Speculation: Roster Building Thread LXXXIV: 2021: “The Fun has begun” or “Over & done”?

[Pawnee Rangers]

Well, here are the numbers. With Eichel on the roster, you have $59m committed and $22m available to spend with no real pressing needs due to the youth that keeps coming up. Presume for a minute that the roster remains untouched - you have that much money to re-sign Buchnevich, Chytil, Gauthier, Howden, DiGiuseppe, Brendan Smith, Jack Johnson, Ryan Lindgren, Libor Hajek, and Igor Shesterkin. This cap space is counting DeAngelo - if his contract is terminated, that cap space becomes $26m+ instead.

I would also presume at least one of those names is out the door in the trade - either Buch or Chytil or both. For simplicity, let's assume Buch and Chytil both go in the trade, Strome stays to play 3C, and Kravtsov is called up to fill the RW roster spot (whether or not he can do this as well as Buch does is obviously up for debate and discovery).

So $26m. I'll keep running totals in parentheses.

Gauthier, Howden, DiGiuseppe, and Hajek get not much more than the minimum (~$4m). So does Kravtsov on an ELC (now at ~$5m). Smith and Jack Johnson both depart (hopefully). This leaves you at $22m or so with the need to re-sign Lindgren and Shesterkin to sizeable deals, plus fill in the margins with cheap replacements for Smith, Johnson, etc. I think you can actually use the flat cap in this situation to skip bridge deals for Lindgren and Shesterkin and sign them to very reasonable long term deals. Maybe $4m for Lindgren and $5m for Shesterkin. (We are now at about $12m in space).

Roster (lines are just throw together to get names down, not actually proposed as ideal lines):

Panarin - Zibanejad - Kakko
Lafreniere - Eichel - Kravtsov
Kreider - Strome - Gauthier
Lemieux - Howden - Blackwell
X: Rooney, PDG

Lindgren - Fox
Miller - Trouba
Hajek - _____ (? Reunanen? Bring up Robertson? Schneider? I'm presuming Lundkvist dealt for Eichel or that is his spot).
x: cheap 7th D

So this all works for 21-22 with ample space remaining (~$10m or so).

---------------

Moving on to 22-23:

Zibanejad, Strome, Lemieux, Kakko, Rooney, Blackwell, Fox and Georgiev have contracts expire. This frees up about $16m in space, plus the $10m we carried over from last season, for a total of about $26m.

Georgiev can be traded or allowed to walk. A cheap backup option is in the cards as Shesterkin has embedded himself as the starter on a long term deal most likely (~$25m left). Strome is probably also either traded or allowed to depart and another mid-tier 3C acquired somehow (let's say he commands a similar ~$5m salary). (~$20m left).

The big names to re-sign here will be Zibanejad, Fox, and Kakko, and there is $20m to play with. Zibanehad is probably not going to top $10m given this season unless he truly explodes next season. Kakko similarly given slow production his first two years is not going to command a megadeal.

Fox probably will get a sizeable deal. If you can get him on a solid long term contract, great, because that deal will soon start to look amazing as the cap explodes the following year. But I think it's entirely reasonable to suspect Zibanejad may be more along the lines of $7m-$8m, Kakko more like $4m. Can you get Fox locked up long term for $8m? Probably, if not less. If no, then you can bridge him and put off that fight to another day.

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Too many variable to keep this exercise going, but the point is, things are not desperate. The following season, the cap begins to rise, with only Miller and Lafreniere as your big ticket re-signings.

I'm just not that worried. It's all doable.

I'm not saying what you've proposed isn't feasible but it seems like this is an ideal, no bumps in the road, scenario that doesn't take a whole host of variable into account - injuries, players not working out, whatever. I still think that signing Eichel hamstrings this teams flexbility and leaves them incredibly weak at the center and probably wing positions. Yes, money comes off the books but you're going to have to sign these players replacements. And then it's back to a top heavy team with no discernable 3rd or 4th line. I have no interest in that. I also have no interest in a center depth consisting of Eichel, Strome, xxx, Howden. Personally, I don't trade for him. I keep what I have and if they decide to part ways with Zib next season, they have plenty of money and personal to go out and get his replacement. Or they keep him. That's a better scenario than Eichel and nothing else at the position.

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

I have no prolem with us walking away from the trade talks if the return turns out to be too much. Let other teams overpay.

There are other centers to pursue.

