Appraisal of Rangers' Salary Structure

[chosen]

From the Athletic: (21st best salary structure)


21. New York Rangers

Last season: 28th

I just… I don’t get why the Rangers would do what they did this offseason. They were on the right track creating an uber-skilled team, but decided to go all in on grit after Tom Wilson ruffled their feathers. The end result is trading for Ryan Reaves who is no longer an NHL-calibre player, and signing Barclay Goodrow to an inexplicable six-year deal. The only reason that it’s not the team’s worst deal is because Jacob Trouba still exists. Overpaying Patrik Nemeth and signing Jarred Tinordi at all also doesn’t look wise.
The Rangers have a couple of good deals on the books in their two centers, Ryan Lindgren and Artemi Panarin for the next four years, but a fair bit of bad too. A team that’s coming out of a rebuild shouldn’t already have this many contract inefficiencies.

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[NYSPORTS]

I guess some just can’t accept the moves were made b/c the Rangers couldn’t physically compete with physical teams nor could they survive in the playoffs. It’s not on the radar how easily Carolina handled the Rangers in the playoff playin, how the Isles and Bruins pushed the Rangers around when they went into playoff mode.

How teams beyond the previous two mentioned would handle the Rangers including a physical Montreal, a Vegas, a Dallas, St Louis, Tampa or anybody who decided to get physical. We’ll just play defense and let the Rangers skill burn out b/c they nothing on lines 3 or 4.

It’s as if people can’t recognize who and why teams were successful in the playoffs so they default to “it must be Tom Wilson”.

 

[Shesterkybomb]

From the Athletic: (21st best salary structure)


21. New York Rangers

Last season: 28th

I just… I don’t get why the Rangers would do what they did this offseason. They were on the right track creating an uber-skilled team, but decided to go all in on grit after Tom Wilson ruffled their feathers. The end result is trading for Ryan Reaves who is no longer an NHL-calibre player, and signing Barclay Goodrow to an inexplicable six-year deal. The only reason that it’s not the team’s worst deal is because Jacob Trouba still exists. Overpaying Patrik Nemeth and signing Jarred Tinordi at all also doesn’t look wise.
The Rangers have a couple of good deals on the books in their two centers, Ryan Lindgren and Artemi Panarin for the next four years, but a fair bit of bad too. A team that’s coming out of a rebuild shouldn’t already have this many contract inefficiencies.

It wasn't just Tom Wilson, everyone loves to point that moment out but it was because we couldn't hang with heavier teams like the Islanders that made this switch. If you look at Tampa they had to do the same thing to win. You need some bangers to soften up a team over a playoff series

 

[IDvsEGO]

The problem with an article like this is that when they ignore ELC contracts it makes it pointless.
You can overpay in the short term when 3 players in your top 6 are on ELC's.
Additionally we're not overpaying by millions on any deal, the "worst" contract we have is the goodrow deal, and its length and not number thats the issue.

We added physicality because as a young team we were pushed around more than we should've.
Dom's articles are usually really good, but this one is premature for us because lets see where fox's 2nd contract sits, and kakko's. Because if we get them under market like the av's did with makar, we're sitting in a good spot.

 

[CLW]

The Rangers team was simply "too young". The NHL is not a league for kids. Montreal struggled to play 4 kids in the playoffs (Suzuki, Caufield, KK, Romanov) because they know players need to be physically mature as well as tactically mature. The Caps, Isles, Lightning, Habs like players who are 25+, have done their dues and play with a physical edge.

The Rangers, for whatever reason, decided they can't wait for the team to mature, and pulled the trigger to fast forward it to more maturity, physicality and playoff readiness. That's pretty easy to see. What remains to be seen is if the current FO is smart or just reactive. With, say, Zito in Florida it's easy to see a clear plan and a strong mind in action. The Rangers in contrast are lurching here and there between obvious moves and questionable ones.

 

[EdJovanovski]

That looks like it was written by me

 

[will1066]

What others have already said about the Tom Wilson false narrative.

 

[Off Sides]

I am shocked, how could this have happened, and why was there not anyone bringing it up while it was happening?

 

[mas0764]

I guess some just can’t accept the moves were made b/c the Rangers couldn’t physically compete with physical teams nor could they survive in the playoffs. It’s not on the radar how easily Carolina handled the Rangers in the playoff playin, how the Isles and Bruins pushed the Rangers around when they went into playoff mode.

