Rangers New Defense Might Have Weakened Rest Of Team
The New York Rangers spent much of their offseason fixing one of their biggest weaknesses in their defense. The team went out and signed free agent Kevin Shattenkirk to a four-year, $26.6MM deal, then re-signed trade deadline rental Brendan Smith to a new four-year, $17.4MM deal. They traded away top center Derek Stepan and backup goaltender Antti Raanta for defenseman Anthony DeAngelo and a first-round pick. Perhaps more importantly, they bought out Dan Girardi, who was struggling. With all the changes, the Rangers should have one of the best defensive corps in the league. With Shattenkirk paired with Ryan McDonagh, Smith paired with veteran Marc Staal and young Brady Skjei paired with either Nick Holden or DeAngelo, the Rangers should be in fantastic shape.
But at what cost? The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn writes (subscription required) that the Rangers’ knee-jerk reaction to their second-round playoff loss to the Ottawa Senators have crippled the team in other areas. He writes the goaltending situation is now worse due to moving Raanta to Arizona. Instead, New York signed Ondrej Pavelec to a one-year deal, but there is a huge difference between the two backups. Raanta was a stud backup who now will get his chance to be an NHL starting goalie. Pavelec has been inconsistent in his time with the Jets, but has struggled so bad in the last couple of years that Winnipeg demoted him to the AHL’s Manitoba Moose. Incidentally, Pavelec played 18 games for Manitoba and finished with a 2.78 GAA in that span — which wouldn’t be acceptable in the NHL. Probably not the backup you would want when your starter Henrik Lundqvist, who is 35 years old, is coming off the worst season of his career. Lundqvist finished the year with a 2.74 GAA in 57 games and .910 save percentage. Those numbers suggest that his workload might need to be diminished in the future — probably not the best time to be trading your top backup.
The scribe also mentions that the team also has to wonder if they have enough offense to get through the season. The team traded away Stepan, who he admits isn’t that big of a loss, but considering that there is no true center who can take his place, that’s not a good sign. Yes, Mike Zibanejad will likely assume the top role, but he will likely be one of the worst top centers in the NHL. Their other three centers J.T. Miller, Kevin Hayes and David Desharnais are all acceptable, but none are outstanding centers. Luszczyszyn adds that what the Rangers really need is a big-name scorer, which they lack. The team instead relies on Chris Kreider and Mats Zuccarello, who are great players, but not two players you should have leading your offense.
All in all, the belief is the Rangers have traded one concern for many others. Will these offensive changes really change anything?
Minor Transactions: 7/25/17
For a Tuesday in late July, it’s been an especially busy day for hockey transactions, including the NHL signings of Mika Zibanejad with the New York Rangers, Robin Lehner with the Buffalo Sabres, Mark Streit with the Montreal Canadiens, and several deals by the Colorado Avalanche and New Jersey Devils. Yet, there has been a flurry of notable activity in the AHL and overseas today too, including the following:
- The once-promising NHL career of Matt Fraser has taken another odd turn away from its original path. Fraser, still just 27 years old, has signed with Dornbirner EC of the EBEL, a lower tier European league based mostly out of Austria. The team has announced the deal, though terms have not been released. Fraser moves to the EBEL after a season in Sweden, where injuries limited him to only four games with Rogle BK. Before that, many will remember Fraser as a star in the AHL for the Texas Stars and, after the Tyler Seguin trade, the Providence Bruins. Fraser even played in 60 NHL games with the Boston Bruins and Edmonton Oilers in 2014-15 and looked to be on his way to becoming an NHL regular. However, after signing a one-year deal with the Winnipeg Jets in 2015 and failing to make the team, Fraser had the worst AHL season of his career and decided to head overseas. So far, it has not worked out, but Fraser will now try his hand at EBEL action, where he could easily be the best player for Dornbirner, who currently count another former Bruin, Jamie Arniel, as their top scorer.
