Salary Cap: 2014/2015 New York Rangers roster & salary cap

[AHB*]

Actually he plays LW with Duchene right now because he's far too good to get 3rd line minutes. He's already a main target with the Avs and just put up the best season of his career offensively. He'll probably never be a "franchise" PPG center, but 70 points is well within his reach, and that would be plenty.

I'd rather have the far superior player than throw money at a problem like this team usually does.

I have a strong feeling they don't want to keep all these natural centers on the wing. Mackinnon is another guy on the wing right now. He's not going to stay there his entire career. Neither is Duchene.

And yes, ROR is still not facing the top matchups. The Stasnty line is. So he again, would be getting the top matchups as a Ranger.

And you don't think a team is going to throw money at him? They certainly will.

 

[Jersey Girl]

Please, no to Spezza. His motivation has been questioned, he's getting older, and he's been injured more and more AS he's getting older. And even now, he's S - L - O - W.

Pasadena.

 

[Kokoschka]

Please, no to Spezza. His motivation has been questioned, he's getting older, and he's been injured more and more AS he's getting older. And even now, he's S - L - O - W.

Pasadena.

Yeah, consider me on that train as well. DISASTER written all over it. Same for Thornton.

 

[Trxjw]

I have a strong feeling they don't want to keep all these natural centers on the wing. Mackinnon is another guy on the wing right now. He's not going to stay there his entire career. Neither is Duchene.

And yes, ROR is still not facing the top matchups. The Stasnty line is. So he again, would be getting the top matchups as a Ranger.

During the regular season, the ROR/Duchene line was facing the toughest match ups. That may have changed slightly during the playoffs, but that was only 7 games.

And you don't think a team is going to throw money at him? They certainly will.

When did I ever say that? All I said is I don't want the Rangers to throw money at a problem. That's before you even consider the Rangers have no money available to throw.

 

[CommaSynapse]

Can't say I like that second line one bit.

Fair enough. It is a bit haphazard. If we were to do that, we wouldn't have very much cap space, so a RW would almost have to be a guy on an ELC, so options would be Kristo, Miller, Fast, Haggerty, etc. or a guy from FA on a low contract. It'd be a point of weakness to be sure. You could move guys around, but I just left the 3rd and 4th lines intact. Hags and MSL seem to play pretty well together, so it might not be bad to leave them together, but I didn't feel as good as presenting that RW (be it Miller or Fast in this case) as a #1 RW.

 

[NYR Viper]

HUGE pass on Spezza. Why is this team looking t get older and slower?

 

[NJBlueShirt]

HUGE pass on Spezza. Why is this team looking t get older and slower?

This x 1000. Stay away.

 

[Trxjw]

HUGE pass on Spezza. Why is this team looking t get older and slower?

He's faster and younger than Richards, so technically we'd be getting younger, faster and better. Obviously that depends on what assets we moved in a trade.

 

[iamthewalrus]

He's faster and younger than Richards, so technically we'd be getting younger, faster and better. Obviously that depends on what assets we moved in a trade.

Richards was younger, faster, and better than Drury.

This team signing anyone 30 years or older scares the crap out of me

 

[BarbaraAlphanse]

He's faster and younger than Richards, so technically we'd be getting younger, faster and better. Obviously that depends on what assets we moved in a trade.

I don't get why Richards is the bar for our future decisions.

The bar is so low that Dominic Moore, a 4th line player, was embraced and supported last night in becoming our 2nd line center. Nothing against Moore, but that's exactly what he is. A great 4th line center.

He's outmatched on any other line. Yet fans were clamoring for him to our on our 2nd line.

In no way shape or form should our justification for targeting another player be: Well he's younger and better than Brad Richards.

 

[Trxjw]

Richards was younger, faster, and better than Drury.

This team signing anyone 30 years or older scares the crap out of me

Was simply pointing out that the team wouldn't necessarily be getting older and slower.

However, I think people are living under a rock if they think that this team is going to piggy-back a SCF run with a move to get younger and more inexperienced.

 

[BarbaraAlphanse]

Was simply pointing out that the team wouldn't necessarily be getting older and slower.

However, I think people are living under a rock if they think that this team is going to piggy-back a SCF run with a move to get younger and more inexperienced.

