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Pavel Buchnevich

Salary Cap Deep Dive: New York Rangers

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Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM. Teams that can avert 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 2019-20 season. This will focus more on those players who are integral parts of 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: $80,489,799 (under the $81.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Kaapo Kakko (three years, $925K)
F Vitali Kravtsov (three years, $925K)
D Adam Fox (three years, $925K)
G Igor Shesterkin (two years, $925K)
D Yegor Rykov (two years, $925K)
F Filip Chytil (two years, $894K)
F Lias Andersson (two years, $894K)
F Brett Howden (two years, $863K)
D Libor Hajek (two years, $833K)
G Alexandar Georgiev (one year, $792K)

Potential Bonuses:

Shesterkin: $2.85MM
Kakko: $2.65MM
Kravtsov: $850K
Fox: $850K
Andersson: $850K
Chytil: $350K
Georgiev: $133K

The Rangers are in a fantastic position to be successful for the next several years as the team hit the jackpot in the draft and with being able to sign several of their top prospects this summer. Obviously, the most attractive of the bunch will be Kakko, the team’s second-overall pick in this year’s draft, who is expected to jump into the Rangers’ top-six immediately and is supposed to be more NHL-ready than any of the 2019 lottery picks. The 18-year-old scored 22 goals last year in the Liiga, playing alongside adults and is believed to be ready. On the other hand, the team also signed their ninth-overall pick in 2018, Vitali Kravtsov, who also spent last season playing with adults as he tallied eight goals in 50 games in the KHL. While he is expected to begin play with the Rangers next season, he may be penciled into more of a third-line role to begin with.

New York also brought in a pair of quality defenseman, which included trading for Fox, who forced a trade out of Carolina to get to the Rangers. The team then signed him to a three-year entry-level contract, prying him away from a senior season at Harvard. Fox, had a monster year as a blueliner, posting nine goals and 48 points in 33 games for the Crimson and looks ready to step into their blueline immediately. The team also managed to sign Rykov, their fifth-round pick from 2016, who has now played three full seasons in the KHL and could be ready to step in, although with the depth on their blueline, Rykov could start the season in the AHL.

On top of all that, the Rangers also managed to nab a stud goaltending prospect as well, signing Shestorkin, who many wondered whether he would ever come over to North America. At 23 years, old, Shesterkin has been a starter in the KHL for three straight years, putting up amazing numbers. Last season in 28 games, he posted a 1.11 GAA and a .953 save percentage. With the team’s goaltending situation likely looking different in the next few years, Shesterkin is the most likely heir apparent on the team. One player who could stand in his way is Georgiev, who only seems to have gotten better in the last year. While his overall numbers weren’t that impressive (33 games, 2.91 GAA, .914 save percentage), it did improve over the course of the year as the 23-year-old posted a 2.49 GAA and a .927 save percentage in 17 appearances after the all-star break, suggesting he could also find himself as the future.

The team also has to find out about what it has in both Chytil and Andersson. Both drafted in the first-round back in 2017, the two centers haven’t proven that they are part of their future yet. Chytil showed some success last year, scoring 11 goals and 23 points in 75 games, while Andersson got into 42 games last year, but only scored two goals and six points. Both must show they are ready to take that next step or they could find themselves replaced down the road. The team also has Howden, who appeared in 66 games last season and also must prove he can take on a bigger role. He tallied six goals and 23 points last year.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

F Chris Kreider ($4.63MM, UFA)
F Vladislav Namestnikov ($4MM, UFA)
F Ryan Strome ($3.1MM, RFA)
F Matt Beleskey ($1.9MM, UFA)
F Jesper Fast ($1.85MM, UFA)
F Greg McKegg ($750K, UFA)
F Boo Nieves ($700K, UFA)

The most intriguing story that likely will go on all season is what will the Rangers do with Kreider. The 28-year-old winger posted 28 goals and 52 points last season, but after the team shelled out quite a bit of money this offseason for other key pieces to their franchise, there are a number of questions whether the team can now afford to keep Kreider, who becomes a free-agent this summer. While it’s still possible that New York could trade Kreider before the season starts, it’s possible the team will keep the winger to bolster their ever improving top-six and deal with his contract later or potentially move him at the trade deadline. The problem is that if the Rangers become playoff relevant next season, the team might have a difficult time moving out Kreider and then might decide to hold onto him instead, potentially losing him for nothing on July 1.