- Another player who failed to meet expectatiosn in North America and will now head to a lesser European league is Dane Fox. The former Erie Otters superstar, who scored 107 points in 67 games in his final OHL season, has not found anywhere near the same success at the pro level. A high-profile signing by the Vancouver Canucks in 2014, the undrafted forward has made his last junior season look very much like a fluke with his play since then. Fox has skated almost exclusively in the ECHL over the past three seasons, playing in only two AHL games and not even in consideration for an NHL look with the Canucks and Carolina Hurricanes. Now, Fox will head to Germany to play with the Nurnberg Ice Tigers of the DEL. Nurnberg is the likely favorite in the DEL next season and roster many players with NHL experience, including 2016-17 top scorer Steve Reinprecht and recent signee Tom Gilbert. Fox’s pro hockey career is very much up in the air right now, but if he can shine through on an experience Ice Tigers roster, perhaps he’ll get another shot in North America .
- The AHL’s San Diego Gulls, the Anaheim Ducks’ affiliate, has re-signed forward Jordan Samuels-Thomas to a two-year minor league deal, the league announced. The 27-year-old recorded a pro career-high 24 points and +13 rating for the Gulls last year and is a fan favorite and active member of the San Diego community. The former NCAA standout was a seventh-round pick of the Atlanta Thrashers in 2009, but was never signed to an entry-level deal after spending five years in college.
- The Chicago Wolves, now the new affiliate of the Vegas Golden Knights, have signed one of their own, inking Scooter Vaughan to a one-year deal, according to a team release. The hard-nosed defenseman worked his way up through hockey’s ranks, spending four years at the University of Michigan, three years in the ECHL, and going on four years in the AHL, with the last two spent in Chicago. The next stop could be the NHL, now that the Wolves are associated with the Knights, who obviously have the least organizational depth of any team in the league. A career-best performance in 2017-18 could earn Vaughan his first NHL contract next year.
- A pair of AHL defenseman will change teams for the upcoming season as Paul Geiger, recently of the Rochester Americans, has signed with the Hershey Bears, the Washington Capitals’ affiliate, while the Carolina Hurricanes’ minor league partners, the Charlotte Checkers, have signed former St. John’s Ice Caps defender Josiah Didier. Both Geiger and Didier are still just 24 years old and were solid college players, at Clarkson and Denver respectively, but need big seasons with their new teams after pedestrian starts to their pro careers, that is if they want to reach the NHL someday.
- The 2016-17 captain at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) has found his new home, and he’s in a good spot. Riley Bourbonnais, a 23-year-old center who was nearly a point per game player for RPI last year, has inked his first AHL deal with the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins, the feeder team of the two-time Stanley Cup champs. The team announced their newest addition and have high hopes that he can bring the same well-rounded game he showed in college to the pros.
New York Rangers Sign Mika Zibanejad To Five-Year Contract
Just before the two sides headed into an arbitration hearing, the New York Rangers and Mika Zibanejad agreed to a five-year, $26.75MM contract. The deal will pay Zibanejad an average of $5.35MM per season. Craig Morgan of AZ Sports has the yearly breakdown:
- 2017-18: $5MM salary + $1MM signing bonus
- 2018-19: $5.5MM salary
- 2019-20: $5.35MM salary
- 2020-21: $2.65MM salary + $2.5MM signing bonus
- 2021-22: $4.75MM salary
Zibanejad, 24, will be given the reins as the top center option in New York this year just a year after being acquired from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Derick Brassard. The Rangers shipped Derek Stepan out of town a few weeks ago, leaving Zibanejad and Kevin Hayes as the de facto top two options (unless the team decides to move J.T. Miller back to the middle at some point). With that comes some risk, but the Rangers feel as though the young center can step into the top role and run with it for the next several years.
Already with two 20-goal seasons under his belt by 23, Zibanejad was limited to just 56 games last season but still recorded 37 points and looked like the Rangers most dangerous forward on many nights. His improving faceoff skills and defensive play were on display during the shortened year, as was his fit on the Rangers’ powerplay. He’ll look to be a big part of what should be an improved group after the offseason addition of Kevin Shattenkirk, noted powerplay monster. With increased PP time, and a bigger role 5-on-5 you could see Zibanejad finally crack the 60-point mark if not higher this season. The ability is apparent, and now the opportunity is there to match it.
