Speculation: Roster Building Thread LXXI

[mike14]

Translation?

Vegas need to shed cap. Patches, JAM and Fluery have been mentioned as players they are trying to move

 

[bobbop]

Vegas need to shed cap. Patches, JAM and Fluery have been mentioned as players they are trying to move

Doubtful they move Fleury...Lehner had shoulder surgery and may not be ready for the start of the season.

 

[Fitzy]

Im still shocked that NYR only had to part with a 2nd rounder to rid themselves of Staal's cap hit in this market- have to imagine salary with term is gonna be even harder, though Pacioretty and Marchessault have the advantage of being actual useful players.

 

[Thirty One]

Vegas trying to move Casperetty.

Their players should take this well.

 

[Tawnos]

How is Pittsburgh flying to Miami a savings over Carolina to Miami? How about Pittsburgh to Boston v Raleigh to Boston? Try again with Buffalo, etc.

I was looking more at the picture for the entire division than individual teams. If you look at it from city center to city center, the US Central Division as laid out gets to ~132,000 miles in total travel (each team traveling to opposing cities 4 times). If you swap out Pittsburgh and add Carolina, that bumps the total travel up to ~134,000 miles. Of course, halve those totals if they're playing 2 game sets each time they travel. I think you underestimate how much further Raleigh is from cities in the midwest and how that impacts things. While Pittsburgh to Sunrise (not Miami) is 300 miles longer than from Raleigh, Pittsburgh to Detroit is 300 miles closer than from Raleigh. Just comparing the two proposed Central divisions, anything you gain by having Carolina go to Florida is lost and then some by not having Pittsburgh go to the midwest.

Now, swapping in Pittsburgh and removing Carolina from the US Eastern Division does reduce the travel within that division. Fairly significantly, from ~57,000 all the way down ~50,000. So I was wrong that the total travel across all divisions was as low as it could be. I would guess that the preference was given towards reducing the travel in the Central simply because travel in the East is already WAY less than anywhere else.

The most equitable way to handle it would actually have been to put TBL/FLA in the East and BOS/BUF in the Central. That way you end up with a 114k/99k split. The problem with that, in the time of Covid, is that you're talking about more total travel... and that's something they want to avoid. I also have a suspicion that they gave Boston a favorable travel schedule to mollify Jeremy Jacobs, who is one of those owners that probably doesn't even want to have a season.

 

[Savant]

Can the Rangers add any cap in a trade at this point? Probably not I assume

 

[Tawnos]

Can the Rangers add any cap in a trade at this point? Probably not I assume

They have about $1.6m in cap space, but I'd guess they're wanting to keep just about all of that available in case Miller and Barron make the team out of camp. Those guys carry $300k and $850k respectively in bonuses that have to be accounted for. Combine that with their base salaries each being about $200k higher than the player they'd likely push out and that's almost all of that $1.6m.

 

[Savant]

They have about $1.6m in cap space, but I'd guess they're wanting to keep just about all of that available in case Miller and Barron make the team out of camp. Those guys carry $300k and $850k respectively in bonuses that have to be accounted for. Combine that with their base salaries each being about $200k higher than the player they'd likely push out and that's almost all of that $1.6m.

Yeah that is pretty much what I figured. Was playing around with some ideas but anything is dependent on Rangers being able to add 1-1.5 million. Whatever.

 

[RGY]

They have about $1.6m in cap space, but I'd guess they're wanting to keep just about all of that available in case Miller and Barron make the team out of camp. Those guys carry $300k and $850k respectively in bonuses that have to be accounted for. Combine that with their base salaries each being about $200k higher than the player they'd likely push out and that's almost all of that $1.6m.

I think they have a very small amount of wiggle room if they wanted to bring in a veteran on the cheap. Cap Friendly currently has them at 14F and 7D. Theoretically they could start with 12F and 6D for the first couple of weeks to gain some additional cap room prorated each day, no?

 

[Tawnos]

I think they have a very small amount of wiggle room if they wanted to bring in a veteran on the cheap. Cap Friendly currently has them at 14F and 7D. Theoretically they could start with 12F and 6D for the first couple of weeks to gain some additional cap room prorated each day, no?

