GDT: Free Agent Frenzy

[Avery16]

I would have done that one too.

 

[broadwayblue]

I would have done that one too.

wut. exactly the type of player we are trying to move away from, no?

 

[Chytilmania]

Kravstov should just play the entire season in the KHL. Quite frankly there’s no reason to drag him over here with the current situation

Once his KHL season is done than bring him over

And by then we'll have a better idea if Gauthier is a 3rd or 4th liner.

 

[effen]

In hindsight, the Rangers probably should have moved both Fast and Strome at the deadline.

There isn't always an appetite for guys. Remember Namestnikov who they tried all last summer to trade to zero interest until Ottawa woke up the first week and decided to chuck a 4th rounder at him.

Fast coulda got a 3rd, but Strome doesn't really seem like the kind of guy you win in the playoffs with. It's not far fetched that what we all see watching him the talent evaluators in the league also see.

 

[effen]

I would have done that one too.

Yeah, but he wouldn't.

 

[Avery16]

wut. exactly the type of player we are trying to move away from, no?

No.

 

[Avery16]

Yeah, but he wouldn't.

Are we a pariah now

 

[Edge]

It's honestly not complicated. Sign some cheap depth that can do things we lack (PK, especially with Fast gone) and a 6LD. No one asked for an impact move. No one asked to break the bank. No one asked for Hall or Pietrangelo.

The moves they made for Hartford/13F depth are good in Rooney/Blackwell. They got their expansion pieces, also good. It's really not asking a lot to sign 1 or even 2 of the good depth forwards to bolster the 4th line and give it some multi dimensionality. There were literally 15+ players on FA day that fit this criteria not even including players like Wennberg who were likely sought after.

I find it really hard to believe we couldn't get a good forward or two a $1 million cause of our potential arbitration cases. It's not a make or break for our season probably but it was a brainless and easy move that would solve probably the biggest problem our team had last year in a useless bottom 6. Can't believe we aren't allowed to expect the team to improve that.

The problem is that everyone just assume you go out and make an offer and they sign.

What if other teams have better offers? Or if the player prefers other fits better?

It’s one thing to say, “it’s simple, just go out and do this...”

But what if “this” isn’t an option?

 

[Tawnos]

Namestnikov is a really good PKer, which we could use, but I don't really like his game aside from that.

 

[bigdog16]

Everyone acts as if there was a massive market for Fast at the deadline. If we moved him for a 3rd at the deadline everyone would’ve been crying about that too. There was no perfect ending

 

[kovazub94]

The Rangers play could be to buyout Brendan Smith in the 2nd buyout window in November. The arbitration hearings run from October 20-November 8. The Rangers have 4 cases so the hearing dates will be spaced out. Jeff Gorton did the same thing with Kevin Shattenkirk last August. The Rangers needed to make one more move after paying Artemi Panarin and Jacob Trouba. Gorton will look to move Smith in a trade but he can buy Smith out after the Rangers have settled their last arbitration case.

The Rangers would clear $1,556,667 in space for this season. Cap hit of $2,783,333 for 20-21 and $783,333 for 21-22. The Rangers buyout money jumps to $15,777,777 for 20-21. The Rangers gain more flexibility for this season and the cap hit for 21-22 is cheap. Instead of the Rangers clearing the entire $4.35M for Smith after this season, the Rangers clear $3,566,667. Not much of a difference.

The Rangers will shed a significant amount of money with the buyouts to Henrik Lundqvist and Kevin Shattenkirk dropping from 20-21 to 21-22. Ryan Spooner's $300,000 comes off the books. Add Smith's buyout money.

The Rangers added JMFJ. Are the Rangers really playing both JMFJ and Smith on the same defense? The Rangers need to expose a signed D for 21-22 who will play 70 combined games in 19-20 and 20-21 or 40 games in 20-21 in the expansion draft. Anthony Bitetto can satisfy that requirement. He needs to play 19 games in 20-21 to reach 70 combined games. He played 51 games for Winnipeg last season. Give the young guys like Tarmo Reunanen, Libor Hajek and KAM an opportunity. The Rangers don't really have room for Smith. JMFJ makes him expendable. Bitetto is cheap at $737,500. He helps the Rangers with the expansion draft requirement.

The Rangers need to expose two signed forwards for 21-22. Kevin Rooney played 49 games for the Devils last season. He needs 21 this season. $750,000 cap hit. He fits the Rangers cap. Colin Blackwell played 27 games last season for Nashville. He needs to play 40 games this season to be compliant. $725,000 cap hit. Both of them are signed for 21-22. They fit the cap.

The two Domink's are available. Dominik Kahun and Dominik Simon. Both of them would be good options. Both of them are familiar with Jacques Martin. Simon had shoulder surgery in May. He should be ready by November or December. 6-7 months. Michael Grabner is another option.