Interestingly though, Zibanejad comes in ahead of Tyler Johnson‘s average salary of $5MM. Though Zibanejad is a couple of years younger than the Tampa Bay pivot, he’s still giving up three years of unrestricted free agency as he’s been playing in the league so long already. Though some would argue that Zibanejad’s future looks stronger as a true #1 center, Johnson has the higher peak season so far and has received Selke votes for his defensive prowess. Johnson also gave up six years of free agency in a deal that is looking better by the day.
The Rangers though will be happy to plug a $5.35MM number into their salary structure for the next five seasons, a number that will leave them with just over $3MM in cap room for the upcoming year. They have no more restricted free agents to sign, so it is possible they could dip their toes back into the UFA market if there is a player sitting out there that interests them. With Shattenkirk added and a more mobile defense corps they are definitely contenders to post a 100-point season or even win the Metropolitan division.
Which Of The RFAs Slotted For Arbitration Will Earn The Most?
Arbitration can be a useful tool for players in a number of ways. It accelerates the contract negotiation process and puts it on a definitive timetable. It puts the player in a position where they can (theoretically) promote their own cause and posture for a greater paycheck. And in some cases, the threat of a mere one-to-two year ruling scares the team in question into handing out more term than they may otherwise have been comfortable.
With Tomas Tatar earning $5.3 MM AAV, Viktor Arvidsson earning $4.25 MM, and Colton Parayko raking in $5.5 MM all in the last few days, many players are earning longer deals with impressive cap hits before reaching their scheduled date. Only 14 names remain slotted for arbitration, but there are still a few names out there who are seeking a raise. Those players are Austin Watson, Brian Dumoulin, Mika Zibanejad, Ryan Spooner, Robin Lehner, Matt Nieto, Connor Hellebuyck, Reid Boucher, Calvin de Haan, Nate Schmidt, Nino Niederreiter, Mikael Granlund, Conor Sheary, and Nathan Beaulieu.
Keep in mind that most of the remaining names will likely come to an agreement prior to their dates, which could affect the prices. That said, who do you think ends up seeing the highest AAV on their next contract? Take our poll below!
Which Of The RFAs Slotted For Arbitration Will Earn The Most Money On Their Next Contract, AAV?
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Mikael Granlund 35% (148)
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Mika Zibanejad 29% (124)
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Nino Niederreiter 18% (77)
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Brian Dumoulin 8% (35)
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Conor Sheary 7% (28)
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Other 4% (15)
Total votes: 427
(Mobile users, click here to vote.)
Rangers, Zibanejad Exchange Arbitration Numbers
With the arbitration hearing for New York Rangers center Mika Zibanejad coming up this Tuesday, July 25th, the two sides have exchanged salary figures. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Zibanejad’s side is asking for $5.35MM, while the team is offering $4.1MM.
While there’s been no word thus far on the term either side is requesting, it is reasonable to assume that Zibanejad would like just a one-year award if the negotiations go all the way through the arbitration process. The first year in New York did not go as planned for the 24-year-old pivot, as injury limited him to just 56 games. While the swift Swede was still able to put up 37 points, he snapped his 20-goal season streak and was unable to show off much of his physical game, playing a much more careful style. Nevertheless, Zibanejad still displayed his scoring ability, with a career-high 0.66 points per game and an 11.8% shooting percentage, as well as his two-way ability with a +9 rating and career-best 52% face-off winning percentage. He also skated in 12 playoff games and looked impressive, registering nine points and a +4 rating in nearly 18 minutes of ice time per game.
