New York Rangers Have Plenty Of Holes To Fill
The New York Rangers are a team with multiple holes to fill during the offseason as they have lost two key players in center Derek Stepan, who they traded to Arizona on Friday and blueliner Dan Girardi, who they waived before the expansion protection rosters were due a week ago, to protect younger players. On top of that, both proved to be among the team’s top defenders against opposing teams’ top lines. They must be able to replace that.
Both holes, not including the backup goaltending spot that was vacated after the team moved Anttii Raanta to the Coyotes as well, must be filled from without and the franchise didn’t get much immediate help in return from Arizona. The team received 21-year-old defenseman Anthony DeAngelo, who played 39 games for the hapless Coyotes. While the former 2014 first-rounder fared well in those games, putting up five goals and nine assists in that span, that doesn’t translate that he will make the roster outright with the Rangers. The other asset they received in the trade was the No. 7 pick in the 2017 draft, which turned into 18-year-old center Lias Andersson, who will likely need a few years to reach New York.
According to New York Posts’ Larry Brooks, the team should look into acquiring two veterans who can fill those roles for the next year or two until some of their younger players are ready for bigger roles. The scribe lists 37-year-old center Joe Thornton as the perfect player to take over as the team’s top center. He could play next to his friend Rick Nash and form a solid line. A second option would be to trade for New Jersey’s Ilya Kovalchuk to fill that same spot, despite the possibility that New Jersey’s general manager Ray Shero may force the team to move a quality player. If the team promotes from within, there should be a lot of pressure of 2010 first-rounder Kevin Hayes, who at 25, might be ready to take his game to the next level. Hayes has had three solid seasons with the Rangers, putting up nearly 50 points this last year and might be ready for an increased role.
On defense, the team should have close to $20MM in cap space and are expected to be players in the free agent market. They’ve already been linked to Washington Capitals’ unrestricted free agent Kevin Shattenkirk, but the team also hopes to have their own unrestricted free agent, Brendan Smith, locked up as well. Otherwise, they will have double the problems behind the line. Brooks adds the team attempted to move up from the seventh pick Friday to get Dallas’ third overall pick, likely to take top defensive prospect Cale Makar, but were not willing to pay the price for it. Makar ended up going fourth to the Colorado Avalanche.
Rangers Look To Add Core Piece
According a column written this morning by the New York Post’s Larry Brooks, it seems quite apparent that the Rangers are not satisfied with their current roster. After a second-round ousting at the hands of the Senators, big changes seems inevitable in New York. The primary concern of course is on defense, where they will look to unload one of Marc Staal and Dan Girardi. As of yet, however, Brooks says neither has been asked to waive their no-movement-clause in preparation for the expansion draft. Management may yet be hopeful Vegas will prove benevolent and claim one of the albatross contracts, but the more likely scenario still remains a buyout. What happens in the wake of a Girardi or Staal departure is what management is seemingly focused on.
Winnipeg’s Jacob Trouba has been linked to trade rumors since his contract negotiations dragged into the regular season. Rangers GM Jeff Gorton is apparently quite interested, but nothing new has surfaced in those preliminary trade talks. Although not mentioned in the article, the Wild are likely to move a defenseman and Mathew Dumba could fit the bill for New York. Minnesota would be looking for an offensive player in return. Brooks confirms the speculation that Colorado’s Tyson Barrie is on the team’s radar. It’s unclear what the Rangers would offer that would truly entice the Avalanche, as there are undoubtedly many suitors for Barrie’s services. Even more confusing, the Rangers are apparently in committed efforts to acquire Nathan MacKinnon. I still see MacKinnon moving as a near impossibility for anything short of a king’s ransom. And if the Rangers are incessantly inquiring about MacKinnon, it could theoretically derail the Barrie conversation. Their need for a right-handed, mobile defenseman has to trump all other desires at the moment.
In terms of who could be on the way out, Rick Nash is always a viable candidate. He will be entering the final year of his contract worth $7.8 MM, and at 32, he still has a bit of trade value (especially if salary is retained). Mats Zuccarello was arguably the best Rangers forward last season, but he’ll be due a pay day in two seasons. Considering that Mika Zibanejad, Jimmy Vesey, Kevin Hayes, and J.T. Miller all will need new contracts before then, will he be truly be worth a core player’s contract? They could combine two of those aforementioned younger assets to get their right-handed D, but then they would take a monumental step back in terms of offensive depth. Whatever route they decide to go, one has to imagine that picks and prospects will be a huge part of the final arrangement.
Ultimately, the Rangers want a dynamic, top-line forward who can create offense on his own. However, they absolutely need to fill a gap on an aging defense if they hope to remain in playoff contention. If they can add both, it would be a total boon for Gorton and management. But in a competitive trade market, it seems wise to temper expectations.
