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Latest On Ryan Lindgren

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Ryan Lindgren has grown into an important top-four fixture for the New York Rangers, and he’s undoubtedly a player the team would like to retain for quite a while after this season. He’s currently eligible for a contract extension ahead of hitting restricted free agency next summer, but it could be an all-or-nothing situation, says The Athletic’s Arthur Staple. He posits the Rangers likely won’t go short-term with Lindgren, instead trying to work out a long-term, low-AAV extension or look to move him if they aren’t close on a deal.

The 2016 second-round pick has had some truly great defensive performances since turning into a full-timer with the Rangers, giving the team a dependable partner for star defender Adam Fox. While he’s shown the ability to log 20-plus minutes per game consistently, he’s yet to play a full 82 games in a season and is quickly becoming no stranger to injuries. He missed significant time at the tail end of 2022-23 with a shoulder issue.

New York Rangers Hire Christian Hmura

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According to Mollie Walker of the New York Post, the New York Rangers have added Christian Hmura to their coaching staff, who will now serve as the Skills and Performance Development coach. Walker notes that Hmura will strictly aid in the development of Rangers’ prospects, and work directly under the Director of Player Development, Jed Ortmeyer.

Hmura will replace Mark Ciaccio in his new role, but Ciaccio will stay on with the team as a Prospect Development Skills coach. In recent seasons, as they have aimed to compete for the Stanley Cup, New York has thinned out their prospect pool to a small degree, but Hmura will still get to work with promising talent such as Brennan Othmann, Will Cuylle, and recently drafted, Gabriel Perreault.

At any rate, this is a big step forward personally for Hmura, as he had recently been involved with the Chicago Mission AAA organization since the 2021-22 season. During his time with the organization, the Mission had six players selected in the 2022 and 2023 NHL Draft combined, including Brennan Ali (Detroit), Jack Devine (Florida), Joey Willis (Nashville), Jack Phelan (Detroit), Paul Fischer (St.Louis), as well as Perreault from New York.

It will likely be a difficult transition for Hmura into professional hockey, but the success of the Mission speaks for itself. Along with Shattucks St. Mary’s, Little Caesars, and Compuware, the Chicago Mission program is one of the most well-respected organizations in all of youth hockey, and Hmura’s time with the team only led to continued success. Only time will tell if his coaching tactics translate well to more NHL-ready level prospects.

AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack Sign Matej Pekar

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The AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack, the primary minor-league affiliate of the New York Rangers, are in agreement with former Buffalo Sabres forward prospect Matej Pekar on a one-year contract, according to a team release. While now a member of the Rangers organization, Pekar is still eligible to sign an NHL contract with any team.

Pekar, 23, has played in parts of three AHL seasons for Buffalo’s affiliate, the Rochester Americans, accumulating 86 games of experience. He wasn’t able to crack the code and stand out among a deep Sabres prospect pool, though, and was sent down a level further to the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones last season for a consistent spot in the lineup, where he did well with 24 points in 28 games. Without any NHL looks under his belt since Buffalo drafted him in the fourth round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, the team opted not to issue him a qualifying offer this summer after his entry-level contract expired, making him an unrestricted free agent.

The Czech forward played junior hockey in North America, heading to the OHL’s Barrie Colts after being drafted and doing quite well there. He averaged well over a point per game in two OHL seasons with Barrie and Sudbury, and his career totals of 99 points in 84 games generated some optimism about his ceiling and potential NHL viability as a bottom-six checking forward. Unfortunately for Pekar, COVID hit just as he was about to begin his pro career, and it may have caused him to lose most of the forward momentum he’d gained in his development. He went on to notch just four goals, 12 assists, 16 points and a -17 rating during his time in Rochester.