The Rangers may have expected more from Zibanejad in year one, but when he was healthy he was everything they could ask for. The last thing that New York wants is a short-term deal that exposes Zibanejad to unrestricted free agency anytime soon. Having traded Derick Brassard to acquire Zibanejad just around this time last year, they want to make that deal count. Expect the Rangers to do what they can to lessen the annual average value of the deal based on injury concerns in 2016-17, but in the end do what it takes to secure a long-term deal. New York will likely be the side to budge, despite a strange first season together, and this contract will likely end up as a five or six year pact (or longer) worth somewhere around $4.75MM+ per year, similar to the deal Brassard himself signed with the Rangers back in 2014.
Remaining Arbitration Dates
While the league continues to try and lock up their young players, several arbitration dates remain on the docket for the next few weeks. Starting on Thursday, teams and players will head to hearings to determine their salary for the upcoming season (or seasons). For more information on how the arbitration process works, check out Mike Furlano’s two part breakdown of the system from last summer.
The remaining arbitration dates are as follows:
July 20 – Colton Parayko (St. Louis), Tomas Tatar (Detroit)
Originally scheduled: Tyler Johnson (Tampa Bay) who signed a seven-year, $35MM contract.
July 21 – Ryan Dzingel (Ottawa)
Originally scheduled: Michael Chaput (Vancouver) who signed a one-year, $688K contract
July 22 – Viktor Arvidsson (Nashville)
Originally scheduled: Micheal Ferland (Calgary) who signed a two-year, $3.5MM contract.
July 24 – Austin Watson (Nashville), Brian Dumoulin (Pittsburgh)
July 25 – Mika Zibanejad (NY Rangers)
Originally scheduled: Joey LaLeggia (Edmonton) who signed a one-year, two-way, $700K contract and Ondrej Palat (Tampa Bay) who signed a five-year, $26.5MM contract.
July 26 – Ryan Spooner (Boston)
Originally scheduled: Jordan Martinook (Arizona) who signed a two-year, $3.6MM contract.
July 27 – Robin Lehner (Buffal0)
Originally scheduled: Marek Mazanec (Nashville) who signed a one-year, two-way, $650K contract.
July 28 – (none)
Originally scheduled: Jean-Gabriel Pageau (Ottawa) who signed a three-year, $9.3MM contract.
July 31 – Matt Nieto (Colorado)
August 1 – Connor Hellebuyck (Winnipeg), Reid Boucher (Vancouver)
August 2 – Calvin de Haan (NY Islanders)
Originally scheduled: Kevin Gravel (Los Angeles) who signed a one-year, two-way, $650K contract.
August 3 – Nate Schmidt (Vegas), Nino Niederreiter (Minnesota)
August 4 – Mikael Granlund (Minnesota), Conor Sheary (Pittsburgh), Nathan Beaulieu (Buffalo)
Johnson, Palat Signings Likely To Factor In Rangers Negotiations With Zibanejad
With Mika Zibanejad‘s arbitration hearing scheduled just nine days from now, the real question is whether the New York Rangers plan on locking up their young center before that time. With the loss of center Derek Stepan and the lack of depth at the center position, the need for Zibanejad is even more evident and locking up the 24-year-old to a long-term deal would be important as his value should only increase if he goes through arbitration and accepts a one-year deal.
Zibanejad was the key piece to the trade that the Rangers received for trading veteran center Derick Brassard one year ago to Ottawa. The promising playmaker had two solid seasons with Ottawa before New York acquired the former 2011 sixth-overall pick. Had it not been for a broken leg, Zibanejad would have easily duplicated his performance this year in his first season for New York. He managed to play 56 games and score 14 goals and add 23 assists on the season.
Yet now, some key decision-making must be made by Rangers’ brass as to what to offer the young playmaker. The New York Posts’ Larry Brooks writes that the team should look to the recent contracts that the Tampa Bay Lightning handed out to Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat. Johnson just signed a seven-year deal that pays him $5MM annually and Palat was locked up to a five-year contract, worth $5.3MM per year. That’s a starting point. And according to Brooks, both Johnson and Palat are slightly more productive players. Palat has averaged .71 points per game, while Johnson .68 points per game. Zibanejad has averaged just .56 points per game in his career and has been less successful in playoff games as well. Therefore, Brooks suggests that he should be receiving somewhat less money than the Tampa Bay duo, perhaps at $4.8MM per season. The general belief is the Rangers may play it tough in negotiations with Zibanejad since he left respected Newport Sports Agency to use his half-brother to negotiate with.