Many players will have to prove their value to get a new contract. Namestnikov, who performed well with the Lightning, has been a disappointing since coming over in the Ryan McDonagh trade. The winger scored 22 goals in 2017-18, but still struggled after the trade and then managed to get 11 goals last year. With a $4MM contract, the team could use some cap relief, but have failed to find a taker for the 26-year-old. Strome will be a restricted free agent still after next season, but if he can duplicate what he did with New York last year, he likely could have a future with the team. Despite starting the first 19 games with Edmonton with just one goal, the trade to New York got him going as he scored 18 goals in 63 games after that.

Fast, Beleskey, Nieves and McKegg all are now depth options who will have to fight to win bottom-line depth and prove their value for a potential new contract.

Two Years Remaining

G Henrik Lundqvist ($8.5MM, UFA)
D Marc Staal ($5.7MM, UFA)
D Brendan Smith ($4.35MM, UFA)
F Pavel Buchnevich ($3.25MM, RFA)

The team still has two more years remaining with Lundqvist at a high AAV, but the team has also seen the 37-year-old’s play continue to decline. While his GAA has dropped consistently in the last few years, it was his save percentage that dropped to a .907 save percentage, the lowest mark of his career. Much of that could have a lot to do with the Rangers’ rebuilding process this year. The team has to hope that if they can limit his starts (he played in 53 games last season) and with the improvement of both the offense and defense this season, Lundqvist should be able to bounce back. With the addition of Shesterkin and development of Georgiev, that is quite possible to pull back his starts into the 40-range.

The team is stuck with a pair of veterans in Staal and Smith. Both were discussed as potential buyout options this summer, but it was decided that neither move would have helped the team in the long-term. Staal continues to be a solid, but unspectacular blueliner and should continue in that role, while Smith will have to prove he belongs on the team and could find himself buried in the AHL as he was in the 2017-18 season due to his struggles.

The team has hopes that Buchnevich will continue to progress this season. He has gotten better each season in the league and is currently on a bridge-deal to prove his value. With 21 goals and 38 points last season, Buchnevich could be a key component of the Rangers future, especially if he can take his game up a notch next year. Ultimately, the 24-year-old is playing for a big contract in two years.

Three Years Remaining

F Mika Zibanejad ($5.35MM, UFA)

The Rangers finally got what they wanted last season when Zibanejad took that next step and proved to be the No. 1 center the team has been waiting for for years. The 26-year-old put up a career-high 30 goals, but more importantly saw his points improve from 47 points in 2017-18 to 74 points last year. With that next step taken, the Rangers have now added the firepower next to him to give the team one of the top lines in the league with Zibanejad as the centerpiece. The Rangers signed him to a five-year deal back in 2017 when he tallied just 14 goals and 37 points in 56 games, gambling on his potential, which now looks like quite a steal as the team still has three more years of a No. 1 center for a very reasonable price.

Four Or More Years Remaining

F Artemi Panarin ($11.64MM through 2025-26)
D Jacob Trouba ($8MM through 2025-26)
D Brady Skjei ($5.25MM through 2023-24)

The Rangers took the next step in their rebuilding project this summer when they spent $19.64MM AAV on two key players. They had to go higher than they wanted to for Panarin, but the Rangers inevitably sealed the deal and locked him up for the next seven years, giving them one of the best left wings in the game and another key piece to turning the franchise around. With Panarin and Zibanejad already locked into the first line, the franchise has a solid core to start the season. Who will play on the right side will be determined at training camp. The 27-year-old Panarin put up impressive numbers last season, scoring 27 goals and adding a career-high 87 points last season. The team also went out and traded for Trouba, who for years had made it clear he didn’t want to be in Winnipeg. Once the Rangers acquired him, it took a little time, but they were able to extend him for seven more years. The pressure will be on Trouba, who now has everything he wants, which includes becoming the team’s No. 1 defenseman. He will have to prove that he is up to it in New York.

