We have nothing to give for Spezza, save for Staal on a similar contract (length-wise). That being said, we'd have to replace Staal -AND- somehow account for Spezza's cap hit.
Unless Nash is going to Ottawa, this isn't in the realm of possibility.
Sure we do.
We'd have to part with Stepan, which if we're getting Spezza and extending him, I'm fine with.
Spezza is a better center than Stepan ever will be IMO.
Right now we have two very good 2nd line centers (Stepan + Brassard).
I'm certainly willing to move one of them to acquire a legitimate first line center, basically upgrading Stepan to Spezza so we have a 1C, a 2C, a 3C, etc.
Stepan, McIlrath or a similar prospect, and a 2nd in 2015 should be enough for a guy who's not under contract past this year. In 7 months he'll be a rental (if they don't move him now).
Of course many other teams would likely offer more than that for Spezza's services. HOWEVER: It's not about the best deal Ottawa can get for Spezza. It's about getting what they can for him, because he's asked for a trade and he controls the location with the NTC. Therefore, if he wants to come to NY, then the Senators aren't getting more than the aforementioned deal, which they should take and run. Stepan can play top line minutes for them (despite not having the skills of a legitimate 1C, he's proved he can put up 50 points in that spot and play solid defensively) while they continue to build and develop their team.
A top-six of
Kreider-Spezza-St.Louis
Nash-Brassard-Zuccarello
looks outstanding on paper. It would be the hope that the RH Spezza (who certainly has the skill) can find the kind of chemistry that elite RH scoring center Steven Stamkos has with Marty St. Louis in Tampa.
Being right-handed, Spezza also gives us that left-wall option on the powerplay, because despite being right-handed himself, Derek Stepan refused to even look towards the net let alone think about taking a shot from that spot on the PP.
Now, because Spezza makes 7 million this year, this would mean the end of Stralman IMO, which we will recover from.
Obviously, it wouldn't be a replacement of Stralman's role, skillset, or abilities, but a name I haven't seen mentioned much at all is Deryk Engelland. He's a RD with an mean-streak. I'm talking about pairing him with John Moore on the 3rd pairing, while moving Klein (who played top-4 minutes for years) up to play with Staal.
Assuming Zuccarello takes the paycut that was discussed earlier today, and Brassard doesn't push his cap-hit to the absolute max either, we would be looking at the following roster scenario:
CapGeek Armchair GM Roster
FORWARDS
Chris Kreider ($2.400m) / Jason Spezza ($7.000m) / Martin St. Louis ($5.625m)
Mats Zuccarello ($3.500m) / Derick Brassard ($3.850m) / Rick Nash ($7.800m)
Carl Hagelin ($2.250m) / J.T. Miller ($0.894m) / Danny Kristo ($0.827m)
Daniel Carcillo ($0.850m) / Dominic Moore ($1.600m) / Ryan Carter ($0.900m)
DEFENSEMEN
Ryan McDonagh ($4.700m) / Dan Girardi ($5.500m)
Marc Staal ($3.975m) / Kevin Klein ($2.900m)
John Moore ($1.400m) / Deryk Engelland ($1.600m)
Conor Allen ($0.925m) /
GOALTENDERS
Henrik Lundqvist ($8.500m)
Cameron Talbot ($0.563m)
BUYOUTS
Wade Redden ($0.000m)
Brad Richards ($0.000m)
BONUS OVERAGE
$0
------
CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS (follow @capgeek on Twitter)
(estimations for 2014-15)
SALARY CAP: $69,000,000; CAP PAYROLL: $67,558,542; BONUSES: $1,200,000
CAP SPACE (21-man roster): $1,441,458
That's 1.4 million in cap-space for a 13th F / injuries / etc. (Conor Allen is already listed (as the 7th D) and accounted for in the cap calculations).
Kreider Spezza St. Louis
Kreider's speed, size, and physicality should open up space for Spezza and St. Louis to work their magic. Again, the hope would be that Spezza (strong right-handed center) and St. Louis can find a similar chemistry to the synergy between Marty and Steven Stamkos. While Stamkos is certainly more of a shoot-first player than Spezza, I think Spezza is still one of the elite playmaking centers in the game, and although not used nearly as much, he has a fantastic shot (both wrist and the slapper).
Nash Brassard Zuccarello
Nash, who has almost the same size and body-type (about an inch taller and a bit stronger, in fact) takes Pouliot's spot on what was our most consistent line last season. Brassard and Zuccarello are masters of puck possession in the offensive zone, which should really help Nash re-discover his "bull the puck to the net" game and start to regain some confidence.