Signing with the Wolf Pack gives Pekar a unique opportunity to return to an environment he’s familiar with in ECHL Cincinnati if he can’t crack the AHL roster. The Sabres and Rangers swapped ECHL affiliates this offseason, as Buffalo and Rochester now partner with the Jacksonville Icemen. It’ll be tough for him to show he deserves a roster spot ahead of some of the Rangers’ NHL-contracted crew, though, as CapFriendly currently lists 14 AHL-eligible forwards assigned to the minors in their depth chart projection for New York. 2022 draft selection Bryce McConnell-Barker is listed among the minors crew for the Rangers, but he’s still too young for AHL assignment per the NHL-CHL transfer agreement. It’s likely Pekar will look to light up the ECHL this season in hopes of getting a more extensive AHL look down the stretch. There’s still time for him to turn things around and earn another NHL contract down the line.

New York Rangers Prospect Maxim Barbashev Traded In QMJHL

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  • The QMJHL’s Shawinigan Cataractes acquired New York Rangers forward prospect Maxim Barbashev from the Moncton Wildcats via trade earlier this month, according to the league. The Rangers selected the Moscow-born left wing in the fifth round of the 2022 Draft, and he went on to have a rather strong campaign in 2022-23 with 32 goals, 33 assists and 65 points in 67 games with Moncton. All those numbers were career highs. He joins Los Angeles Kings defense prospect Angus Booth as the second NHL-drafted prospect on the Cataractes in 2023-24.

Zac Jones Could Be A Trade Candidate If He's Not In Top Six To Start Season

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  • At the moment, the defensive depth chart for the Rangers suggests that defenseman Zac Jones – now waiver-eligible – could be in line to land the seventh spot on the back end. However, in that scenario, Arthur Staple of The Athletic believes (subscription link) that the likelier outcome would be New York trading the 22-year-old over risking having his value stagnate as a frequent healthy scratch.  Jones seemed likely to crack the top six before the Rangers brought in veteran Erik Gustafsson (who played for new head coach Peter Laviolette last season in Washington) which should give him a leg up in the competition for a regular spot on the third pairing.

New York Rangers, Brandon Scanlin Reach Pre-Arbitration Settlement

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08/02/23: The Rangers have now officially announced the signing of Scanlin to a one-year contract extension.

08/01/23: According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the New York Rangers and defenseman Brandon Scanlin have reached a pre-arbitration settlement on a new contract.

Scanlin’s representatives and the Rangers have agreed on a one-year, $775k contract carrying a $100k AHL salary. Scanlin’s arbitration hearing was scheduled for August 4th, and will obviously now be taking not take place.

Scanlin is a 24-year-old undrafted right-shot blueliner who signed an entry-level contract at the conclusion of his NCAA career at the University of Nebraska Omaha. That deal carried a $925k NHL AAV and an $80k AHL salary, the latter being the more important number as Scanlin was always unlikely to see games for the Rangers so quickly after leaving college. Scanlin’s camp has secured a pay raise to $100k in the AHL for next season, though at the cost of cutting the NHL AAV down to the league minimum.

While this will hurt Scanlin’s earning potential in the NHL, that isn’t of major consequence looking at the Rangers’ defensive depth chart. The hulking six-foot-three, 223-pound defenseman isn’t going to threaten Ryan Lindgren or K’Andre Miller for either of the two top slots on the Rangers’ defensive depth chart.

While the left-side spot on the team’s third pairing next to Braden Schneider will likely be up for grabs in training camp and preseason, Scanlin faces a tall task to earn that role over holdover Rangers players such as Zachary Jones (who the Rangers would need to expose to waivers to send to AHL Hartford) and Ben Harpur, or veteran free agent signings such as Erik Gustafsson (42 points last season) and Connor Mackey.

As a result, he’s overwhelmingly likely to be ticketed for a role back in the AHL with the Hartford Wolf Pack, where he played his rookie professional season in 2022-23. Scanlin played in 61 games for Hartford in 2022-23, scoring four goals and 15 points while racking up 30 penalty minutes. Although Scanlin had to contend with more established players such as Jones, Libor Hájek, and Matthew Robertson soaking up regular minutes in Hartford he still managed to play in nearly 85% of the Wolf Pack’s games and the team’s full slate of nine playoff games.