Well, seeing as our core will have at the very least gone to the SCF and known what it tastes like... i'd say that 3/4 of our team having been there and understanding the intensity and pressure is enough to allow someone younger and more inexperienced to come in without disturbing the dream of piggybacking.

 

[Trxjw]

I don't get why Richards is the bar for our future decisions.

The bar is so low that Dominic Moore, a 4th line player, was embraced and supported last night in becoming our 2nd line center. Nothing against Moore, but that's exactly what he is. A great 4th line center.

He's outmatched on any other line. Yet fans were clamoring for him to our on our 2nd line.

In no way shape or form should our justification for targeting another player be: Well he's younger and better than Brad Richards.

Where did I ever say that my justification for targeting him was being better and younger than Richards? The justification for targeting him is as simple as: "He's a very good player who fills several important needs for this team."

 

[Trxjw]

Well, seeing as our core will have at the very least gone to the SCF and known what it tastes like... i'd say that 3/4 of our team having been there and understanding the intensity and pressure is enough to allow someone younger and more inexperienced to come in without disturbing the dream of piggybacking.

Certainly didn't work out that way after the ECF run in 2012. Richards will be gone. It's highly likely that one of Staal or Stralman will be gone. Perhaps one, or both, of Boyle and Moore will be gone. That's a lot of shuffling, and who knows if this organization will be able to adequately replace those players?

 

[GAGLine]

I would trade Nash straight up for Spezza, but I don't know that Ottawa would do it. Buy out Richards. Re-sign everyone else unless their demands are unreasonable. If we think Staal isn't going to re-sign in 2015, trade him now.

Whatever you think of Spezza at this point in his career, he's an upgrade over Richards and won't be a cap problem down the road. Both he and MSL would have 1 year left on their contracts and we can mostly keep the team in tact for another run.

 

[HatTrick Swayze]

At the end of the day the only trade chip the Rangers really have right now is Staal.

Maybe they could dump Nash but that would be selling for pennies on the dollar and would not improve next year's team. Aka it's not happening. Limited picks to trade this year or next. Miller, Fast, Lindberg, Mac don't have a ton of value.

And the UFA market is slim pickings this year. It is going to be very difficult for this team to come to camp with a better roster than they have now. So many FAs, little space, poor UFA class, limited trade chips. I would a surprised if there was much turnover beyond Richards and some bargain hunting.

 

[BarbaraAlphanse]

Certainly didn't work out that way after the ECF run in 2012. Richards will be gone. It's highly likely that one of Staal or Stralman will be gone. Perhaps one, or both, of Boyle and Moore will be gone. That's a lot of shuffling, and who knows if this organization will be able to adequately replace those players?

There will be tough decisions, but nothing that indicates that we have to be worse next year.

We could have easily been a 2nd round casualty to the Penguins, and people would be clamoring for trades and upheaval.

The team isn't optimally built for AV's style... and yet, we're at the SCF and still somehow alive despite the worst of fortunes.

Staal is great. One of my favorite players to have put on the uni - but is there really room for 4 players that are almost completely defensive minded in AV's system?

Girardi, Staal, Stralman, and Klein... all have the same skill set. Imagine our blue line with more speed and more offensive ability? And who says we need to get rid of size to get the speed? The Kings defense is fine with the like of Martinez, Muzzin, and Greene.

We're a puck possession team. Stralman fits this team better than Staal does, with this coach. So trading him for another piece that we may need, resigning Stralman, and signing (for example) someone like Matt Niskanen - a guy with a bomb perimeter shot and the capability of putting up 40-50 points... well I don't know how that would be a bad thing.

After that, why should be able to work all of our important players back into the fold, easily. I'd give Moore's spot to Allen, saving about .5 mill. I'd trade Dorsett and resign Carcillo for half the price, saving about .75 mill. We have about 22 million in cap space. 4 for Stralman. 2.7 and 2 for Boyle and Moore. 2.25 for Kreider. 4.3 for Zucc, 3.7 for Brass. Without trading Staal, those contract raises take us to about a mill away from the ceiling. Trade Staal for picks/prospects and sign Niskanen for 4.5-5 mill and that takes us right to the ceiling.

It's possible to keep everyone. It's possible to pay players fair value - as long as they want to be paid fair value. Danny G took fair value and security to stay here. Offer Boyle and Moore and Stralman longer contracts and lower cap hits. 4 for 4 with Stralman. 4 for 2.7 with Boyle. 3 for 2 with Moore. 5 for 4.3 with Zucc. You want the core to be here as long as possible anyway.