Yeah, I removed one of those forwards before saying $1.6m though. And I’m not entirely sure how things are going to work with the roster size and the cap, since it sounds like they might have 26 player rosters. In a normal year, you’d be right... but we have to see how that plays out.

 

[Shesterkybomb]

Robertson sent home unfit to play for Canada, Hendrikson unavailable as well.

 

[BBKers]

Can the Rangers add any cap in a trade at this point? Probably not I assume

Using The Cap Friendly numbers the Rangers currently have a 23 man roster.
THE PROJECTED CAP HIT: $76,670,633
PROJECTED LTIR USED: $0
PROJECTED CAP SPACE BEFORE BONUS CUSHIONS : $4,829,367
BONUS CUSHION PENALTY: $3,950,000
AVAILABLE CAP SPACE: $879.367

Rangers can therefore still replace guys like Kevin Rooney ($750.000 cap hit), Colin Blackwell ($725.000 cap hit), Phillip Di Giuseppe ($700.000 cap hit) and Anthony Bitetto ($737.500) with some upgrade options within the above given constraints. They can also choose to take a (minor) bonus penalty /that would be deferred until next year/, if they use the Bonus Cushion Penalty. That would leave $4,829,367 still available (not likely - but still a theoretical option) before the bonus cushion penalties are added.

Trade options are hard to foresee.
The current UFA options are listed on Page 1 of this thread.
Internal options would include:
Morgan Barron ($925.000 cap hit + $850.000 Performance bonuses = $1.775.000 Total)
Vitali Kravtsov ($925.000 cap hit + $850.000 Performance bonuses = $1.775.000 Total) - LIKELY LOANED TO THE KHL FOR THE DURATION OF THEIR SEASON
K'Andre Miller ($925.000 cap hit + $300.000 Performance bonuses = $1.275.000 Total)
Libor Hájek ($833.333 cap hit + $0 Performance bonuses = $833.333 Total)
Tarmo Reunanen ($809.167 cap hit + $132.500 Performance bonuses = $941.667 Total)

Interesting to see how the TAXI SQUAD scenario pans out...

 

[Leetch3]

Interesting to see how the TAXI SQUAD scenario pans out...

one thing that is certain about the taxi squads will be that people are going to lose their minds when guys like barron and miller are sent to hartford if they don't crack the lineup so they can play over just practicing

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

one thing that is certain about the taxi squads will be that people are going to lose their minds when guys like barron and miller are sent to hartford if they don't crack the lineup so they can play over just practicing

My big question is: How do they solve the cap situation with extended rosters? Easiest solution would be to have taxi squad players not count against the cap but what limitations does that bring? Can you join the team for practice? Do they need to be "called up" to play still for cap purposes?

 

[Tawnos]

My big question is: How do they solve the cap situation with extended rosters? Easiest solution would be to have taxi squad players not count against the cap but what limitations does that bring? Can you join the team for practice? Do they need to be "called up" to play still for cap purposes?

what I’ve seen is that the taxi squad players count against the cap as if they’re in the AHL and they get paid their AHL salaries. So, they wouldn't count at all if they’re under $1.075m. Also you’d assume they’d have to be called up for accounting purposes.

But I also saw that they’re talking about 26 man rosters with a 4 man taxi squad, and I don’t know how the additional 3 roster players affect the cap.

 

[RGY]

My big question is: How do they solve the cap situation with extended rosters? Easiest solution would be to have taxi squad players not count against the cap but what limitations does that bring? Can you join the team for practice? Do they need to be "called up" to play still for cap purposes?

I would think you keep those 4 taxi squad players away from the main group in case you have a positive test. Practice separately. But then again if you multiple positive tests, or an outbreak, it wouldn’t matter in that instance.

 

[Tawnos]

I would think you keep those 4 taxi squad players away from the main group in case you have a positive test. Practice separately. But then again if you multiple positive tests, or an outbreak, it wouldn’t matter in that instance.