That puts him in a decent position to maintain a regular role for the Wolf Pack next season, although the additions of Gustafsson and Mackey could make things more difficult. Assuming Gustafsson earns the third-pairing role next to Schneider and the Rangers opt to stash Jones in the press box as a seventh defenseman rather than expose him to waivers, Mackey, should he clear waivers, is in line to be the Wolf Pack’s number-one left-shot defenseman with Harpur and Robertson likely to be behind him.

That lineup picture could make it harder for Scanlin to see regular time in Hartford, especially as more accomplished AHLers such as Mac Hollowell and Nikolas Brouillard stand ahead of him on the right side.

Still, Scanlin appears to be one injury or waiver claim from resuming his regular role on head coach Kris Knoblauch’s defense, and should he manage to hold down a regular role he will be afforded a solid opportunity to continue his development and make a more concerted push for NHL call-up consideration.

Turner Elson Remains Under Contract For 2023-24

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  • A rare press release error was clarified by CapFriendly today, confirming that minor-league forward Turner Elson will remain under contract with the Rangers next season despite the team saying they’d signed him to a one-year deal in 2022. CapFriendly reported the two-year deal correctly at the time. Elson, 30, played a bottom-six role with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack last year and will earn a minimum guaranteed salary of $250K in 2023-24. Coming to the Rangers last summer after a decade spent in the Calgary Flames, Colorado Avalanche, and Detroit Red Wings organizations, Elson registered a strong 17 goals, 24 assists and 41 points in a team-leading 72 games for the Wolf Pack. It’s been quite the winding career for the undrafted free agent, who has three NHL games to his name and has cemented himself as solid veteran leadership and scoring depth in the minors.

Brooks: Potential Rangers Late-Summer UFA Targets

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Late July and early August have traditionally meant bargain bin shopping for NHL teams as unrestricted free agency drags on, and this season is no different – especially with a tight salary cap situation for most clubs. With roughly $2.25MM in projected cap space to spare and a new contract still needed for winger Alexis Lafreniere, Larry Brooks of the New York Post wonders about the Rangers dipping into the professional tryout market as training camps draw closer to round out the bottom of their lineup. With the team’s fourth line (and projected scratches) made up mainly of defensive specialists, Brooks surmises the likes of Max Comtois or Colin White as being fit for a tryout or a league-minimum deal. If the team is still looking to add grit and replace the fourth-line presence of Ryan Reaves, Zack Kassian is still on the market after getting bought out by the Arizona Coyotes, as well as former Ottawa Senator Austin Watson.

Free Agent Profile: Vladimir Tarasenko

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This year’s free agent market was a tough one to gauge for teams and players alike. Another year of a tight salary cap situation for most teams, along with a relatively weak class of UFAs, made for some interesting decisions. Take gritty winger, Tyler Bertuzzi, for example. He didn’t get far into extension discussions with the cap-strapped Boston Bruins because he wanted a long-term deal but signed a one-year pact with the Toronto Maple Leafs just a few days into free agency.

But perhaps no player misread the market more than Vladimir Tarasenko, leading to the two-time All-Star being available on the market over two weeks into free agency. While he was reportedly close to a deal with the Carolina Hurricanes earlier in the month, he changed his representation less than a week after July 1, restarting the clock on all pending negotiations. After a bit of a down season, scoring just 18 goals in 69 games split between the St. Louis Blues and New York Rangers, the 31-year-old likely didn’t get any offers reflecting the level of commitment he was expecting.

Why teams wouldn’t want to take a longer-term gamble on the 2019 Stanley Cup champion is understandable. Shoulder injuries limited him to 34 games combined in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons. While a return to form in 2021-22 (34 goals and 82 points in 75 games) revitalized his stock, a tough season for him (and the Blues) last year lowered it again, and his post-deadline stint with the Rangers wasn’t at his previous elite goal-scoring level, either.