Snapshots: GM Report Cards, Rangers, Nashville’s Defense
Hockey Graphs takes an in-depth look at the 31 general managers in the NHL (including Vegas and those who were recently let go–Dean Lombardi and Tim Murray) using a variety of different metrics. Leading the pack is Nashville’s Dave Poile, while the Canucks’ Jim Benning rounds out the list at number thirty-one. It’s a list that relies heavily on advanced metrics and other measurements, staying in line with Hockey Graph’s dedication to taking the emotion out of hockey analysis and instead, using the quantitative side (with a smattering of qualitative analysis) to create the list. Part one of the article helps make sense of how they came up with their rankings while giving a background to the metrics used.
- Newsday’s Steve Zipay reports that the Rangers aren’t looking too far ahead as they try to even up their series against Ottawa tomorrow night. After drubbing the Sens 4-1, the Rangers have an advantage as Bobby Ryan and Zack Smith are both injured, and the Sens will have to “alter” lines. Several Rangers were adamant that while falling into a 3-1 hole would be difficult to overcome, netminder Henrik Lundqvist said they must take it one game at a time. Zipay adds that though Rick Nash didn’t practice, he will absolutely be playing in Game 4.
- ESPN’s Chuck Gormley writes that its the Nashville blueline is wreaking havoc through these playoffs, pacing the Preds’ strong play and making a case for the organization’s first Stanley Cup. The team’s defenseman has eight goals and fourteen assists in just eight games, and according to Gormley, it’s looking more and more like the trade for P.K. Subban will tilt heavily in Nashville’s favor as the victor of the deal. Gormley highlights each player on the blueline, and writing that should the Predators continue on the path they are, it could be an epic matchup in the next round should Edmonton continue its ascent through the playoffs.
Snapshots: Cunningham, Halverson, Sestito
Earlier this season Tucson Roadrunners captain Craig Cunningham collapsed on the ice and was rushed to hospital. The 26-year old forward’s heart had stopped for an unknown reason, and needed ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation) treatment to save his life. The procedure affected the circulation in his leg, and he had to make a decision. Tucson’s general manager Doug Soetaert put it this way to AZCentral’s Jeremy Cluff:
It’s life or limb, and obviously you pick life over limb, right? That was the way he’s moving forward. He’s been battling through the whole thing. We continue to battle with him. He’s going to make it.
Cunningham had part of his left leg amputated, but is now walking again with the help of a prosthetic. Ray Ferraro sent out a video of Cunningham walking down a hallway, dubbing it “the most awesome thing [he’s] seen in while.” It truly is awesome to see Cunningham up and walking again, and most importantly smiling as he approaches the camera. Everyone is wishing him luck as he gets his life back on track.
- The New York Rangers will be without Rick Nash and Henrik Lundqvist tonight when they take on the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh. Both are day-to-day with minor injuries. The team has recalled Brandon Halverson from the ECHL on an emergency basis to replace Lundqvist, meaning Antti Raanta will be in net. Halverson was the Rangers’ second-round pick in 2014 and made his professional debut this season for the Hartford Wolfpack before heading to the ECHL. The 20-year old will get a taste of an NHL arena at least as he backs up Raanta tonight.
- Tom Sestito will have a phone hearing with the NHL today after his hit on Toby Enstrom last night. The check from behind sent Enstrom to the hospital with possible facial fractures, and led to more aggressive play between the two teams last night. Amazingly, Sestito was only on the ice for 62 seconds last night, and was involved in a fight and this illegal check before being thrown out of the game. The 29-year old enforcer had been called up earlier that day to lend some physicality to the Penguins line up not, as Jets’ head coach Paul Maurice put it, “to dangle”.
Rangers Injury Updates: Buchnevich, Nash, Zibanejad, Staal
The New York Rangers announced that they have assigned left winger Pavel Buchnevich to Hartford of the AHL. Buchnevich has been out of the lineup for nearly two months due to back spasms.
The 21 year old rookie made a sizable impact early on this season, recording four goals and four assists in ten games before getting injured. While this technically isn’t an injury conditioning stint as he is waiver exempt, it effectively will work as one as he’s going down to play his way back into game shape.
Buchnevich is expected to play tonight for the Wolf Pack and head coach Alain Vigneault said they will monitor his progress on a game-by-game basis and go from there, per the teams’ Twitter account.
Vigneault also provided some updates on several other injured Rangers (all Twitter links):
- Left winger Rick Nash is close but will not suit up tomorrow. He has been out since December 19th with another groin injury. Vigneault hopes that the ‘bye week’ which for the Rangers runs from January 7th to the 12th will be enough to get him back to 100%.
- Center Mika Zibanejad skated this morning and felt really good afterwards. He has been out of the lineup since late November due to a broken fibula. There’s still no timetable for his return.
- Defenseman Marc Staal remains day-to-day with an upper body sustained on Tuesday against Buffalo. He’s not expected to play tomorrow in Columbus.
Metropolitan Notes: Islanders, Devils, Miller, Nash
The New York Islanders looked into what it would cost to acquire Colorado center Matt Duchene, Newsday’s Arthur Staple reports in a reader mailbag. However, the Isles experienced some “sticker shock” with regards to how high the cost would be.