How teams beyond the previous two mentioned would handle the Rangers including a physical Montreal, a Vegas, a Dallas, St Louis, Tampa or anybody who decided to get physical. We’ll just play defense and let the Rangers skill burn out b/c they nothing on lines 3 or 4.

It’s as if people can’t recognize who and why teams were successful in the playoffs so they default to “it must be Tom Wilson”.

This has nothing to do with any of that.... a bunch of teams who went deep into the playoffs are all at the top of that list of good contracts.

 

[EpicDing]

As if we don't still have an "uber-skilled" team.

None of our skill besides Buch went anywhere, and we're actively infusing more (Lundkvist as a start).

Panarin, Zib, Laf, Kravtsov, Strome, Kakko, Kreider, Chytil, Fox are all still around.

 

[Off Sides]

I am not a subscriber

How do they calculate 7.9M in dead money?

4.4M in buyouts, yet the bonus overage is probably not going to reach 3.5M

Never-mind, I guess they just added the two years of buyouts together.

 

[mas0764]

For sure this analysis doesn't take into account ELCs, so the Rangers who have a ton of them get shortchanged in that consideration.

But again, it's also besides the point.

We have per capita way too many bad contracts for a team coming out of a rebuild. In that sense Dom acknowledges that the Rangers are going to have a ton of ELCs. The problem is the longer contracts that don't expire until after the ELCs do.

I know certain posters love to go to bat for the Kreider and Trouba deals and "we need more of these players not less," and all, but one or both of those deals are gonna have to be moved eventually, unless we are also moving out Kakko or Kravtsov for peanuts instead.

 

[mas0764]

Here's the number one team on his list:

1. Colorado Avalanche

Last season: 2nd

As if it would be any other team. My model has a massive crush on the Avalanche after last season’s dominant showing (in the regular season anyway) and holds many of their players in high regard. Naturally, it means it believes plenty of them are very underpaid, especially the team’s top stars. Colorado has five A-plus contracts on the books and one more A. The next best teams in that regard have three contracts rated an A or higher.

Colorado had three contracts on the best contracts list with Cale Makar on the second-best deal of all while Nathan MacKinnon and Samuel Girard both bring in massive surplus value as well. On top of that, Devon Toews and Mikko Rantanen are both underpaid relative to what they bring to the table and even the new Gabriel Landeskog contract looks decent for now relative to the league’s contract landscape.

That’s a lot of value at the top and it’s why on average Colorado’s players have a surplus-value of nearly $10 million. The next best team is at $2.7 million. The Avalanche are playing a different sport here and maybe that’s the model overrating the team after playing in a weak division, but there’s so much room between them and the next team that it wouldn’t matter. Even after the superstar talents, there’s some solid bargains and very few actually bad deals hurting the team. When one of the worst deals is for a depth defenseman that can be buried, you know you’re in a good spot. Colorado’s cap sheet is pretty pristine.

Lesson: Get those guys locked up to long term deals ASAP. If you can get Fox to sign for 9 right now, do it.

 

[pld459666]

Trouba and Kreider are the only "bad" contracts this team has.

The article is bunk

 

[McRanger92]

From the Athletic: (21st best salary structure)


21. New York Rangers

Last season: 28th

I just… I don’t get why the Rangers would do what they did this offseason. They were on the right track creating an uber-skilled team, but decided to go all in on grit after Tom Wilson ruffled their feathers. The end result is trading for Ryan Reaves who is no longer an NHL-calibre player, and signing Barclay Goodrow to an inexplicable six-year deal. The only reason that it’s not the team’s worst deal is because Jacob Trouba still exists. Overpaying Patrik Nemeth and signing Jarred Tinordi at all also doesn’t look wise.
The Rangers have a couple of good deals on the books in their two centers, Ryan Lindgren and Artemi Panarin for the next four years, but a fair bit of bad too. A team that’s coming out of a rebuild shouldn’t already have this many contract inefficiencies.

Idk how anyone can say they went “all-in” on grit. Look at their top 9. They have more skill players than they know what to do with, with ~10 mil in cap space remaining to work. They needed to diversify the lineup and they did. Fans need to get over the fact that Buchnevich wasn’t in the long term plans. Very good player and they got very little for him but there are plenty of legitimate reasons why he is no longer around

 

[mas0764]

Trouba and Kreider are the only "bad" contracts this team has.