Still, he is a six-time 30-goal scorer and brings a winning pedigree. He’s worth a spot in almost any team’s top six, although slightly sheltered minutes wouldn’t hurt. With Patrick Kane, the other marquee winger still on the market, not expected to sign until closer to the start of next season, Tarasenko is the best player available for teams looking to add a forward.

Stats

2022-23: 69 GP, 18-32-50, -14 rating, 8 PIMs, 169 shots on goal, 45.7% CF, 16:48 ATOI
Career: 675 GP, 270-304-574, +61 rating, 185 PIMs, 2,124 shots on goal, 52.5% CF, 17:27 ATOI

Potential Suitors

At his age, the likelihood of Tarasenko earning a long-term pact after betting on himself this season is small. Knowing he isn’t getting the compensation he initially set out to receive this summer, signing somewhere that gives him a chance to win a second Stanley Cup will likely be at the top of his mind.

The Hurricanes still give him the best shot of doing just that. Whether it can financially come to fruition, though, is another question. Carolina’s already backed out of one widely-reported transaction this summer, forcing the Philadelphia Flyers to go the buyout route with defenseman Anthony DeAngelo instead of re-acquiring him at half-price. The team is reportedly in discussions with the San Jose Sharks about acquiring reigning Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson, and top-four shutdown defender Brett Pesce remains without a contract extension. There are many moving parts still to come with Carolina, leaving a lot of uncertainty about their ability to fit in another UFA signing under the salary cap after signing Michael Bunting and Dmitry Orlov earlier in the month. Still, Tarasenko would add to what’s already one of the most terrifyingly deep forward groups in the league and, if healthy, could provide the sniper element sorely missing from their recent string of playoff runs.

Another team connected to Tarasenko is the Ottawa Senators, who have an Alex DeBrincat-sized hole in their top six after trading the young winger to the Detroit Red Wings. There are similar financial holdups there, though, as CapFriendly lists them with roughly $5MM in projected space for next season while still needing a new contract for center Shane Pinto. Receiving Dominik Kubalik in return from Detroit gives Ottawa a solid secondary scoring option. Still, he’s been quite streaky throughout his brief NHL career, and Tarasenko provides a high-end, veteran backup option if Kubalik doesn’t pan out in Canada’s capital. Ottawa is a team hungry to make their postseason appearance in six years, and adding Tarasenko could push them right back into the conversation of playoff hopefuls in the Atlantic Division.

The New York Rangers would also love to have Tarasenko back in the fold as a more experienced, higher-ceiling scoring option than some of their other depth names, but they’re in a more dire financial situation than both Carolina and Ottawa. Finding a way to move out or reduce Barclay Goodrow’s cap hit ($3.64MM through 2026-27) could open up some options for them, though.

Projected Contract

Unfortunately for Tarasenko, playing the waiting game has likely cost him a lot of cash in a tight market. Don’t expect him to sign a deal much longer than three seasons when he does sign, and it could very well come in under the $5MM mark per season, given the lack of financial flexibility available among contenders.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Should Rangers Play Young Forwards More To Start Next Season?

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The cap situation for the Rangers has limited them for the most part this summer.  Accordingly, Larry Brooks of the New York Post opines that the best chance they have to take a step forward next season might be to take a step back out of the gate and give their young trio of Alexis Lafreniere (still an unsigned restricted free agent), Kaapo Kakko, and Filip Chytil extended looks in offensive roles.  With a forward group that skews older otherwise, New York’s best chance for offensive growth might very well be those three younger options taking a step forward in their development.  The Rangers are certainly in win-now mode which might make it seem counter-intuitive to potentially have some early struggles while evaluating those players in those roles but if they can hit another gear offensively, they could certainly be dangerous offensively when the playoffs come around.

  • The Sabres have reached a new ECHL affiliation agreement for next season as Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News reports that Buffalo will be partnered up with Jacksonville, formerly an affiliate of the Rangers. Buffalo had been with Cincinnati since 2017 but needed a new one when the Rangers signed with that franchise; this move basically makes it a trade of affiliates.  A press conference is scheduled for Monday to make it official.

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