 

[NYR Viper]

I'd consider dealing Staal if Stralman would re-up. He fits the system with his skating better currently.

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

At the end of the day the only trade chip the Rangers really have right now is Staal.

Maybe they could dump Nash but that would be selling for pennies on the dollar and would not improve next year's team. Aka it's not happening. Limited picks to trade this year or next. Miller, Fast, Lindberg, Mac don't have a ton of value.

And the UFA market is slim pickings this year. It is going to be very difficult for this team to come to camp with a better roster than they have now. So many FAs, little space, poor UFA class, limited trade chips. I would a surprised if there was much turnover beyond Richards and some bargain hunting.

Agreed.

But if Staal gets traded and Stralman leaves in free agency, a great strength for this team quickly becomes a great weakness.

 

[TheTakedown]

If Staal is moved there better be quite a bit coming back. That makes re-signing Stralman a necessity. If it returns a young-ish top-6 center or a bigger 3rd line C + 1st or something along those lines I would be okay with it.

I understand your point... we don't technically have a 2nd pairing D anywhere if we send Staal away.

I would trade Nash straight up for Spezza, but I don't know that Ottawa would do it. Buy out Richards. Re-sign everyone else unless their demands are unreasonable. If we think Staal isn't going to re-sign in 2015, trade him now.

Whatever you think of Spezza at this point in his career, he's an upgrade over Richards and won't be a cap problem down the road. Both he and MSL would have 1 year left on their contracts and we can mostly keep the team in tact for another run.

I would do Nash for Spezza, but I'm not sure the Sens or Nash approve that trade.. Then again, if we're serious about winning a cup, then this is the right move... we need center depth right now...

Personally, I think Eric Staal is a better option than Jason Spezza, but that's just my speculation

At the end of the day the only trade chip the Rangers really have right now is Staal.

Maybe they could dump Nash but that would be selling for pennies on the dollar and would not improve next year's team. Aka it's not happening. Limited picks to trade this year or next. Miller, Fast, Lindberg, Mac don't have a ton of value.

And the UFA market is slim pickings this year. It is going to be very difficult for this team to come to camp with a better roster than they have now. So many FAs, little space, poor UFA class, limited trade chips. I would a surprised if there was much turnover beyond Richards and some bargain hunting.

Nash will have value NEXT DEADLINE if he gets somewhat back to his regular game pre-concussion. That's probably Sather's best move at this point. Trading him before the start of this season is selling very, very low, and no GM will pay for that. He'll be more valuable next deadline when he's got 25 goals under his belt.

As for the UFA market, the only guy's I'd consider is Stastny (not really a fan of signing him anyway), Derek Roy, or Mikhail Grabovski, and even then those guys are #2 Centerman at most

If we're serious about a #1 Centermen, as well as another good playoff run (3rd round or better), our best trade chips are (in order of value):

Nash (only if traded around the 2015 Trade Deadline)
Staal (Traded before December)
Girardi (Traded at any time)
J. Moore (Traded at any time)

But trading even one of those away depends on who comes into camp and blows the Rangers brass away, who requests to be traded, and who becomes an option to be traded in... Regardless, Center Depth is a serious issue, and Miller is the most reachable option... If Nash goes, who takes his RW spot? I haven't seen any wonderful RW'ers on the UFA market..

As for Trading Staal, it's dependent on what was said here:

I'd consider dealing Staal if Stralman would re-up. He fits the system with his skating better currently.

It's either Stralman or Staal. Not both. Both are solid.... I like Stralman's ability to step up... I like Staal's ability to shut forwards down.... but if one absolutely has to go, Staal will not only net the bigger return, but also could free up more cap space right now, save us a huge contract going forward (Stralman should be around 4.2M, Staal could easily get 6M), all while allowing us to take a minimal hit on defense

 

[NYR Viper]

Agreed.

But if Staal gets traded and Stralman leaves in free agency, a great strength for this team quickly becomes a great weakness.

Exactly. Re-signing Stralman so that you can recoup some assets by trading Staal is a good move for the entire organization. They keep a top-4 d-man and are able to bring in solid assets. If they just let Stralman walk, then they recoup no assets and net a top-4 d-man.