The article is bunk

It's actually not at all, you just need to exercise a little insight into what it's saying. Of course the Reaves, Tinordi, Nemeth, Rooney and Blais contracts are not "bad," like the Kreider and Trouba contracts are, but the stats are showing that those players in general aren't good enough to offer positive value even at low, low costs. In essense, having a Brett Howden even at league minimum is a "bad contract." Well, guys like Reaves and Tinordi are bad enough players that even at the min they are not good deals (unless they are buried in Hartford or scratched). Blais and Nemeth are better than replacement players but not worth the money they got or are getting either. I think we are Rangers fans know and acknowledge this, that we had to overpay to bring in these guys to import an element we were missing, but they still aren't good deals.

 

[McRanger92]

Trouba and Kreider are the only "bad" contracts this team has.

The article is bunk

The Trouba contract isn’t even bad when you consider the Dman contracts given out this offseason. Plus he’ll only be 31 at the end of it. We’re getting his prime years

 

[NYSPORTS]

This has nothing to do with any of that.... a bunch of teams who went deep into the playoffs are all at the top of that list of good contracts.

anybody following this team knows the Rangers only added $1.1 million to their cap. Had the Rangers resigned Buch the cap would have been similar and worse had they resigned Buch and added grit.

As far teams who went far in the playoffs with good contracts, are you for real? Tampa, Vegas, Isles and Montreal all had issues.

 

[mas0764]

As far teams who went far in the playoffs with good contracts, are you for real? Tampa, Vegas, Isles and Montreal all had issues.

Yah I'm for real.... try reading the article before speaking out of ignorance.

Of course they "had issues." They are loaded with talented high priced players. That's not what is being discussed here; it's the value for those players.

 

[NYSPORTS]

and for those agonizing over Ryan Reaves, his cap number is only $1.75.

 

[NYSPORTS]

Yah I'm for real.... try reading the article before speaking out of ignorance.

Of course they "had issues." They are loaded with talented high priced players. That's not what is being discussed here; it's the value for those players.

the article is ignorance while both the article and you missed

“anybody following this team knows the Rangers only added $1.1 million to their cap. Had the Rangers resigned Buch the cap would have been similar and worse had they resigned Buch and added grit.”

 

[tomobson]

Reading how inaccurate the assessment for the rangers are you have to think there is maybe only one team in this writeup that has an accurate assessment, which would be whatever team this writer follows. Especially the part where the rangers are no longer a skilled team anymore because our third and fourth lines aren't teenagers/20yr olds anymore. Trouba is the least of our worries right now and I think he is moveable once it does get to that point.

 

[cwede]

sorry but i see all the discontent as gloom and doom overstatement,
only Goodrow got a deal longer than 2, and the only skill moved out was Buch
The skill guys are still here, the roster is more balanced
The rest is up to Gallant

unless they bust things up to add Eichel, I see this offseason as incremental tweaking

Nemeth is not a horrid signing, maybe $0.5M per more than had to, and if Nils makes the roster, he's an even greater asset
I kinda wish NYR had had a vet Czech for Fil's 1st couple years and a vet Finn for KK's, it only helps

 

[nyr2k2]

This is Dom Lunchchicken and his model. His model is his baby and it's black and white for him. He has also been running with the "Everything the Rangers do is because of Tom Wilson" narrative since day one, even when he's called out on not seeming to understand why that's garbage. It is what it is--one guy and one model, and what they think about things. I know some of you eat this up but for me it's just one small data point.

Honestly, with The Athletic, I read Carp's articles (I know a lot of you hate him) because they do have tidbits of new information. If it's Shayna, I usually skip it because she's either just referencing Dom and others' models nonstop or writing an entire article about Zibanejad vs. Eichel long term without mentioning the vast uncertainty of Eichel's neck. And then when it's a Dom article, I typically just skip it.

 

[JCProdigy]

The biggest problem with all the articles of this nature is nobody seems to go back (least of all the actual author) 1-5 years from now to look into the accuracy of all these arguments/placements by comparing to the actual team results.

The only thing that would elevate the article above clickbait would be if there were good correlation between the posits made and the future outcomes.