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Ryder Korczak

Lightning Acquire Ryder Korczak From Rangers

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The Tampa Bay Lightning have acquired forward prospect Ryder Korczak from the New York Rangers in exchange for forward prospect Lucas Edmonds. Both players are in the midst of their third AHL season, after third-round selections in the 2021 and 2022 drafts respectively.

Neither player has managed much scoring in their early pro careers. Korczak has spent slightly longer in an NHL system. He was originally selected 75th overall in the 2021 NHL Draft, after a season of being heralded as a second-to-third round pick. He was admired for his hard-working two-way play, high scoring, and leadership abilities through four years with the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors. He worked his way up to a staggering 69 points in 48 games in 2022-23, his final WHL season, before joining the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack for five games at the end of the year. Korczak has since worked his way through a middle-six role in Hartford. He scored 20 points in 67 games last season and is currently riding 11 points in 35 games this year. It’s commendable depth scoring, but far from what New York was hoping for from their gritty third-rounder.

After not landing a draft selection in 2019, 2020, or 2021 – the early-birthday Edmonds finally earned the 86th-overall selection in 2022 after posting 113 points in 68 games with the Kingston Frontenacs. He moved to the AHL in the following season and posted a commendable 15 goals and 27 points in 49 games as a rookie. But Edmonds has struggled to match those numbers since, totaling just 21 points in 71 games through the last two seasons.

Korczak and Edmonds share a lot of parallels – and will now get a chance to use a change of scenery to try and return to the heights of their junior scoring.

Metro Notes: Shesterkin, Rangers Injuries, Sandin

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After a report yesterday indicated New York Rangers’ all-star goaltender Igor Shesterkin wouldn’t negotiate an extension during the season it doesn’t appear the organization is too worried. Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff said as much as he reported the Rangers’ front office was ’unfazed’ by the reported deadline and still has Shesterkin as their top priority.

Seravalli also shares that New York is expected to pay Shesterkin more than Carey Price’s AAV of $10.5MM which has been widely known up to this point. Price signed his current eight-year, $84MM contract in July of 2017. He had already won one Vezina Trophy along with five other top-10 finishes, had a .540 win percentage, a .920 save percentage, and a 2.40 goals-against average.

Shesterkin will have had half a decade less experience than Price by the time he signs his next deal although they will be of similar age. The Russian netminder holds a similar line of one Vezina Trophy with two other top-10 finishes, a .649 wpc%, .921 SV%, and a 2.43 GAA. Price may have the edge for overall production by the time he earned his big payday but given that the contract was signed over seven years ago, a $12MM asking price doesn’t appear too off base.

Other Metro notes:

  • Sticking at Madison Square Garden, Colin Stephenson of Newsday Sports shares a few injuries to the Rangers’ lineup during preseason action. Stephenson reports defenseman Matthew Robertson is nursing a mild lower-body injury while fellow youngsters Talyn Boyko and Ryder Korczak have upper-body injuries. All three are expected to contribute to the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack this season with Robertson and Korczak combining for 41 points last year. Being a goaltender, Boyko is much more of a fringe case to make the team as he may suit up for the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones for most of his starts.
  • The Washington Capitals are set to regain one of their more consistent defensemen from last season. Bailey Johnson of the Washington Post reports defenseman Rasmus Sandin’s visa issues have been resolved and he is headed to Washington, D.C. shortly. He will need some time to recalibrate after being stuck in Sweden for most of training camp but it will be a major boost to the Capitals’ blue line. Sandin has scored six goals and 38 points in 87 games while averaging over 21 minutes of ice time per game for Washington since the team acquired him from the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 2022-23 NHL season.

Maxim Barbashev, Ryder Korczak Join Hartford Wolf Pack

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As junior seasons end, top prospects will get a short opportunity to get their feet wet professionally before the offseason begins. Today, the Hartford Wolf Pack announced an amateur tryout agreement for Maxim Barbashev, that will keep him with the team through the Calder Cup Playoffs.

He’ll be joined by Ryder Korczak, who has been assigned back to the Wolf Pack from the Moose Jaw Warriors.

Barbashev, selected 161st overall by the New York Rangers in 2022, has played the last three seasons with the Moncton Wildcats of the QMJHL. This season he posted 32 goals and 65 points in 67 games, but could not overcome the Halifax Mooseheads in the second round.

Not yet signed to an entry-level contract with the Rangers, this will be his first opportunity at the pro level. The 19-year-old forward is the younger brother of Vegas Golden Knights deadline acquisition Ivan Barbashev.

Korczak, meanwhile, is returning to a Hartford team that he played five games for earlier this season. After going scoreless in that short stint, the 2021 third-round pick returned to Moose Jaw and dominated, racking up 69 points in 48 regular season games.

He has already signed his ELC with the Rangers, and will likely spend all of next season in Hartford.

The 20-year-old center also has ties to the Vegas organization—his brother Kaedan Korczak was a second-round pick by the Golden Knights in 2019 and played ten games this season.

Rangers Sign Ryder Korczak

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The Rangers have agreed to terms with one of their draft picks from last summer as CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that they’ve signed center Ryder Korczak to a three-year, entry-level deal.  The contract, which begins next season, breaks down as follows:

2022-23: $750K salary, $92.5K signing bonus, $82.5K games played bonus
2023-24: $775K salary, $92.5K signing bonus, $57.5k games played bonus
2024-25: $775K salary, $92.5K signing bonus, $57.5k games played bonus

The 19-year-old was a third-round pick (75th overall) in 2021 out of Moose Jaw in the WHL.  Korczak had a strong season with the Warriors this season, finishing second on the Warriors in scoring with 25 goals and 54 assists in 68 games.  He also chipped in with five points in as many games in the playoffs in their first round victory over Saskatoon.

As Korczak turns 20 in September, he will be eligible to turn pro and play in New York’s farm system next season or go back to junior.  After the season he had, however, the likelier scenario is that he suits up with AHL Hartford in the fall.

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