eco's bones
Registered User
I also think last season was mostly an outlier. The Rangers will have depth down the middle which is a nice advantage. Panarin, Lafreniere and Cuylle are locks top-6 wingers. Their bottom lines are solid too. Defense is missing at least one quality LD and a structure. There will be something for Sally to work with.
If Panarin isn't moved. Personally I think I'd take Artemi into next season and see how he and the team rebounds and then decide either a new shorter term contract or move him then. The alternative to that is what you might acquire for him over the summer that could fit into the a top 6 wing position or might be something like trying to get Marner, Boeser or Ehlers in free agency. There's really not a lot that interesting as top 6 wingers after them. I liked Sam Bennett but I see him more as a middle 6 guy and these last few playoffs of his he's been walking---sometimes crossing over the edge into dirty. Really when I look at the things that Rempe has been suspended or taken to task for---apart from the elbow to Siegenthaler it's mostly from being too big and not really deliberately trying to injure stuff---and it's hard not to look at that elbow to Stolarz or the sucker punch to Marchand as anything but deliberate.