The Rangers take the Smith buyout savings and sign another cheaper forward. They would still have money left over.

Clearing $1.5m doesn’t take into consideration the replacement cost of two players (7D and 13F). At $750k each it would be wash.

 

[Edge]

I would have done that one too.

But why would the player?

 

[Raspewtin]

The problem is that everyone just assume you go out and make an offer and they sign.

What if other teams have better offers? Or if the player prefers other fits better?

It’s one thing to say, “it’s simple, just go out and do this...”

But what if “this” isn’t an option?

If they really reached out to like 10 of those good options and all of them said no, fine, then they tried their hardest. Said the same thing with the JMFJ thing that I can accept players don't necessarily want to play here.

Do you believe that's what they did?

 

[Chytilmania]

Regarding Fast I think:
1) Gorton and JD don't want to pay $2-3M for a guy they want on the 4th line
2) Fast wants to be a middle 6 winger
3) Gorton and JD want to see what these kids can do because next offseason is when they're going to make big decisions on the roster

 

[Oscar Lindberg]

So what's the story with Jesper?

It's either
- The Rangers didn't make him a formal offer (which I can believe)
- He didn't want to be in NY anymore
- He didn't like playing for Quinn
- Or he didn't want to babysit our team being one of oldest guys

The guy was basically guaranteed a top 6 spot considering how much Quinn loves him

 

[Avery16]

There isn't always an appetite for guys. Remember Namestnikov who they tried all last summer to trade to zero interest until Ottawa woke up the first week and decided to chuck a 4th rounder at him.

Fast coulda got a 3rd, but Strome doesn't really seem like the kind of guy you win in the playoffs with. It's not far fetched that what we all see watching him the talent evaluators in the league also see.

We also limited ourselves by staying so close to the cap. The rest of the league knew we were in a position, and used it as leverage to lessen our returns for players like Names, Fast, Strome.

 

[effen]

Are we a pariah now

He couldn't crack the top 6 here on a team with vastly inferior talent to what is there now. So, yes. Players want to play.

 

[effen]

But why would the player?

THEY JUST TRADED HIM.

 

[duhmetreE]

So what's the story with Jesper?

It's either
- The Rangers didn't make him a formal offer (which I can believe)
- He didn't want to be in NY anymore
- He didn't like playing for Quinn
- Or he didn't want to babysit our team being one of oldest guys

The guy was basically guaranteed a top 6 spot considering how much Quinn loves him

it was a life choice. This doesn't even take taxes into consideration.

 

[effen]

We also limited ourselves by staying so close to the cap. The rest of the league knew we were in a position, and used it as leverage to lessen our returns for players like Names, Fast, Strome.

this is a pretty big stretch.

 

[Edge]

Are we a pariah now

Not at all. But in some cases we aren’t looking to include the extra million, or the third year on a deal, or provide a sales job that we could be a piece or two away from playing in a conference finals next year. Or that we aren’t likely to trade a player at the deadline.

All of these things are factors right now.

Especially as players try to navigate a fit that is best for themselves and their families during a most uncertain time.

 

[EdJovanovski]

You lost me at LA. Great weather but the state is a taxing politically correct train wreck. People are leaving CA at a higher rate than NY!

Trust me, I agree. Seems like every podcaster I listen to has left LA in the past couple months. But I have been obsessed with LA since my first time going when I was 6. It would take a lot for me to fall out of love with it, and I’m an optimist to a fault; so I believe any place can be turned around. Except Seattle or Portland. LOL

 

[EdJovanovski]

Jeez Detroit is about to look like early 2000’s Detroit
The big fish is off the market

 

[Shesterkybomb]

Wonder what fredrick Gauthier wants for a contract ? Id take him as a Mckegg replacement.

 

[Edge]

If they really reached out to like 10 of those good options and all of them said no, fine, then they tried their hardest. Said the same thing with the JMFJ thing that I can accept players don't necessarily want to play here.

Do you believe that's what they did?

I believe the Rangers are consistently on the lower end of the bids right now. And I think at this stage, players are looking for financial fits and family need fits.

But, just on forwards alone I know the same basic offer was on the table for Granlund, Fast and Wennberg.

Wennberg got more money in a state without income tax.

Fast got a extra year, a million more on the term of the deal, and probably felt a sense of job security he wouldn’t be changing addresses at the TDL.

Granlund is still TBD.

I suspect Johnson was a guy willing to take a 6/7 role in NY, and both sides felt more comfortable than the average candidate to fill that role. I also think the Rangers are figuring that their young players on the cusp may just end up staying put this season - be it in the AHL or on loan elsewhere.

There’s also a lot of wait and see with Strome and ADA right now.

I just think it’s a more nuanced than we’re really acknowledging right now.