Blog Archives
Hayes, Lindberg or Stoll: Who should be the third line center?
Bobby Bevilacqua
Following the Jarret Stoll signing, Alain Vigneault now has his choice of three quality centers to anchor the third line. Who should it be? Photo courtesy of Gary Vasquez/US PRESSWIRE and MSG Photos.
Last season, Kevin Hayes impressed everyone in his rookie season, moving to center, a position that he had rarely played before, leading the league in primary assists, and finishing with 45 points. But he’s a winger by trade, and the Rangers may be looking to utilize him on the wing long term.
With rookie forward Oscar Lindberg waiting in the wings, after developing in Hartford for the last two seasons, Alain VIgneault has a few options for the third line. But who should he choose to be the third line center? Read the rest of this entry
Rangers give Jarret Stoll a second chance with one year deal
Bobby Bevilacqua
The Rangers got experience, a faceoff specialist, and a Stanley Cup champion in Jarret Stoll, a nice move to help the center depth. Photo courtesy of the Los Angeles Kings.
In a move that was totally unexpected, New York Rangers GM Jeff Gorton announced that the team had signed Jarret Stoll to a one year contract worth just $800k, in an attempt to bolster their center depth and improve at the faceoff dot.
Stoll’s future with the LA Kings was already in jeopardy before he was arrested on drug charges. Stoll was busted for smuggling cocaine and ecstasy into a Las Vegas pool party. Though the charges were initially a felony, he avoided jail time, agreeing to a plea deal and 32 hours of community service.
Last year, the Rangers were willing to take a chance on Ryan Malone, who was also arrested for cocain possession and released by the Lightning. While that didn’t work out, it was a one year deal and very cheap, so it did not impact them all that much. Read the rest of this entry
What Metropolitan teams will challenge the Rangers in 2015-16
Bobby Bevilacqua
The Rangers look to be a top team in the East yet again, but which teams will rival them in their own division? Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
That trend continued this year, with the team making it all the way to the Conference Finals yet again, falling in seven games to the Tampa Bay Lightning, and just missing out on a second straight Stanley Cup Finals appearance.
Alain Vigneault and his squad appear to be in good shape again for another run at a Stanley Cup Championship, keeping the majority of their core intact, and bringing in some nice pieces through trades and free agency. Some work remains to be done, like re-signing Derek Stepan, but for most part, this team is in good shape.
But the Metropolitan Division is getting better and better with each passing year. No longer is it dominated by two teams, which has really been the Penguins and Rangers for a few years. There are other teams in the division that have been getting better and better. 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
Where the newest Rangers players fit in the lineup
Bobby Bevilacqua
The Rangers didn’t make any big splashes in free agency, mainly due to the restrictions of the salary cap. Instead, Jeff Gorton added some players to help bolster the Rangers’ bottom six forward group, and making other subtle moves to help provide depth.
Barring contract disagreements or trades, the Rangers are likely done making moves to acquire new players. So looking at the new additions for this year, where do they fit in the Rangers plans? Read the rest of this entry
therangerzone.com 