The key to the negotiations will most likely come down to how many years they can get Zibanejad to sign for. The general belief is that he wants as short of a deal that he can get, because even an average season or two should produce an even better contract in a year or two. Toss in the possibility that with newly signed free agent Kevin Shattenkirk on board, the defense should contribute even more on offense and be more of a benefit to Zibanejad’s play. However, the Rangers will be far more interested in locking him up for five years. So how much more will New York have to offer him to get this deal done. Afterall, no Ranger has reached arbitration since 2007 when Sean Avery and Nikolai Zherdev.
RFA Arbitration Hearings Begin Soon
Although it’s likely that many of these restricted free-agents come to terms with their teams before the hearing dates, the list of set dates has been released. Last year, only one RFA actually made it to their date without a deal. We should see more players actually make it to the arbitration process this year, but how many is unclear. It could be zero, or it could be five.
That said, these arbitration hearings begin in only 11 days, so the crunch is on. Teams will hope to hammer out details with players they hope to lock in for longer than two years. PHR published a preview highlighting players most likely to see a massive pay-raise, but arbitration by its nature can be rather capricious.
According theScore’s Cody Wilkins, the set dates are as follows:
July 20 – Tyler Johnson (Tampa Bay), Colton Parayko (St. Louis), Tomas Tatar (Detroit)
July 21 – Ryan Dzingel (Ottawa), Michael Chaput (Vancouver)
July 22 – Micheal Ferland (Calgary), Viktor Arvidsson (Nashville)
July 24 – Austin Watson (Nashville), Brian Dumoulin (Pittsburgh)
July 25 – Joey LaLeggia (Edmonton), Mika Zibanejad (NY Rangers), Ondrej Palat (Tampa Bay)
July 26 – Jordan Martinook (Arizona), Ryan Spooner (Boston)
July 27 – Robin Lehner (Buffal0), Marek Mazanec (Nashville)
July 28 – Jean-Gabriel Pageau (Ottawa)
July 31 – Matt Nieto (Colorado)
August 1 – Connor Hellebuyck (Winnipeg), Reid Boucher (Vancouver)
August 2 – Calvin de Haan (NY Islanders), Kevin Gravel (Los Angeles)
August 3 – Nate Schmidt (Vegas), Nino Niederreiter (Minnesota)
August 4 – Mikael Granlund (Minnesota), Conor Sheary (Pittsburgh), Nathan Beaulieu (Buffalo)
Rangers Ready To Move Nick Holden For Help At Center
Don’t be surprised if the New York Rangers move out defenseman Nick Holden in the coming weeks. After signing Kevin Shattenkirk and re-signing Brendan Smith to long-term contracts last week, the Rangers now have five solid defensemen and rather than have Holden languish on one of the bottom-six defensive rotation spots, the team may be ready to use the veteran defender as a trade chip to acquire a center. According to the New York Post’s Larry Brooks, the Rangers might be looking to use Holden to go after Toronto’s Tyler Bozak if the Maple Leafs make the 31-year-old center available now that they have signed Patrick Marleau to a three-year contract.
Toronto, which is currently over the cap by $3.9MM (via Cap Friendly) after the signing, must make a move to get them below the cap. Bozak would make sense as he is on the last year of his contract at $4.2MM and is not likely to be resigned with the Maple Leafs cap issues that will be greeting them in the future. Bozak had a productive season with Toronto last year, putting up 18 goals and 37 assists, while averaging 16:26 of time on the ice. The Rangers, who traded away center Derek Stepan to Arizona to free up some cap space to invest in their defense, must find help to fill that vacant center position as the team currently only has Kevin Hayes, Mika Zibanejad, J.T. Miller and recent free agent acquisition David Desharnais on its roster at that position. Bozak would provide that much needed depth and could even earn a spot as the team’s second center, according to Brooks.