Duchene has three years remaining on his contract (including this season) and potentially could provide the team with a bit of insurance behind captain John Tavares, a potential unrestricted agent in the summer of 2018. However, as the two play the same position, he wouldn’t necessarily be a fit alongside Tavares, something the team has been searching for this season as newcomer Andrew Ladd has not been able to thrive in that role.
Staple also provided an update on injured center Mikhail Grabovski. The 32 year old has been dealing with a concussion all season long and is nowhere near close to returning to the lineup. Staple notes that the assumption in training camp was that Grabovski was never going to be cleared to play. He has another year left on his contract after this season with a cap hit of $5MM.
Elsewhere in the Metropolitan Division:
- While defense and strong goaltending have been the hallmarks of the Devils for many years now, that hasn’t been the case lately, writes Chris Ryan of NJ Advance Media. New Jersey has allowed four or more goals in 14 of the last 19 games, a big step back after they allowed three or more just six times through the first 16 contests. As a result, they have seen their goals against average jump to 2.85 per game while goalie Cory Schneider is posting the worst numbers of his career. With the Devils also being one of the lowest scoring teams in the league, their margin for error is quite slim if they want to get out of the basement of the Eastern Conference.
- Rangers winger J.T. Miller was dropped to the fourth line during Tuesday’s victory against Ottawa and head coach Alain Vigneault has not been pleased with his play as of late, notes Larry Brooks of the New York Post. The bench boss believes Miller needs to be better in his decision making, particularly when it comes to not forcing things and just making the safer play. Not only has he been moved to the fourth line for now, the Rangers have also dropped him off their second power play unit. After a hot start to the season with 18 points in 20 games, Miller has been much quieter since then, recording just four points in his last 17 outings.
- Brett Cyrgalis, also of the New York Post, provided an update (Twitter link) on injured Rangers winger Rick Nash, who is out with a groin injury for the second time this month. He’s not yet ready to practice with the team but hopes to skate on his own on Friday. However, Nash told Cyrgalis that he is still “a while away” from being ready to return to the lineup. Nash is second on the team in goals with 13 this season, one behind team leader Michael Grabner.
Rick Nash Injured (Again)
New York Rangers forward Rick Nash re-injured his groin and will be out for an undetermined amount of time, reports the New York Post’s Larry Brooks. Nash had just returned from a previous groin injury suffered on December 6th. Nash lasted three games in his return before injuring the other side of his groin.
Nash has 13G and 7A in 30 games for the Rangers, including 2G in 3 games after returning from his first groin injury. While the Rangers appreciate Nash’s goal-scoring prowess, the team has been getting scoring by committee so far as six players have 20 or more points. The Rangers should be able to weather Nash’s absence in the short term.
Depending on the injury’s severity, Nash may only miss two or three games. The Rangers play on December 20th (against the Pittsburgh Penguins) and 23rd (against the Minnesota Wild), but then not again until the 27th (against the Ottawa Senators). The NHL observes the holidays and does not play games from December 24th through the 26th.
Injury Updates: Myers, Nash, Puempel, Couturier, Read, Marchenko
Winnipeg Jets defenseman Tyler Myers has suffered a setback as he recovers from a lower body injury suffered last month. Head coach Paul Maurice told reporters, including Jeff Hamilton of the Winnipeg Free Press (Twitter link), that Myers has “plateaued” in his recovery and that he’s not likely to return for at least a couple of weeks.
Myers has been out of the lineup since November 11th despite originally being classified as day-to-day. He was off to a strong start prior to getting hurt with five points in 11 games while logging over 22 minutes per game in ice time. In his absence, rookie Josh Morrissey has continued to play a bigger role than originally anticipated, something that will continue for at least the next couple of weeks now.
More injury updates from throughout the league:
- Rangers wingers Rick Nash and Matt Puempel accompanied the team to Dallas as they begin a two game road trip and are nearing a return to action, writes Matt Calamia on their team website. Both players have missed the last week with a groin injury and a concussion respectively. As Calamia notes, their decision to re-assign winger Nicklas Jensen back to the minors is a sign that at least one of the two forwards could be ready to suit up against the Stars tomorrow night.
- Flyers center Sean Couturier (knee) and right winger Matt Read (oblique) both skated for the first time today as they continue to recover from their respective injuries, reports Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirier. Couturier, who expects that he will have to wear a knee brace for the rest of the season, is targeting Philadelphia’s road trip beginning December 28th for his return to the lineup. Read does not know yet when he will be ready to return; the original prognosis was that he would be out until early January.
- Red Wings defenseman Alexey Marchenko re-aggravated his sprained shoulder last night, just days after returning to the lineup from that injury, notes Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press. Head coach Jeff Blashill says it’s a day-to-day issue for the 24 year old. Through 22 games this year, Marchenko has five assists and is averaging a career high in ice time per game at 17:39. He’s likely to be replaced in the lineup tomorrow by Jonathan Ericsson who is set to return after missing the last three games with back spasms.