As for Skjei, the defenseman rebounded last year with a stronger season after struggling in 2017-18. Despite seeing his offensive numbers drop from 39 points to 25 and finishing 2017-18 with a minus-27 rating from his rookie season to his sophomore campaign, the Rangers still signed Skjei to a six-year, $31.5MM deal. While his points total didn’t change at all, his plus/minus did improve as he finished with just a minus-four rating last season. The hope is that his development will continue and he will remain a key top-four option for New York for years.

Buyouts

D Kevin Shattenkirk ($1.48MM in 2019-20; $6.08 in 2020-21; $1.43MM in 2021-22 & 2022-23)
D Dan Girardi ($3.61MM in 2018-19; $1.11MM from 2019-20 to 2022-23)
F Ryan Spooner ($300K through 2020-21)

Retained Salary Transactions

None

Salary Cap Recapture

None

Still To Sign

F Brendan Lemieux
D Anthony DeAngelo

The cap situation will only get more challenging. Despite the Shattenkirk buyout, the team will have to pay out $6.08MM for him next season, which will make it difficult to continue to upgrade the team, another reason why Kreider might be difficult to re-sign.

However, the team does still need to sign two younger restricted free agents in Lemieux and DeAngelo. The team likes Lemieux’s irritating style of play and hope he can continue to improve in a bottom-six role with the team. DeAngelo also seems to have turned the corner and looks to be a lock on the team’s defense after several years of waiting on his skills to come around. With the cap struggles it’s dealing with this year, the team is still holding out hope that both players will eventually accept their qualifying offers to save the team money, while both players would prefer to get a little more.

Best Value: Zibanejad
Worst Value: Smith

Looking Ahead

The Rangers have pulled off an impressive rebuilding campaign that started in February of 2018 and in just a year in a half, the team has managed to bring in a number of top players and talent to give the team the faces of the franchise it needs to be competitive for many years into the future. With the impressive array of prospects it has managed to sign this offseason, the team has a bright future and a present that could begin as early as this year with Panarin and Trouba now under contract.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

2019 Arbitration Figures And Results

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August 6th: All arbitration cases have now been completed. In total, six cases were decided by an arbitrator’s award this year. That number, though seemingly not many, actually presents a 50% increase over last summer and more than the past two off-seasons combined. Of those six decisions, the teams and players received the favorable decision an even three times apiece, and each award landed within $150K of the midpoint. All things considered, there were few surprises in arbitration, even though there were more awards than expected. Now the question is where the relationships between those teams and players go from here.

Originally published on July 19th: Friday marked the start of the arbitration season in the NHL, with Brock McGinn first scheduled for his hearing with the Carolina Hurricanes. The appointments will come fast and furious after that, with 23 cases left on the books. When we asked our readers how many would actually get to the hearing stage more than 36% of voters thought 3-4 was reasonable, the same number that reached last year.

We know now that at least one will, as Andrew Copp’s agent Kurt Overhardt told Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press that their camp will “look forward to” the hearing scheduled for Sunday. Copp and the Jets exchanged figures earlier today. It is important to remember that the two sides can actually work out a deal in the short period after the hearing and before the actual decision is submitted by the arbitrator. For every case except Ville Husso, who the St. Louis Blues took to arbitration, the team involved will be allowed to choose the duration of the contract awarded. They can choose either one or two years, unless the player is only one year away from unrestricted free agency, at which point only a one-year deal is available.

Here we’ll keep track of all the hearings still on the books and the figures submitted. This page will be updated as the numbers come in:

July 20:

Brock McGinn, Carolina Hurricanes – Team: $1.75MM AAV, Player: $2.7MM AAV
Settled: Two years, $2.1MM AAV

July 21:

Andrew Copp, Winnipeg Jets – Team: $1.5MM AAV, Player: $2.9MM AAV
Awarded: Two years, $2.28MM AAV

July 22: 

MacKenzie Weegar, Florida Panthers
Settled: One year, $1.6MM AAV

Zach Aston-Reese, Pittsburgh Penguins
Settled: Two years, $1.0MM AAV

Ville Husso, St. Louis Blues (team-elected)
Settled: One year, two-way, $700K AAV

