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Rangers sign Derek Stepan to six year deal
Bobby Bevilacqua
This guy is going to be a Ranger for the next six years. Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
The last domino has fallen into place and Jeff Gorton can check everything off of his to-do list.
Early this morning, around 9:30 am, The New York Rangers and Jeff Gorton announced that the Rangers had agreed to terms with Derek Stepan on a new long term contract.
The deal was six years in length for $39 million, averaging out to a cap hit of $6.5 million a year. Stepan, just 25 years old, will be a New York Ranger until the age of 31, when he will hit the market as an unrestricted free agent.
“Both sides were pretty close to begin with,” said Stepan. “I think both sides are very happy and comfortable with the deal. The whole time, we (both sides) were trying to get a long term deal done. There’s nothing but exciting things to come for us moving forward, it’s a special feeling to be a part of it. We have an exciting group of guys and a group of guys that are ready to take the next step. I can’t be more excited to be a part of a team that I absolutely love!” Read the rest of this entry
The Stepan Situation May Reach Arbiration, and Kevin Hayes is a big reason why
Tim Christian
Almost everyone is saying that the Rangers will come to terms with RFA Derek Stepan before the arbitration date. But will they? There are a lot of factors that say otherwise. Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
As we near the date of Derek Stepan’s arbitration hearing, there seems to be much talk centered around “How Much” and for “How Long”, with many folks feeling the Rangers & Stepan will come to a long-term agreement just under the wire.
Indeed, this has generally been the case with the Rangers. The Rangers last allowed a player to reach an arbitration hearing in 2009. Nikolai Zherdev was the player, and the Rangers chose to not pay him the $3.9 million award. Instead, they let him walk.
While I certainly don’t think Stepan will be allowed to walk, I do think the Rangers may let arbitration run its course and pay him for 1 or 2 years. I say this because of:
– Kevin Hayes
– The Rangers’ highly paid Defense
– The Rangers’ highly paid Goaltender
– The Salary Cap Read the rest of this entry
Kevin Hayes destined for success in New York
Bobby Bevilacqua
Kevin Hayes had quite the spectacular rookie season in New York, and he could play an even bigger part in the Rangers offense next year. Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
In the past, Glen Sather has gotten his fair share of criticism for signings and trades, some of it warranted. But the Rangers management doesn’t get nearly enough credit for their ability to identify young talent late in drafts or on the free agent market.
Ryan Callahan was a third round pick that turned in the Rangers captain. Carl Hagelin was a sixth round pick, and he turned into a great depth player, and a strong two-way forward. Anthony Duclair was a third Round pick. When dumping Scott Gomez’s contract, Sather was able to steal prospect Ryan McDonagh from the Montreal Canadiens, and that’s worked out quite well. And of course, Henrik Lundqvist was a seventh round pick, and he developed into one of the best goalies in the NHL.
Sather struck gold again this past offseason when he signed Kevin Hayes to a two year entry level contract. Hayes was the 24th pick overall in the 2010 draft, selected by the Chicago Blackhawks. But he decided to leave and pursue a better chance at cracking an NHL roster, eventually choosing to sign with the Rangers. Read the rest of this entry
Gorton’s salary cap management leaves much needed wiggle room
Bobby Bevilacqua
Jeff Gorton should be applauded for his handling of the Rangers’ RFAs this offseason, but he still has some big decisions ahead. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
Jeff Gorton and the Rangers have been very busy this week, signing almost all of their restricted free agents to new deals, and leaving valuable cap space open for the future. Gorton signed or re-signed Dylan McIlrath (article HERE), Magnus Hellberg (article HERE), JT Miller and Jesper Fast (article HERE), and Oscar Lindberg and Emerson Etem (article HERE).
What’s even better is that all of the players signed below what was their expected value. Oscar Lindberg, Emerson Etem, Jesper Fast and JT Miller signed for a combined cap hit of just $3.325 million. Now that’s great asset management.
If all of the listed cap hits are right, the Rangers have about $6.925 million left in free space. But that number, believe it or not, is realistically a bit higher. Also assuming that Dylan McIlrath ($600k) doesn’t make the team, and that Jayson Megna ($600k) is an AHL depth player, which is very likely, you can bump the Rangers available cap space to around $8.125 million. That’s a lot more than anyone thought the Rangers would have at this point. Read the rest of this entry
Which Rangers rookie/youngster had the biggest impact this season?
Bobby Bevilacqua
JT Miller and Jesper Fast were two of the bright spots in the Rangers’ lineup, showcasing the future of the organization. Photo courtesy of AP.
This past season, the Rangers saw the growth and emergence of many of their young prospects, with key contributions coming from rookies and second year players. While it’s always great to have experienced players on the roster, whether it be veterans or skilled guys with a few years under their belts, it is extremely important to have youth infused in the lineup, especially one’s that contribute.
There were two rookies on the Rangers’ roster, and both of them were a huge part of the team’s success in both the regular season and the playoffs. Kevin Hayes and Jesper Fast were those two rookies, fulfilling two very different roles for the team.
And while JT Miller technically was not a rookie, but this was his first full season with the Rangers, and he certainly started to blossom into the player that the Rangers thought he would be when taking him 15th overall in the 2011 NHL draft.
Kevin Hayes, JT Miller and Jesper Fast all had important roles on the team, showing glimpses of the bright future that all three players have. Read the rest of this entry
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