Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Rangers Rumors

Alexandar Georgiev Denies That He Requested A Trade

at CDT | by 13 Comments

With Igor Shesterkin quickly establishing himself as the number one goalie for the Rangers, there had been speculation that Alexandar Georgiev had requested a trade.  Speaking with reporters, including Larry Brooks of the New York Post, the netminder put that idea to rest:

The rumors were false, I don’t know where that came from. You can be dealt pretty much as a player without a no-move clause, so I just worked as usual and tried not to think about it.

While he may not have asked for a move, the fact he was in trade speculation was certainly understandable.  The four-year, $22.667MM contract given to Shesterkin this offseason cements him in that starting role moving forward, pushing Georgiev’s future with the team in question.  Georgiev himself indicated that last season was “tough” and “no fun” where he was in the number two role, making just 18 starts while posting a 2.71 GAA along with a .905 SV%.

The 25-year-old is in the final season of his two-year bridge deal, one that carries a cap hit of $2.425MM while he will be owed a qualifying offer of $2.65MM next summer.  Both of those numbers are certainly reasonable for a second-string backup but if Georgiev has eyes on a bigger role, that opportunity will have to come elsewhere barring a long-term injury to Shesterkin.

Young goalies with some upside – Georgiev has a career .912 SV% in 96 games – don’t typically come available too often and there are certainly some rebuilding teams that have openings to give him a bigger role.  As a result, while Georgiev may not have asked out, he’s still quite likely to be in trade speculation for the foreseeable future.

New York Rangers Extend Mika Zibanejad

at CDT | by 22 Comments

The New York Rangers announced Sunday morning that they’ve extended center Mika Zibanejad. The New York Post’s Larry Brooks reports an eight-year deal with a cap hit in the $8.5MM range. Per CapFriendly, the contract breakdown is as follows:

2022-23: $1MM salary + $7MM signing bonus
2023-24: $1MM salary + $9MM signing bonus
2024-25: $1MM salary + $9.5MM signing bonus
2025-26: $1MM salary + $9MM signing bonus
2026-27: $1MM salary + $7.5MM signing bonus
2027-28: $1MM salary + $6.75MM signing bonus
2028-29: $1MM salary + $5.75MM signing bonus
2029-30: $1MM salary + $5.5MM signing bonus

CapFriendly also adds that the deal contains a full no-move clause through the first seven years of the deal plus most of the eighth year.  In 2030, that clause will drop to a 21-team no-trade clause seven days before the trade deadline.

Zibanejad’s extension will begin in the 2022-23 season, taking him through 2029-30 — his age 37 season. He was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the conclusion of this campaign.

With Zibanejad’s $8.5MM reported cap hit, it’s an increase of a little over $3MM on his previous $5.35MM cap hit. The center is coming off a five-year, $26.75MM deal he signed with the Rangers prior to the 2017-18 season.

The contract has immediate salary cap ramifications for the Rangers, who’ll have a busy and challenging offseason ahead of them at the conclusion of this season. The team is projected to have $20.2MM in space next year with the cap increasing to $82.5MM. That space is all they have to re-sign Adam Fox, Kaapo Kakko, Vitali Kravtsov, Sammy Blais, and Alexandar Georgiev, as well as filling out the rest of their roster. They’re handicapped by a $3.4MM cap penalty from the combined buyouts of Kevin Shattenkirk, Dan Girardi, and Anthony DeAngelo.

Throughout his 604-game NHL career, Zibanejad’s scored 200 goals, 234 assists, and 434 points. He’s averaged over 20 minutes a game for the Rangers for three consecutive seasons, cementing his role as a bonafide top-line center. He scored 24 goals and 50 points during last season’s shortened 56-game campaign.

Drafted sixth overall by the Ottawa Senators in 2011, he’s done his best work away from the team that drafted him after Ottawa shipped him away to the Rangers in 2016 in exchange for Derick Brassard. He’s scored 283 points in 323 games as a Ranger.

Theoretically, this deal also had a direct impact on another New York squad. The Rangers have long been linked as a possible destination for former Buffalo Sabres captain Jack Eichel via trade. Yet an eight-year commitment of this magnitude to a player that’s served as their first-line center for years now would suggest that the Rangers have placed their bets in-house on a center that can take them to a Stanley Cup.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Images.