Stralman + Assets from Staal trade > Staal

 

[TheTakedown]

There will be tough decisions, but nothing that indicates that we have to be worse next year.

We could have easily been a 2nd round casualty to the Penguins, and people would be clamoring for trades and upheaval.

The team isn't optimally built for AV's style... and yet, we're at the SCF and still somehow alive despite the worst of fortunes.

Staal is great. One of my favorite players to have put on the uni - but is there really room for 4 players that are almost completely defensive minded in AV's system?

Girardi, Staal, Stralman, and Klein... all have the same skill set. Imagine our blue line with more speed and more offensive ability? And who says we need to get rid of size to get the speed? The Kings defense is fine with the like of Martinez, Muzzin, and Greene.

We're a puck possession team. Stralman fits this team better than Staal does, with this coach. So trading him for another piece that we may need, resigning Stralman, and signing (for example) someone like Matt Niskanen - a guy with a bomb perimeter shot and the capability of putting up 40-50 points... well I don't know how that would be a bad thing.

After that, why should be able to work all of our important players back into the fold, easily. I'd give Moore's spot to Allen, saving about .5 mill. I'd trade Dorsett and resign Carcillo for half the price, saving about .75 mill. We have about 22 million in cap space. 4 for Stralman. 2.7 and 2 for Boyle and Moore. 2.25 for Kreider. 4.3 for Zucc, 3.7 for Brass. Without trading Staal, those contract raises take us to about a mill away from the ceiling. Trade Staal for picks/prospects and sign Niskanen for 4.5-5 mill and that takes us right to the ceiling.

It's possible to keep everyone. It's possible to pay players fair value - as long as they want to be paid fair value. Danny G took fair value and security to stay here. Offer Boyle and Moore and Stralman longer contracts and lower cap hits. 4 for 4 with Stralman. 4 for 2.7 with Boyle. 3 for 2 with Moore. 5 for 4.3 with Zucc. You want the core to be here as long as possible anyway.

I like this a lot...

Like you said, there are 4 defensemen that are really within the same skill set, which unfortunately includes minimal to no offense from the blue line... but that was the Torts way, so this is just the aftermath.

I think right now we could set another lion free on defense by simply replacing ONE of those three... I was not high on Stralman at any point, but the last 2 games watching him take hit after hit and still make a play on the puck... it's refreshing

 

[BarbaraAlphanse]

I'd be ok with letting either Stralman or Staal go if we got a decent/better replacement for this system.

If it's Staal - Edler or Niskanen
If its Stralman - Green

I think, emotional bias that favors Staal aside, the best thing this team could do this offseason would be to trade Staal for a 1st and a very good prospect. Re-up Stralman at 4/4. And sign Niskanen 4.5/5.

Adding Niskanen adds offense and it actually doesn't take away any physicality, either. Niskanen is shorter but stockier. Hits just as hard, if not harder, than Staal.

 

[BarbaraAlphanse]

I like this a lot...

Like you said, there are 4 defensemen that are really within the same skill set, which unfortunately includes minimal to no offense from the blue line... but that was the Torts way, so this is just the aftermath.

I think right now we could set another lion free on defense by simply replacing ONE of those three... I was not high on Stralman at any point, but the last 2 games watching him take hit after hit and still make a play on the puck... it's refreshing

Stralman comes up huge in the playoffs. I love that about him. I would love to be able to keep him, but someone needs to go and someone needs to come in to add more offense.

They could always opt to keep the core entirely together and keep both Staal and Stralman. That is the most likely scenario.

 

[NYR Viper]

I'd be ok with letting either Stralman or Staal go if we got a decent/better replacement for this system.

If it's Staal - Edler or Niskanen
If its Stralman - Green

I think, emotional bias that favors Staal aside, the best thing this team could do this offseason would be to trade Staal for a 1st and a very good prospect. Re-up Stralman at 4/4. And sign Niskanen 4.5/5.

Adding Niskanen adds offense and it actually doesn't take away any physicality, either. Niskanen is shorter but stockier. Hits just as hard, if not harder, than Staal.

Niskanen is another RD though I believe.

Niskanen is going to get PAID.

If they moved Staal I'd look at someone like Pitkanen or Nikitin on shorter term contracts as more insurance than anything.

Or you try to get yourself a good young LD in the deal.