Christian Djoos, Washington Capitals – Team: $800K, Player: $1.9MM
Awarded: One year, $1.25MM AAV

July 23: 

Evan Rodrigues, Buffalo Sabres – Team: $1.5MM, Player: $2.65MM
Awarded: One year, $2.0MM AAV

July 24: 

Oskar Sundqvist, St. Louis Blues
Settled: Four years, $2.75MM AAV

Neal Pionk, Winnipeg Jets
Settled: Two years, $3.0MM AAV

July 26: 

Colton Sissons, Nashville Predators
Settled: Seven years, $2.86MM AAV

July 27: 

Sam Bennett, Calgary Flames
Settled: Two years, $2.55MM AAV

July 28: 

Mirco Mueller, New Jersey Devils
Settled: One year, $1.4MM AAV

July 29: 

David Rittich, Calgary Flames
Settled: Two years, $2.75MM AAV

Pavel Buchnevich, New York Rangers
Settled: Two years, $3.25MM AAV

August 1: 

Remi Elie, Buffalo Sabres
Settled: One year, two-way $700K AAV

Chandler Stephenson, Washington Capitals
Settled: One year, $1.05MM

August 2: 

Linus Ullmark, Buffalo Sabres – Team: $800K, Player: $2.65MM
Settled: One year, $1.33MM

Will Butcher, New Jersey Devils
Settled: Three years, $3.73MM AAV

August 4: 

Jake McCabe, Buffalo Sabres – Team: 1.95MM, Player: $4.3MM
Settled: Two years, $2.85MM AAV

Anton Forsberg, Carolina Hurricanes – Team: $700K/$70K, Player: $833K
Awarded: One year, $775K AAV

Sheldon Dries, Colorado Avalanche
Settled: One year, two-way $735K AAV

Rocco Grimaldi, Nashville Predators – Team: $700K/$70K, Player $1.275MM
Awarded: One year, $1MM

Joel Edmundson, St. Louis Blues – Team: $2.3MM, Player $4.2MM
Awarded: One year, $3.1MM

Rangers Re-Sign Pavel Buchnevich

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With an arbitration hearing quickly approaching, the Rangers announced (Twitter link) that they have re-signed winger Pavel Buchnevich.  Larry Brooks of the New York Post reports (via Twitter) that it’s a two-year deal with a cap hit of $3.25MM per season.

The 24-year-old set a new career-high in goals last season with 21 despite missing considerable time due to injuries, including a thumb issue that caused him to miss 13 contests.  That certainly would have helped his cause had his case gone to arbitration on Monday as originally scheduled.  He also has been relatively productive as a secondary scorer the last couple of seasons, posting 43 points in 2017-18 and 38 last season.

With the team adding Artemi Panarin in free agency while adding Kaapo Kakko with the second pick in last month’s draft, the competition for a top-six spot on the wing is going to be tough in training camp.  It wouldn’t be surprising to see Buchnevich drop down a line which could make it difficult to surpass his numbers over the past two years.

While getting this done was certainly critical for GM Jeff Gorton, it now brings their salary cap situation even more to the forefront.  The team now has upwards of $85MM in commitments for next season (and still has to re-sign defenseman Anthony DeAngelo and winger Brendan Lemieux).  In other words, they’re well over the $81.5MM Upper Limit.

As this was New York’s final arbitration case, the clock is now set for their second buyout window.  It will open up on Monday afternoon and last 48 hours.  Defensemen Brendan Smith and Kevin Shattenkirk have been speculative buyout candidates going back to the initial window in June but at the time, Gorton opted to not pull the trigger on a buyout at that time.  Since then, the team signed Panarin to a deal that makes him the highest-paid winger (in terms of AAV) in league history while inking defenseman Jacob Trouba to a deal worth $8MM per season.  Their financial situation has certainly changed in a hurry.

There is some risk in buying one of those players out though.  While they’d free up some space for next season, the front-loaded nature of their deals means that their 2020-21 cap hit would still be substantial.