All salary cap figures courtesy of CapFriendly.

Ducks, Flames Leading Candidates To Acquire Jack Eichel

at CDT | by 34 Comments

Jack Eichel has been on the trade block for what seems like forever and has not been on the ice for the Buffalo Sabres this preseason as he continues to await neck surgery. Yet, his market is heating back up. As TSN’s Darren Dreger wrote earlier this week, the Sabres have been pushed by Eichel’s new agent, Pat Brisson, to share medical files with interested parties. The result has been more clarity as to Eichel’s serious suitors, which could finally lead to a trade.

Eichel’s desired surgical cure, which has been at the center of his ongoing feud with the Sabres, is a disc replacement surgery that has never been attempted on an NHL player. By sharing the specifics of Eichel’s injury, teams can gain more insight into the nature of Eichel’s condition and whether they would agree to his preferred route rather than the typical fusion procedure. As Pierre LeBrun reports for The Athletic, this has helped Kevyn Adams and the Sabres strengthen their trade pitch, as some of the unknowns of an Eichel deal have been cleared up. While LeBrun believes that there will still be a conditional aspect to any deal, Buffalo now finally has a chance to finally close a deal and closer to full value.

Among the teams that LeBrun feels have backed off of the Eichel pursuit are the Minnesota Wild and Philadelphia, and even the New York Rangers and Los Angeles Kings who seemed like top contenders at one point. However, LeBrun notes that the Anaheim Ducks and Calgary Flames have done their due diligence on Eichel’s condition and the ADR surgery and remain interested in the star center.

Though the cost for Eichel remains a mystery, especially with the suspected conditional component, there will still be a considerable price to pay. Anaheim offers a number of young roster forwards, as well as numerous talented prospects. Calgary offers more current star talent, some of whom would have to move for cap purposes, as well as some top prospects. Both teams would be able to make a strong pitch for Eichel and have good reason for doing so. The Flames may be one major piece away from jumping into Stanley Cup contention, while the Ducks have a budding young core and know that Eichel has expressed some desire to play on the west coast.

While LeBrun stops short of saying a trade is imminent, this is first time that concrete conversations have been had with a media source confirming that Eichel talks are occurring. Eichel needed surgery “like yesterday” per LeBrun and both he and the Sabres desperately need to move on, so for the good of all involved, including NHL fans, hopefully this situation will be resolved before too long.

Injury Notes: Reaves, Bennett, Guentzel

at CDT | by 2 Comments

Despite suffering an injury on Wednesday night that forced him to be helped off the ice, New York Rangers free agent addition Ryan Reaves may not miss any regular season time. The grinder has not been practicing since the injury occurred, but head coach Gerard Gallant is optimistic that he could return by opening night. “I think it’s going to be close,” Gallant told Collin Stephenson on Newsday. “When we left the game, I said no, but… the last couple of days it’s going in the right direction… I can’t really say, but I think it’s going to be real close.” The Rangers prioritized adding grit and physicality this summer, adding Reaves, Barclay Goodrow, Sammy Blais, and Patrik Nemeth, so they hope to be able to roll out their full complement of toughness for Opening Night.

  • Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett missed the team’s preseason match-up on Saturday night as he has been placed in the NHL’s COVID-19 Protocol, the team announced. Depending on the context of Bennett’s absence, the two-way forward could miss more than just one game. The Panthers certainly hope that the physical center is good to go for the start of the season; Bennett was an excellent addition to the Florida roster at the deadline last season, recording 15 points in ten games while averaging a career-high 18:04 time on ice. As the Cats look to compete in the Atlantic Division this year, every game matters and a healthy Bennett is a difference-maker.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins expect to have Jake Guentzel back sooner rather than later from COVID Protocol. Head coach Mike Sullivan told The Athletic’s Rob Rossi that Guentzel is asymptomatic and going through the steps of the protocol. Though he has missed a week of practice, Guentzel will jump right back into the lineup if he is healthy. The 27-year-old has scored at a point-per-game pace over the past three years and will be relied on even more with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin injured.