The Rangers don’t need Holden as much on defense as they also have two young defenders who are ready to contribute on defense in 23-year-old Brady Skjei, who had a solid season for the Rangers last year, and 21-year-old Anthony DeAngelo, who they picked up in the Stepan deal. While the Leafs did just sign 36-year-old veteran Ron Hainsey from the Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins to add to their defense, adding a quality veteran like Holden might be a good fit and offer defensive depth they currently do not have.
Offseason Keys: New York Rangers
While tomorrow’s expansion draft is currently headlining a busy NHL offseason, there are still several other storylines for each team in the months to come. Here is a closer look at what lies ahead for the New York Rangers.
The Rangers were one of the top scoring teams in the league in 2016-17 and made it to the second round of the playoffs before being ousted by the Ottawa Senators. GM Jeff Gorton already made one move of significance this offseason with the buyout of Dan Girardi but there is still work to be done. Here’s what else will likely be on the to-do list for New York this summer.
Add A Right Side Top Pairing Defender
Of the six defensemen the Rangers have under contract for next season, only one is a right hand shot. That one player is Steven Kampfer who is signed on a two year, two-way league minimum contract and is a depth player at this stage of his career. In other words, New York is on the hunt for someone to play the right side in a top role.
New York has been linked to pending unrestricted free agent defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk pretty much all season long with the speculation being that the blueliner would like to play there as well. His defensive shortcomings don’t make him a prototypical top pairing player but he’s the best available on the open market and would still represent a significant upgrade on that side.
Finding the right fit financially for Shattenkirk or someone via a trade may be a bit of a tight squeeze though unless they’re swapping out a big contract in return. As things stand, the team has $61.6MM committed to 18 players per CapFriendly but have a few of their own free agents to re-sign including one particularly prominent one (more on him shortly). However, the Girardi buyout saved them nearly $2.9MM for this season and it’s expected that they’ll reinvest that money and more into landing a much-needed defensive upgrade.
New Deal For Zibanejad
After being New York’s top acquisition last summer, Mika Zibanejad had a solid first season in the Big Apple with 37 points (14-23-37) in 56 for the highest points-per-game average of his career. He did, however, miss 25 games with a broken fibula. Despite that, he should be in line for a nice raise this summer.
The Rangers owe Zibanejad a qualifying offer of $3.25MM (his 2016-17 salary) and however long his next contract is, it should surpass that without any issue. He’s arbitration eligible and is two years away from unrestricted free agency which suggests that a short-term contract isn’t something New York will want to pursue at this time.
Given his status as a top six center and the fact that any real long-term deal will buy out more UFA years than RFA ones, Zibanejad’s next contract will likely cross the $5MM range. That will take a big bite out of their remaining cap space but getting this deal done will no doubt be one of Gorton’s top priorities with an eye on getting pen to paper sooner rather than later.
Determine Stepan’s Future
Center Derek Stepan has been one of the more consistent point producers for the Rangers over the years and is in the middle of a six year, $39MM contract. Part of that pact calls for a full no-trade clause to kick in as of July 1st. Accordingly, if Gorton has any intentions of moving him (or at least sizing up the market for Stepan), it will be much easier to get a deal done before the calendar flips to next month. Early indications are that the GM is looking at what might be out there at the very least.
Although Stepan carries a hefty cap hit at $6.5MM, there’s bound to be plenty of interest in him. He has hit more than 50 points in five of the last six seasons and the one he didn’t was the lockout-shortened 48 game campaign (where he tallied 44 points). In a market where available top six centers are extremely difficult to find, he rises up the list in a hurry.
Gorton could also potentially dangle Stepan for defensive help if they want to trade for a high priced defender instead of trying to land a free agent. Of course, they could also keep him and once again run with him and Zibanejad as their one-two punch which would still represent one of the younger top six duos in the league.
With his no-trade clause kicking in less than two weeks from now though, a decision will need to be made on Stepan’s future with the team in the not-too-distant future.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.