Accordingly, they may be better off looking to trade their way out of trouble.  Wingers Vladislav Namestnikov and Chris Kreider, players that are both a year away from UFA eligibility, have been in trade speculation lately as has Buchnevich himself.  This contract, one that will see him remain a restricted free agent two years from now, certainly won’t hurt his trade value if Gorton looks to go that route.

For the past few weeks, the Rangers were believed to have some time to settle their cap issues.  With their final opportunity to use a buyout to free up some room expiring on Wednesday, the clock is ticking quickly.  They’ll be a team to watch for over the coming days.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Poll: How Many Unresolved Arbitration Cases Will Require An Award?

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In the NHL, the salary arbitration process is more often used as a negotiating tool – an incentive to get a deal done before the uncomfortable setting of a hearing and the unknown of an arbitrator’s decision – than it is for its actual purpose. A vast majority of players who file for arbitration end up settling before their hearing or even at the last moment before an award is handed down. Last year, 44 players filed for arbitration and 40 settled prior to their hearing. The year before, all 30 cases were resolved before an arbitration award could be made.

So what about this year? There were initially 40 cases of player-elected arbitration and one case of team-elected arbitration (the St. Louis Blues and goalie Ville Husso), but that number is now down to 25 open cases. That’s a substantial drop-off, but time is running out for some RFA’s and their teams to come to terms, as the first scheduled hearing is set to take place on Saturday, July 20th. Listed below are all of the remaining cases:

July 20: Brock McGinn, Carolina Hurricanes
July 21: Andrew Copp, Winnipeg Jets
July 22: MacKenzie Weegar, Florida Panthers; Zach Aston-Reese, Pittsburgh Penguins; Ville Husso, St. Louis Blues; Christian Djoos, Washington Capitals
July 23: Evan Rodrigues, Buffalo Sabres
July 24: Oskar Sundqvist, St. Louis Blues; Neal Pionk, Winnipeg Jets
July 25: Jacob Trouba, New York Rangers
July 26: Colton Sissons, Nashville Predators
July 27: Sam Bennett, Calgary Flames
July 28: Mirco Mueller, New Jersey Devils
July 29: David Rittich, Calgary Flames; Pavel Buchnevich, New York Rangers
August 1: Remi Elie, Buffalo Sabres; Chandler Stephenson, Washington Capitals
August 2: Linus Ullmark, Buffalo Sabres; Charles Hudon, Montreal Canadiens; Will Butcher, New Jersey Devils
August 4: Jake McCabe, Buffalo Sabres; Anton Forsberg, Carolina Hurricanes; Sheldon Dries, Colorado Avalanche; Rocco Grimaldi, Nashville Predators; Joel Edmundson, St. Louis Blues

Given the time constraints and the complexity of each of these cases, how many will feel forced to go to hearing? Will Trouba be one of that select group, as he was last year? Will the Sabres struggle to settle four cases before their scheduled hearing dates? Will the Blues see through their team-elected case with Husso? Will other goalies prove to be difficult negotiations? And will polarizing players like Bennett and Buchnevich fail to find common ground with their teams? Or will it be under-the-radar players like Gemel Smith and Brett Kulak last year who go through the full process?

There are many questions left about this group of restricted free agents and time is running out before we know the answers. So the choice is yours: will we see an unprecedented class of arbitration awards or will all or most cases reach a resolution in the coming weeks?

[Mobile users click here to vote]

Rangers Have Made Vladislav Namestnikov And Pavel Buchnevich Available

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With the Rangers needing to clear up some cap space following their acquisition of winger Artemi Panarin earlier this month, defensemen Kevin Shattenkirk and Brendan Smith have come up as speculative candidates to be bought out during the second buyout window.  However, as Brett Cyrgalis of the New York Post notes, they are looking at the trade market as well and have made wingers Vladislav Namestnikov and Pavel Buchnevich available.

Namestnikov struggled in his first full season in New York and came up well short of the 48 points he produced with the Lightning and Rangers in 2018-19. He had just 11 goals on the season, not the type of production that they were expecting when they signed him to a two-year, $8MM contract last summer.  However, on an expiring deal, there should be teams with some interest that believe a change of scenery could help him get back to his Tampa Bay levels.