Rangers Recall Greg McKegg

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

  • Greg McKegg gets another look with the Rangers as Rick Carpinello of The Athletic notes (Twitter link) that the veteran forward has been recalled for tonight’s game against the Islanders. McKegg returned to New York this season after spending 2020-21 with Boston.
  • Veteran winger Brandon Mashinter has decided to call it a career and has joined Jacksonville of the ECHL as an assistant coach. The 33-year-old played in parts of four NHL seasons with the Sharks, Rangers, and Blackhawks, notching five points and 50 PIMS in 64 games.  Mashinter spent last season in Slovakia after a two-year stint in Germany.

New Jersey Devils Claim Mason Geertsen

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Oct 4: The Devils have answered the question of where Geertsen fits into the roster, noting that he will play left wing tonight against the Washington Capitals in a preseason game. Geertsen has played forward in the minors for the past year and is now, according to Devils reporter Amanda Stein, comfortable at the position.

Oct 3: Waiver season is in full swing, with dozens of players exposed over the last few days. Today, the New Jersey Devils decided to select one of those players and add him to their organization. Mason Geertsen, who was waived by the New York Rangers has been claimed by New Jersey.

Geertsen, 26, has exactly zero NHL games played in his professional career but adds a level of physicality to the fringe of the Devils roster. Even the team’s press release suggests that his size and the fact that he “likes to play a tough, physical, and gritty game” is the reason the team went after him.

Interestingly enough, the Devils have had several chances to acquire Geertsen in the past but have passed them up. The minor league defenseman–who notably has been playing some forward in the AHL as well–has cleared waivers twice before, including in March of this year, and was an unrestricted free agent in 2019 after failing to receive a qualifying offer from the Colorado Avalanche, the team that drafted him back in 2013.

He ended up signing an AHL contract with the Rangers and spent a year and a half before earning his current two-year, two-way deal. When he did so, New York put him on waivers in order to keep him in the minor leagues and the Devils–and every other team in the league–passed.

They won’t this time, a curious decision given the added depth the Devils have acquired at the position this offseason. Dougie Hamilton, Ryan Graves, and Christian Jaros were brought in this summer, while Jonas Siegenthaler was retained after a deadline trade last season. It’s hard to see where exactly Geertsen fits in, though with Ty Smith’s recent injury there may just be a short-term need for some added depth.

If the Devils put Geertsen back on waivers, the Rangers will have a chance to reclaim him and send him directly to the minor leagues, should they be the only team to put in a claim.

Vitali Kravtsov's Injury Not Believed To Be Serious

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

  • Rangers winger Vitali Kravtsov left Friday’s game after the first period due to a lower-body injury but it’s not believed to be a serious one, head coach Gerard Gallant told reporters including Mollie Walker of the New York Post. Kravtsov had four points in 20 games last season after coming over from the KHL and is expected to have a regular role in their lineup in 2021-22.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: New York Rangers

at CDT | by 2 Comments

Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM.  Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful.  Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2021-22 season.  This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL.  All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

New York Rangers

Current Cap Hit: $72,103,969 (under the $81.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Morgan Barron (two years, $925K)
F Adam Fox (one year, $925K)
F Kaapo Kakko (one year, $925K)
F Vitali Kravtsov (one year, $925K)
F Alexis Lafreniere (one year, $925K)
D Nils Lundkvist (three years, $925K)
D K’Andre Miller (two years, $925K)

Potential Bonuses
Barron: $850K
Fox: $850K
Kakko: $2.65MM
Kravtsov: $850K
Lafreniere: $2.85MM
Lundkvist: $850K
Miller: $350K
Total: $9.25MM

Kakko’s first two seasons haven’t gone particularly well as he hasn’t been able to produce with much consistency.  That can certainly change but at this point, a shorter-term second contract seems likelier than a long-term pact while the bulk of those bonuses won’t be met.  Lafreniere’s rookie campaign was similar to Kakko’s and he is one of New York’s big wild cards heading into this season.  A strong sophomore year could put him in position to meet most of his ‘A’ bonuses at least, totaling $850K though the ‘B’ bonuses remain unlikely.  Kravtsov had a good season in the KHL but was relatively quiet in his first taste of NHL action.  Now only a year away from his second contract, a bridge deal should be forthcoming.  Barron may wind up also seeing action in AHL Hartford but if he winds up being a regular, he’s likely not going to be able to hit most of his ‘A’ bonuses.