I think the taxi squad is more about not introducing people into the group from outside. Even though they aren't going to be in a bubble exactly, the team will encounter, directly or indirectly, a fairly static group of people and if you have people coming from somewhere else, that essentially doubles the number of people encountered by the group, even if indirectly.

 

[LiveLongandProspal]

56 games (plus playoffs hopefully) seems to be ideal for the conditioning of our young guys, which we have plenty of. Kakko obviously got tired fast last year. Lafreniere isn't used to an 82 game season. K'Andre, Reunanen...never played 82 games in a season.

So yeah, 56 games looks good.

 

[Avery16]

Spector says that Granlund is hoping to "situate his family" in his next deal. Sounds like a one or two-year is not ideal for him, and therefore we probably aren't a likely destination.

 

[PuckLuck3043]

I read that there may not be any exhibition games and just training camp. By the time the season starts in mid January some teams will not have played any games for 10 months. Thats a long time to not play any competitive games.

 

[Oscar Lindberg]

Spector says that Granlund is hoping to "situate his family" in his next deal. Sounds like a one or two-year is not ideal for him, and therefore we probably aren't a likely destination.

He was never a realistic target anyways

the Rangers were lowballing everyone they made offers to, unless he really wants to play here it wasn’t going to happen

 

[Leetch3]

56 games (plus playoffs hopefully) seems to be ideal for the conditioning of our young guys, which we have plenty of. Kakko obviously got tired fast last year. Lafreniere isn't used to an 82 game season. K'Andre, Reunanen...never played 82 games in a season.

So yeah, 56 games looks good.

miller definitely hasn't and its normally for a rookie out of college to hit a 'wall' around 60 games in so fox probably benefit from the stoppage. but 2 years ago kakko and lafreniere played close to 80 games between regular season, playoffs and international

 

[East Coast Bias]

Spector says that Granlund is hoping to "situate his family" in his next deal. Sounds like a one or two-year is not ideal for him, and therefore we probably aren't a likely destination.

Seems like a rough market to try and land a long term deal right now. I'm sure he will get more than the Rangers would ever off though

 

[Profet]

Take this and swap PIT and CAR and you are set imo. Would be perfect. You get to keep the organic Crosby v. East Coast battles. CAR can get in some turf wars with NSH and SE teams.

Pittsburgh/Columbus is an important geographic and fan rivalry that the league should foster. Splitting these two up would be a bad move.

 

[TominNC]

I was looking more at the picture for the entire division than individual teams. If you look at it from city center to city center, the US Central Division as laid out gets to ~132,000 miles in total travel (each team traveling to opposing cities 4 times). If you swap out Pittsburgh and add Carolina, that bumps the total travel up to ~134,000 miles. Of course, halve those totals if they're playing 2 game sets each time they travel. I think you underestimate how much further Raleigh is from cities in the midwest and how that impacts things. While Pittsburgh to Sunrise (not Miami) is 300 miles longer than from Raleigh, Pittsburgh to Detroit is 300 miles closer than from Raleigh. Just comparing the two proposed Central divisions, anything you gain by having Carolina go to Florida is lost and then some by not having Pittsburgh go to the midwest.

Now, swapping in Pittsburgh and removing Carolina from the US Eastern Division does reduce the travel within that division. Fairly significantly, from ~57,000 all the way down ~50,000. So I was wrong that the total travel across all divisions was as low as it could be. I would guess that the preference was given towards reducing the travel in the Central simply because travel in the East is already WAY less than anywhere else.

The most equitable way to handle it would actually have been to put TBL/FLA in the East and BOS/BUF in the Central. That way you end up with a 114k/99k split. The problem with that, in the time of Covid, is that you're talking about more total travel... and that's something they want to avoid. I also have a suspicion that they gave Boston a favorable travel schedule to mollify Jeremy Jacobs, who is one of those owners that probably doesn't even want to have a season.

I live in North Carolina. I'm fully aware of how far cities are from me. And I grew up in New Jersey, so I've got those distances down too. Milege is not the reason to switch Pittsburgh and Raleigh. I'm not sure rivalries are either.