Buchnevich’s presence here is a little more interesting.  The restricted free agent had a career-best 21 goals last season and has emerged as a capable middle-six winger for New York.  While he is going to salary arbitration, it seems unlikely that he’d be able to command the contract that Namestnikov has.  Since he still has three years of team control remaining, GM Jeff Gorton should be able to command a strong return if they do indeed move him.

Cyrgalis also mentions Chris Kreider as a potential trade possibility although for a different reason entirely.  If they can agree on a contract extension, then he clearly wouldn’t be made available.  However, if they wind up still being far apart on a new deal, then it’s certainly possible that he could find himself on the move.

As things stand, the Rangers have a little over $7MM in cap space, per CapFriendly.  However, defenseman Jacob Trouba will basically take up all of that with Buchnevich, Anthony Deangelo, and Brendan Lemieux still needing new contracts as well.  Their second buyout window won’t open up until Trouba and Buchnevich both sign.  If Buchnevich was to go to his hearing on July 29th, his reward wouldn’t come until the end of the month which would give Gorton about two and a half weeks to deal with his cap crunch.  That makes the Rangers a team to watch for in the coming weeks.

New York Rangers Involved In Multiple Trade Discussions

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“This may mean we lose some familiar faces, guys we all care about and respect.”

That’s what the New York Rangers front office stated in a letter dated February 8, 2018 as they began their deconstruction of a roster that had brought such immense regular season success. That day they waived Brendan Smith less than a year after signing him to a four-year extension, and two weeks later started the process of selling off all the aging or expiring assets. First out the door was Nick Holden, then Michael Grabner and Rick Nash. That could have been a shocking trade deadline it its own right, but GM Jeff Gorton had an even bigger deal up his sleeve, sending captain Ryan McDonagh and power forward J.T. Miller to the Tampa Bay Lightning. A year later Mats Zuccarello and Kevin Hayes were shipped off as well.

Now, even after starting to turn the corner from tear down to rebuild with acquisitions like Adam Fox and Jacob Trouba, the Rangers still might have a few items for sale. Frank Seravalli of TSN reports that the Rangers are “involved in multiple discussions to improve their club” at the moment, and lists Chris Kreider, Jimmy Vesey, Vladislav Namestnikov, Kevin Shattenkirk and Pavel Buchnevich as potential trade options. Indeed Vesey even rose to the eighth spot on his Trade Bait board, noting that the Rangers have “a lot on the go.”

That TSN report comes at nearly the same time as Larry Brooks’ latest column for the New York Post, which suggests that this is likely the end for Kreider in New York. Brooks reports that the Rangers and Kreider’s agent Matt Keator of Olympic Sports Management haven’t yet held a “substantive conversation” about what a contract extension would look like. The 28-year old forward has just one year remaining on his current deal, and would likely fetch the biggest return out of the group listed above.

The questions will now become what the Rangers are after. Do they move Kreider for more draft picks and continue to collect young talent, or do they try and bring in more established players like Trouba to start the turnaround right away. With just two players on the entire roster signed for more than two years—Mika Zibanejad and Brady Skjei—the team has more flexibility than almost any in the league. Free agency will be a tempting pool to jump into this season, especially with the expected interest of Artemi Panarin and others in playing for a New York-area team.

First though the team must navigate the next few days and decide whether or not they will be losing some more familiar faces—even ones that they care about and respect.

Rangers, Islanders, Devils Interested In Winnipeg’s Jacob Trouba

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While there are rumored to be many teams that have expressed interest in Winnipeg Jets defenseman Jacob Trouba, the New York area could be his eventual destination as the New York Rangers, New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils have been the most aggressive teams in pursuit of the young defenseman, according to the New York Post’s Larry Brooks.

Each team could truly use the 25-year-old Trouba, who hasn’t expressed any desire to sign a long-term deal with the Jets, and with him being one year away from unrestricted free agency, the Jets are expected to move the talented blueliner. However, Brooks writes that he’s heard from multiple sources that Winnipeg has not given permission to inquiring clubs to speak with Trouba’s agent, Kurt Overhardt, about a long-term contract, which could run as high as seven years and $7.5MM.