Kakko + 1st (probably a top 10 pick) and maybe another sweetener , I would do it. Keep Chytil. See what Zib can get you in a deal or just let him walk after next season. Roll Eichel - Chytil as your 1+2 going forward.

 

[mas0764]

Unless I am forgetting history, I have yet to see such a tripling of tv revenue from year to year.

It's not based on year to year, it's based on a projected massive increase in the new TV deals. Not from my own speculation.

 

[DanielBrassard]

Kakko + 1st (probably a top 10 pick) and maybe another sweetener , I would do it. Keep Chytil. See what Zib can get you in a deal or just let him walk after next season. Roll Eichel - Chytil as your 1+2 going forward.

I agree with this, and with the Rangers lack of organizational depth at center combined with Strome and Zibanejad not being long-term fits with the team, trading Chytil is something we need to avoid even if it means trading Kakko.

 

[pld459666]

I stand by this and this is in direct relation to Eichel.

If you have to make additional (and significant) trades to accommodate the deal to bring in Eichel, then you shouldn't be making the trade to bring in Eichel.

Moving Chytil, Buch, Lundkvist and a 1st for Eichel means that you then have to move Mika to back fill the spot vacated by the loss of Chytil because there's no way that Jack and Mika can co-exist on the same team beyond this year and next.

We also then have to add a top line RW. Yes, we hope that Kakko becomes that, but thus far production wise, he's FAR from that right now. Barely a 3rd line RW from a production POV. Yeah, yeah, yeah, the production will come......hopefully.

Shift Strome to RW, now we are short 2nd and 3rd line centers to accommodate Eichel.

I like the player, this season's conduct notwithstanding, but if we can deal from a position of strength (wing and prospect depth on D) then we should stand pat and address this issue in summer 2022

 

[aufheben]

Where was all the lottery crying when Pittsburgh grabbed Malkin, Crosby, Fleury, J. Staal 4 years in a row?

Wasn't Crosby the only lottery pick? Penguins were hysterically bad back then, lol.

 

[Vitto79]

Can’t wait for the Kinkaid shutout so all the trade Georgiev fans come out lol

gotta remember they would need a signed G for next year coming back for expansion exposure

 

[SRHRangers]

Wasn't Crosby the only lottery pick? Penguins were hysterically bad back then, lol.

All I know is that they picked 1,2,1,2 on four consecutive years lol

 

[RGY]

Is Kreider going the other way?

DeBrusk is a top 6 LW. We already have 3 bonifieds.

Fwiw, I advocated heavy for Debrusk before the Kreider extension. I like his game too. But that ship sailed with the extension and drafting of Laf.

Why wouldnt he play on the 3rd line?

Or have Kreider flip to the right side.

We are trying to get bigger and more physical. DeBrusk is strong on the boards. He battles. Would be a good add. But dont know what we would have that Boston would trade him for.

 

[Edge]

Alright let me light the world on fire a little bit.

What would you all give up for Larkin, if Yzerman was at least open to taking your call?

 

[IDvsEGO]

Alright let me light the world on fire a little bit.

What would you all give up for Larkin, if Yzerman was at least open to taking your call?

Im not really a good judge of value in something like this, but easily A prospect, first and a second.

 

[LaffyTaffy]

Alright let me light the world on fire a little bit.

What would you all give up for Larkin, if Yzerman was at least open to taking your call?

I’ve a feeling you know what the ask would be so why dont we skip the activity that we both know ends with 40 wasted pages and some angry individuals

 

[Profet]

Alright let me light the world on fire a little bit.

What would you all give up for Larkin, if Yzerman was at least open to taking your call?

Depends, is Gorton still our GM?

Past results have me thinking Gorton negotiating with Yzerman is a losing proposition.

 

[haveandare]

Alright let me light the world on fire a little bit.

What would you all give up for Larkin, if Yzerman was at least open to taking your call?

Mika, defenseman prospect of their choice that isn’t Miller OR their choice of Buch or Kravstov, this years 1st would be my top out.

 

[Edge]

I’ve a feeling you know what the ask would be so why dont we skip the activity that we both know ends with 40 wasted pages and some angry individuals

I do not. I only know what I'd potentially offer.

Curious to hear the thoughts of others.

 

[Oscar Lindberg]

Larkin is 2 1/2 years from UFA so not interested unless the price is low-ish

Unless of course the team is going to cash their chips and try to win in the next two years before everyone gets expensive (I would not agree with that)

 

[SRHRangers]

Alright let me light the world on fire a little bit.