Fox, the Norris Trophy winner, is on quite the bargain of a contract.  His sophomore season was a dominant one and it’s safe to say he’ll be using some of the recent contracts for Dallas’ Miro Heiskanen (eight years, $8.45MM AAV) and Colorado’s Cale Makar (six years, $9MM AAV) as comparables.  As long as he stays healthy, he should hit all of his ‘A’ bonuses.  Miller is likely to have a similar role on New York’s back end this season which should give him a shot at two or three of his ‘A’ bonuses while setting him up for a nice second contract though nowhere near what Fox’s will be.  Lundkvist is expected to contend for a regular role but if they ease him in, it’s unlikely he’ll be able to hit most of his bonuses.

There’s more emphasis on bonuses here than usual for a reason.  While the Rangers are more than $9MM under the cap, that doesn’t factor in bonuses.  Knowing that several million of those bonuses are likely to be hit, their effective cap space is lower unless they want to face an overage penalty in 2022-23 which would not be a wise idea if it can be avoided.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

F Sammy Blais ($1.5MM, RFA)
F Julien Gauthier ($775K, RFA)
G Alexandar Georgiev ($2.425MM, RFA)
D Libor Hajek ($874K, RFA)
F Ryan Strome ($4.5MM, UFA)
F Mika Zibanejad ($5.35MM, UFA)

All eyes are on Zibanejad as what happens with him will greatly affect their plans moving forward.  If they lock him up to a long-term extension which could cost upwards of $10MM based on his current asking price, it’s going to take them out of the mix for adding down the middle.  On the flip side, if they don’t re-sign the 28-year-old, they’ll be entering next summer with a significant void down the middle to try to fill if they aren’t able to trade for a certain Buffalo center by then.  For the time being, Zibanejad is a number one pivot that’s being paid like a number two center which is a great bargain for the Rangers but that is going to change before next season one way or the other.

New York reportedly gave consideration to non-tendering Strome in the 2020 offseason before signing him to this deal and he responded with a career year.  Part of that is playing with a top winger but another showing like that will give him a lot more leverage than he’s accustomed to having as he enters the UFA market for the first time.  Blais was brought in to give the team some more grit but he will need to produce more offensively if he wants to get much more than his $1.6MM qualifying offer.  Gauthier managed to earn a spot on the fourth line for a good chunk of last season but will need to bring something offensively to the table.  He has produced at the lower levels but two goals in 47 career games isn’t going to help his cause for a new deal.

Georgiev has seen his save percentage dip each season which is never a good sign while he is now firmly entrenched as the backup.  His $2.65MM qualifying offer may be a bit high for what they’ll be able to afford next season so it wouldn’t be surprising to see him in trade speculation again.  With the going rate for a good backup, Georgiev’s next deal should come in only a bit higher than his qualifier unless he has a big platform year.

Two Years Remaining

F Filip Chytil ($2.3MM, RFA)
F Ryan Reaves ($1.75MM, UFA)
D Jarred Tinordi ($900K, UFA)

The Rangers drafted Chytil hoping that he would eventually fill a role down the middle.  That could still happen but so far, he has primarily been on the wing while his production has largely been limited so far.  Still just 22, that could change between now and 2023 where he’ll be owed a $2.6MM qualifying offer.  He’ll need to improve his offensive output to have a shot at earning a bigger raise beyond his qualifier.  Reaves is high-paid for the limited minutes he plays but players like him are always in demand.  He’ll be 36 when his one-year extension is up and at that point, it seems unlikely that he’ll be looking at a raise.

Tinordi has taken a long time to get to the NHL but a good showing in the second half of last season allowed him to land a two-year, one-way commitment on the open market.  If he can hold down a regular spot on the third pairing each season, he’ll have a shot at a bigger deal in 2023 but if he winds up being more of a depth player as he typically has been, this is about as high as his salary will get.