Hagelin Miller Kristo/Haggerty
Hagelin's speed is so dynamic, and so much faster than almost everyone else in the league that he consistently creates chances and forces turnovers based on his skating alone. He showed in the playoffs his ability to elevate his game and contribute more offensively. Some of us forget that he's still pretty young (only 25 years old) and could still continue to grow and develop as a player. Defensively, he's smart and sound. Offensively, there's some room for improvement and I think the more he gets comfortable with his linemates this season, the more we'll see him finding the back of the net or setting up his teammates for goals....which brings me to his linemates: J.T. Miller better be ready for primetime. That's all that needs to be said. He's got nothing left to learn in the AHL. He needs to bring the effort every shift, get pucks in deep when the play isn't there, and when he does get a chance with some time/space, trust in his instincts and don't let hesitation creep into his games. I am still optimistic that he will have a strong NHL career and I believe it really begins this year. Danny Kristo and Ryan Haggerty are both right-handed shots (a scarcity on this team, especially at forward) who can skate. There has been some chatter that both should be ready to seriously challenge for a 3rd line spot this season and frankly, because of the cap being about 2 million lower than anticipated, the Rangers need them to seriously challenge for that spot. Haggerty is now e-famous for his YouTube video which makes him look like Stamkos (albeit against NCAA competition and blasting pucks past NCAA goaltenders), while Kristo was acquired for Christian Thomas and scored 25 goals in 65 games playing against MEN in his first season as a pro in the AHL. Only training camp will tell, but I believe that Kristo has the better shot of truly being NHL-ready. He's listed at 5'11" on most scouting sites, but having seen him play, he looks about 6'1" IMO. Either way, he certainly protects the puck well and knows where to go to score. It should be interesting to see these two young players compete for a spot in September (only a few months away!)
Carcillo Moore Carer
Carcillo's overall game is underrated IMO. Sometimes he goes over the edge and takes bad penalties, but his skating is supremely underrated and he showed in the Philly series that he is more than capable of having a positive effect on the game and creating / sustaining momentum and energy for his teammates. Dom Moore had a fantastic all-around season from start to finish. He was the glue that held our fourth line together and he was a leader on the ice as well. I really hope he's brought back. I think he'll come down slightly on his asking number and sign a three-year deal for approximately 1.6 per season. Along with Hagelin, he's one of our best PKers and is a shorthanded threat as well. His versatility is also a major strength as he can
temporarily move up the lineup and play wing or center with top-6 players and not really look out place. Ryan Carter is another unsung heart-and-soul player who has had a few strong seasons across the Hudson. He uses his size well, is very good down low and on the cycle and can agitate as well. He's got soft hands and watching him often makes one think "Why isn't this guy scoring more goals?" It does seem like there's some untapped offensive potential there, and maybe there still is. I wouldn't rule out the chance of him scoring 10-14 goals on this team, but that wouldn't be his role. He'd be signed to play on the fourth line and provide depth and stability for his team. (note: he's also a very capable penalty killer).
McDonagh Girardi
Do I really need to say anything? We know what we're getting from this pair. McDonagh is still getting better which is amazing. He could seriously challenge for the Norris next season if his offensive numbers keep increasing. (note: He finished the Rangers' SCF run with 17 points in his final 15 games!)
Staal Klein
Staal used to be this team's #1 defenseman. A series of unfortunate injuries stagnated his development just as it seemed he was on the brink of taking that all-important next step. Fortunately, it was around the same time that McDonagh emerged as a top-pairing defenseman and allowed Staal to ease back into things when he did return. This will be an important year for Staal (and the Rangers) as his contract runs out at the end of the season, but with that distraction aside, I think he was playing at an extremely high level to end the season. At times throughout the playoffs, Staal was our best defenseman on the ice. His stick-work is second-to-none IMO, and he's still got the size and strength to shut down even the biggest offensive threats. The players he does have trouble with seem to be smaller, speedier forwards who he can't really get low enough on to find the leverage to muscle them off the puck, while his footspeed is sometimes exposed against these smaller, quicker players. Still, when Staal is on the ice, I feel secure. Klein is a quieter player who doesn't get much media attention, but he's still a very solid defenseman in his own way. After being counted on as a top-4 defenseman for years in Nashville, he seemed to slowly find his comfort zone here in NY towards the end of the playoffs. It's not always a seamless transition being traded mid-season to a new team, especially after playing so long for the only other NHL franchise you've ever played for. Klein should consider working on his skating in the offseason, because it appeared that he had lost a half-step or so in terms of recovery/foot-speed. However, I was very pleased with the way he seemed to read the play and perfectly jump up to join the rush at the right times (if only he could find the back of the net after doing so!
)
Moore Engelland
Moore skates like the wind. He's only 23 and thus still developing as a defenseman. Some of the best defensemen don't really settle into their prime until their late twenties. Let's try to remember that and have more patience with this kid. He's got all the tools. He just needs to figure out how to use them all in the right situations without trying to do too much. On the other side, Engelland (32 years old) is what he is, but he can be an asset to a team like the Rangers who lack size and snarl. Engelland has a legitimate mean-streak and is known for clearing the crease with a purpose. He's not the best skater or the smoothest passer, but he can get the job done and he adds a niche element that we lack anywhere else in the lineup. And he should also come at a very low price.
Thoughts?