All three teams, however, would have the cap room to make a commitment to Trouba with all three teams having the assets to make a deal happen, although the price is expected to be costly. The Jets are reportedly asking for a first-round pick and two top prospects or two young NHL players, likely signed to low-cost contracts. That is likely to be exactly what they’ll get as Trouba, a 6-foot-3, 202-pound blueliner had a breakout season offensively with a career high 50 points last season, including 42 assists, which was ninth in the league for defensemen.

The Rangers already have the Jets’ first-round pick in next week’s draft (#20 overall), acquired in the Kevin Hayes trade, and could offer a significant package, according to Brooks, including restricted free agent Pavel Buchnevich and a prospect. However, that might not be enough as both the Islanders and Devils have quite a few prospects in their own system. That brings to question whether the Rangers might consider including Lias Andersson as part of their package to acquire Trouba. Would the Islanders consider moving defensie prospect Noah Dobson or would the Devils include Jesper Boqvist or Jesper Bratt in a deal?

 

Free Agent Focus: New York Rangers

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Free agency is now less than a month away from opening up and there are quite a few prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign.  The Rangers have a lot of options when it comes to the upcoming free agency period, but don’t have as much to concern themselves with when it comes to their own free agents. New York does have a few restricted free agents they must worry about, but few players to concern themselves among unrestricted free agents.

Key Restricted Free Agents: F Pavel Buchnevich — The Rangers must be thrilled with the continued improvements of their 24-year-old forward, who has continually taken his game up a notch in all three years, scoring eight goals as a rookie, 14 goals last season and moving into a permanent top-six role in 2018-19 with a 21-goal campaign. That number was more impressive considering he only played 64 games due to a broken thumb and some issues with head coach David Quinn, although he eventually developed a solid relationship with the coach. His 15:10 ATOI was lower than a number of lesser forwards as he ranked ninth in that area among forwards, but should increase significantly next season. Now that his entry-level deal is up, New York must pay him significantly more than the $925K he was previously making. However, with his development, it’s more likely the team will seek a bridge deal in hopes that his progress continues to improve.

F Brendan Lemieux — The Rangers didn’t get a lot of time to evaluate Lemieux, who the team acquired at the trade deadline as part of the Kevin Hayes trade. While not a key piece to the deal, New York hoped that the 23-year-old would give them a key bottom-six winger for a number of years as he had proved to be an agitator in his 53 games played in Winnipeg. Lemieux started his tenure in New York off well as he provided that grit the team needed, but after averaging 7:25 of ATOI with the Jets, his minutes jumped to 12:50 with the Rangers, and he quickly wore down, suggesting he lacked conditioning. In 19 games, he accumulated six points, 64 penalty minutes and two misconducts, which is a lot of penalties. Regardless, it’s likely the Rangers will seek a short-term deal so that Lemieux can prove himself.

D Neal Pionk — After showing off impressive skills in a trial during the 2017-18 season, the 23-year-old blueliner didn’t fare as well in his first full season with the Rangers. Pionk finished the season with six goals and 26 points but also saw his plus/minus drop to minus-16, but found himself in Quinn’s doghouse quite often in the second half of the season and was often a healthy scratch as he tallied just one point and seven points in his final 37 games. With a number of young defenseman close to ready for a regular NHL role, general manager Jeff Gorton will have to decide whether Pionk should stay with the defense or whether the team should move on from him. Expect him to get a short-term or even more likely a one-year deal on a “prove it” contract.

Other RFAs: D Julius Bergman, D Chris Bigras, D Fredrik Claesson, D Anthony DeAngelo, G Brandon Halverson, F Vinni Lettieri, G Chris Nell

Key Unrestricted Free Agents: D John Gilmour — Yes, Gilmour, who played a total of five games for the Rangers this past year, is the team’s top unrestricted free agent. The Group 6 free agent played 28 games during the 2017-18 season, but found himself playing a full season for the Hartford Wolf Pack in the AHL where he dominated, scoring 20 goals and 54 points and was named to the AHL All-Star team. However, he has been passed over on the prospect chart by Ryan Lindgren and Libor Hajek and doesn’t seem to be a major part of the team’s long-range plans although he could be a cheap 6/7th defensive option for the Rangers if they want a low-cost option.