Three Years Remaining

D Ryan Lindgren ($3MM, RFA)
D Patrik Nemeth ($2.5MM, UFA)

Lindgren moved into a regular top-four role for the first time last season and handled the extra responsibility well, earning him this three-year bridge deal that allows both sides to reassess before he gets to the open market.  Owed a $3.6MM qualifying offer (120% of the AAV is lower than the final-year salary), Lindgren will need to do more at the offensive end if he wants to get more than that.  Stay-at-home defenders can provide value still but at a lower price point than more offensive counterparts.  Nemeth is a good example of that.  He was in Detroit’s top four for most of the last two seasons (plus a short stint on Colorado’s third pairing) but while he’s steady in his own end, his market value is capped by a lack of production.

Read more

Libor Hajek On The Bubble With The Rangers

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

  • Once viewed as one of the centerpieces of the trade return for Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller, Rangers defenseman Libor Hajek’s time with New York could be in jeopardy, suggests Larry Brooks of the New York Post. The 23-year-old has yet to lock down a full-time role and eventually settled for accepting his qualifying offer earlier this offseason.  Hajek has to go through waivers if the Rangers try to send him down and with the potential he was viewed to have just a few years ago, it wouldn’t be surprising if another team put in a claim.  That has him as a bubble player with a lot on the line the next week and a half as a result.

Training Camp Cuts: 10/1/21

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

With the regular season inching closer and minor league camps starting soon, teams will be paring down their training camp rosters to get closer to the group they plan to start the season with.  Accordingly, there should be plenty of news on this front today, we’ll keep tabs on those moves here.

Minnesota Wild (via team Twitter)

D Kevin Czuczman (to Iowa, AHL)
D Fedor Gordeev (to Iowa, ECHL)
D Joe Hicketts (to Iowa, AHL)
D Dakota Mermis (to Iowa, AHL)
F Mason Shaw (to Iowa, AHL)

Montreal Canadiens (via press release) (and team Tweet)

F Peter Abbandonato (released from PTO, to Laval, AHL)
D Terrance Amorosa (released from PTO, to Laval, AHL)
D Charles-David Beaudoin (released from PTO, to Laval, AHL)
D Louis Belpedio (to Laval, AHL)
D Josh Brook (to Laval, AHL)
D Tory Dello (released from PTO, to Laval, AHL)
F Cedric Desruisseaux (released from ATO, to Laval, AHL)
F Justin Ducharme (released from ATO, to Laval, AHL)
F Alexandre Fortin (to Laval, AHL)
F Brandon Gignac (released from PTO, to Laval, AHL)
D Cody Goloubef (released from PTO, to Laval, AHL)
G Alexis Gravel (released from ATO, to Laval, AHL)
F Cam Hillis (to Laval, AHL)
F Arsen Khisamutdinov (to Laval, AHL)
F Jake Lucchini (released from PTO, to Laval, AHL)
F Jan Mysak (to Hamilton, OHL)
D Carl Neill (released from PTO, to Laval, AHL)
D Xavier Ouellet (to Laval, AHL)
F Kevin Roy (released from PTO, to Laval, AHL)
F Shawn St-Amant (released from PTO, to Laval, AHL)
F Joel Teasdale (to Laval, AHL)
F Lukas Vejdemo (to Laval, AHL)

New York Rangers (via press release)
D Anthony Bitetto
F Jonny Brodzinski
F Timothy Gettinger
F Anthony Greco
G Keith Kinkaid
F Ty Ronning

San Jose Sharks (via Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News)

D Artemi Kniazev (to San Jose, AHL)
D Jaycob Megna (to San Jose, AHL)
G Alexei Melnichuk (to San Jose, AHL)
D Montana Onyebuchi (to San Jose, AHL)
D Brinson Pasichnuk (to San Jose, AHL)

Washington Capitals (via team Twitter)

D Vincent Iorio (to Brandon, WHL)

Winnipeg Jets (via team Twitter)

G Philippe Desrosiers (released from PTO, to Manitoba, AHL)
F Haralds Egle (released from PTO, to Manitoba, AHL)
F Evan Polei (released from PTO, to Manitoba, AHL)

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