill that quota, so instead they will sign another current player with the caveat that he will be left unprotected in the Expansion Draft. Such situations played out all year long, with Blackhawks’ forward Jordin Tootoo, Hurricanes’ defenseman Klas Dahlbeck, and, the most publicized of all, Flames’ defenseman Matt Bartkowksi. Yet, unsolved situations still exist. Below are some of the most dire situations and who could benefit from an extension in the near future in order for their team to comply with Expansion Draft rules:

Team: New Jersey Devils

Situation: The re-building Devils nonetheless have a solid core of forwards that they would like to keep together: Taylor Hall, Kyle Palmieri, Adam Henrique, Travis Zajac, and Mike Cammalleri. New Jersey should be within their means to protect this group, expect that it leaves only Devante Smith-Pelly as a forward meeting the 40/70 qualification. Even for those who doubt the effectiveness going forward of the oft-injured 34-year-old Cammalleri, surely the Devils could find a better player to sacrifice than he or Smith-Pelly if they so choose.

Expected Extension: As a young team, the devils are chock full of impending restricted free agents. However, not all RFAs are created equal. Beau Bennett, Jacob Josefson, and Stefan Noesen are all candidates for extension and exposure, but Bennett played a bigger role for New Jersey than even Smith-Pelly in 2016-17 and Noesen played the best hockey of his young career after a mid-season trade from the Anaheim Ducks. Josefson has shown next to no progress in six years in New Jersey. Look for the Devils to try to work out an extension with the 25-year-old center to fill the hole in their expansion plan.

 

Team: New York Rangers

Situation: The Devils’ cross-town rivals are in a similar situation. The Rangers have put together a core of forwards that is the envy of most teams in the league, but it could soon be torn apart. Many feel that backup goalie Antti Raanta will be Vegas’ choice, but New York doesn’t want to give them any reason not to go that route and instead steal a good young forward. The team is already reserved to the fact that 2016-17 breakout star Michael Grabner has to be exposed, but they would rather protect all five of Derek Stepan, Chris Kreider, Mats Zuccarello, J.T. Miller and Kevin Hayes, in addition to Rick Nash, whose No-Movement Clause prevents exposure, and impending RFA Mika Zibanejad. The only problem is that this protection scheme leaves only Grabner as a 40/7o forward.

Expected Extension: The Rangers are not without options for a forward to extend and expose. RFA’s Jesper Fast, Oscar Lindberg, Brandon Pirri, and Matt Puempel would all meet the quota criteria if handed a new deal, as would UFA Tanner Glass. While New York may not be eager to lose any of the four, none significantly outshine Raanta or Grabner in terms of selection value anyway, giving the team every reason to get an extension done with one or more. Fast seems certain to get a new contract from the Rangers anyway, so don’t be surprised if such a deal lands in the next week or two.

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Exclusive Negotiating Rights Of 33 Players Expire

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The deadline for signing draft picks has come and gone, and unless more deals come in after the fact, 33 players will see their exclusive negotiating rights expire. With it they will either re-enter the 2017 draft for the final time or become free agents, depending on their age. None of the selections were made any higher than the fourth round, though even that is an unfortunate loss for a team hoping to hit a late-round stud. Below is the full list of players:

Buffalo Sabres

Giorgio Estephan (6th round, 2015)
Gustav Possler (5th round, 2013)

Calgary Flames

Riley Bruce (7th round, 2015)

Chicago Blackhawks

Roy Radke (6th round, 2015)

Colorado Avalanche

Wilhelm Westlund (7th round, 2013)

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