Other UFAs: F Connor Brickley, D Rob O’Gara, G Dustin Tokarski

Projected Cap Space: With a little less than $64MM in commitments for next season (per CapFriendly), the team has room to make changes, but it’s unlikely the team will make any long-term commitments in house this offseason. The team is far more likely to go with multiple short-term deals and focus on fast-tracking their rebuilding efforts as they will likely attempt to bring in a top free agent to supplement its young players.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Injury Updates: Lightning, Stars, Buchnevich, Johnsson

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Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman is doubtful to play this week, reports Joe Smith of The Athletic (Twitter link).  He suffered an upper-body injury on Saturday and with Tampa Bay’s positioning for the postseason locked in, there’s no real point in risking anything.  The team is hopeful he’ll be ready to go to start the first round next week.  Meanwhile, fellow blueliner Anton Stralman could get into a game on their four-game road trip to end the season while Dan Girardi is expected to skate sometime this week.  That makes it unlikely he’ll play before the season comes to an end but he should be available for the playoffs.

Other injury notes around the league:

  • Dallas is hoping to have goalie Ben Bishop and winger Mats Zuccarello get into one of their upcoming games this weekend, notes Mark Stepneski of the Stars’ team website. Bishop skated for the first time today after sustaining a lower-body injury last week while Zuccarello, who was injured in his first game with the team, went through a full practice today and may be the closer of the two to returning.
  • Rangers winger Pavel Buchnevich is in concussion protocol, reports NHL.com’s Mike Morreale (via Twitter). He left Sunday’s game against Philadelphia late with the injury and while they were hopeful he’d suit up tonight, that wasn’t the case.  Buchnevich, a pending restricted free agent this summer, has 37 points in 61 games this season.
  • Maple Leafs winger Andreas Johnsson is dealing with an illness that kept him out of the lineup for tonight’s game against the Islanders, notes Jonas Siegel of The Athletic (Twitter link). The pending RFA has been in a bit of a slump as of late, posting just a single goal in his last 15 games but has 20 tallies on the season.

Eastern Notes: Buchnevich, Kreider, Johansson, Krug, Tavares

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No one really knows what the plans are of general manager Jeff Gorton and the New York Rangers. The team could continue quietly rebuilding this summer or accelerate that process and bring in a big-name free-agent or two. Regardless, many of the team’s decisions will depend on what their overall plans are.

That will certainly be the case in how the Rangers intend to deal restricted free agent Pavel Buchnevich. While the 23-year-old hasn’t been as impressive this season as last point-wise, Buchnevich has scored a career-high 18 goals and with his entry-level contract ending, is in line for a significant raise. With quality restricted free agents getting more and more money on their next contracts, Buchnevich could be an interesting case.

The Athletic’s Shayna Goldman (subscription required) writes that much will have to do with the Rangers’ plans. If the team intends to make a significant splash in free agency, going after an Artemi Panarin-type of player, the team might be better served locking him up to a long-term extension to keep his salary down. However, if the team intends to quietly go one more year into its rebuild, then the team would have ample cap room to sign him to a shorter-term contract until they know what they have in him.

  • The Rangers announced that forward Chris Kreider will be out Monday and remains day-to-day with a lower-body injury. He has been out since  Tuesday. Kreider has been a key asset to the team’s offense as he has 26 goals this season.
  • The Boston Bruins received some good news as the Boston Globe’s Matt Porter reports that Marcus Johansson, who has been out of the lineup since Mar. 5 with a lung contusion after colliding with Carolina’s Micheal Ferland, is back on the ice. He is in a gold non-contact sweater, suggesting that he hasn’t been cleared for contact. The 28-year-old was acquired by the Bruins in a trade deadline acquisition, but has appeared in just four games for Boston, registering only an assist. Porter also notes that Torey Krug is also wearing a non-contact jersey at practice today. Krug has been out since Mar. 12 with a concussion.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs caught a break after John Tavares took a tough cross-check from the New York Rangers’ Marc Staal, as the star center was at practice today, according to TSN’s Kristen Shilton. The Maple Leafs have lost five of their last seven after falling in overtime to the struggling Rangers.

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