What would you all give up for Larkin, if Yzerman was at least open to taking your call?

I'd be shocked if Y let Larkin be available after he was named the C.

Fox, Kakko, LaF off the table and the rest in play.

I prolly give up Kravtsov, Robertson, 1st

 

[LOFIN]

Can’t wait for the Kinkaid shutout so all the trade Georgiev fans come out lol

gotta remember they would need a signed G for next year coming back for expansion exposure

Obviously I hope Kinkaid does well and the Rangers win, but I have been following this Rangers board after Kakko and the amount of stick the goalies get here is something else. And I'm not defending Georgiev, he had two bad games recently, but some of the stuff written here... lol.

And it was the same with Hank last year. The buyout was mainly controversial because people wanted him to retire as a Ranger (obviously), while some were fine to just move on now. There was maybe a 5% crowd who were saying Hank should be back because of his level of play, 95% people thought he was done. And now how the tide has turned lol.

 

[duhmetreE]

Alright let me light the world on fire a little bit.

What would you all give up for Larkin, if Yzerman was at least open to taking your call?

Strome, Kravtsov/Lundkvist and/or pick

Stevie Y going full tankmode for Shane Wright.... everything lining up... new rules in place and having an AHL team

 

[aufheben]

All I know is that they picked 1,2,1,2 on four consecutive years lol

Like I said, hysterically bad, lol.

 

[LaffyTaffy]

I do not. I only know what I'd potentially offer.

Curious to hear the thoughts of others.

I have no idea what his value is. But our 1st rounder and Zac Jones/Robertson are definitely on the table.

 

[Ola]

He had 3 points in 3 games against the Rangers including 2 goals, a 28% shot percentage and a 57% faceoff percentage this season. I think it's ridiculous to not be concerned when he's on the ice and just his faceoff wins help the team without analyzing anything else. And it's also ridiculous to expect him to turn guys like Victor Oloffson into studs. That's why the bashing is ludicrous, it's getting to the point that narratives are being invented to reduce this guy from where he actually is talent wise.

Olofsson isn’t a bad player. Now he got Taylor Hall too. Why is Eichel good? Because of his stats? That is what everyone said about Brad Richards too. Beaver was just like Eichel far from a complete player.

You should be worried when Eichel got the puck in the attacking zone with open ice. No denying that.

But someone like Aho can really leave a mark against us on a shift by shift basis. Eichel don’t. If you play a solid game against Eichel he will get some chances on the PP and maybe some odd chance here and there — but you will comfortably carry the play and control the game.

You are fooled by his stats. It is possible to score a lot of pts in this league with a go too role, top PP minutes. The thing is, winning in this league takes something else than scoring during the regular season. There are players that can score during the regular season that just won’t get the puck if they face better teams in the POs.

 

[Ola]

Also, let’s cut the talk about anyone “bashing” Eichel.

His cap hit is 10,000,000 USD for the coming 6 years.

You can be against getting someone with a 10,000,000 USD cap hit without bashing the player. The cap will be flat for the coming two years. That is a — tremendous — commitment. If Eichel was a UFA, I would definitely be against giving him 10m per. For the same reason I am definitely against trading for him.

If Buffalo was willing to retain say 3m, it’s a different situation. Then I would be willing to bring up like Chytil and the likes.

But I just don’t think Eichel is a 10m player.

 

[duhmetreE]

Alright let me light the world on fire a little bit.

What would you all give up for Larkin, if Yzerman was at least open to taking your call?

He'd have to take Salary back so it'd be Strome or Buch. Strome is the obvious choice.

I think Larkin has great potential and is in a spot where Zibs was a few years ago... A change of scenery and he can take it up a few more levels. Has crazy potential with our wingers

2019 Zibs
Larkin
Chytil

is a really nice top9. I wouldn't see how we could keep Buch and/or Zibs. Its one or the other, ( or possibly none ) I'm still really hesitant on Zibs... it all depends on his contract terms.

Trade for Larkin.
Keep Zibs? or trade him for a kid like Krebs?
Sign Chtyil for 5 years

 

[RGY]

@Edge are you hinting at something here with the requested Larkin proposals? Gorton and Stevie Y have made a couple deals over the last few years. Is there smoke here?

I hate dealing with Stevie Y....