Are you sure enough about it to gamble that we lose Laf to an offer sheet? Most of the serious money we have on the roster has NMC/NTC clauses attached. I'll breathe easier and worry less about things like this once Laf is signed to his 2nd contract. From the day that ping pong ball came up, you know that Montreal was eyeballing summer 2023.
And this is the Rangers. You know the second we stop planning for such things is the second that Laf/Nils/Miller/Barron and Schneider ALL hit their bonuses, haha.
Edited to ask--assuming the bonuses all hit (hypothetical), can the team split the hit between next year's cap and rolling over to the following year, or does it have to be one or the other?
The way I see it, Blais with his injury this year doesn’t get too big of a raise.
His hit is likely 2 mill or under.
I’m not too worried about a LaF offer sheet. MTL can play their games with the canes, but I don’t see any team offer sheeting any ranger players while Sather still has some type of Job with the rangers top brass, even if he’s mostly a figure head.
They would have to get LaF to sign it first off, even though he’s from MTL, I doubt he’ll want to leave the team that drafted him 1OA to rush into another rebuild just when it seems we’re turning the corner a bit to a winning culture here.
The habs media would eat him alive if he cost them multiple 1sts and wasn’t the savior almost immediately. Whether he’s from there or not.
I think we’ll try to resign Rooney. He’s played very well. But I think he’s a goner as well. He’s going to want either too much of a cap hit or too long of a term.
Fast was important and beloved as well, but if they wouldn’t bend on an extra year for him on a cheaper deal when he was younger, I doubt they’ll do it for Rooney even though he’s a center.
There will be more then a few adequate vet 4Th Centers available in FA in the 750k to 1.5 mill range. Good player, but if he wants too much they will have no hesitation to try and find a cheaper, maybe younger replacement.
I pretty much agree with everything else in the rest of your assessment.
I think Geo is gone by years end, without question.
And Barron will 100% be a full time player by the end of next camp.
As far as other moves, they really might try a Jones-Schneider 3rd pair to start next year. They may try to move Nemeth of keep him as insurance.
Main trade ammo is
Chytil. Signed 2.3 for 1 year. They aren’t giving him a raise to stay a 3C here.
I don’t think we’re going to see a big leap in consistent production this season, and they aren’t waiting for him to be 25-26 to see if he can put it all together. Especially if they try to keep strome somehow.
Lundkvist- where does he fit? What’s his role? He won’t be able to take Trouba’s top 4 min by next year. Miller-Lundkvist or Jones-Lundkvist D pairings would get pretty abused physically.
Fox is blocking ever spot where we would deploy him to maximize his best assets of his game here.
Schneider and Jones will both likely be ready by the end of next camp and could start the year as 3rd pair together. Both could have made the team this season if we weren’t so deep at D.
kravtsov- he’ll likely be added to a package trade to enhance any return. Glad he’s playing well, but I don’t see any possible way he suits up for NYR ever again. Being a known flight risk has diminished his 1 for 1 value, but many teams would still like to add him. Just not paying a high return as the main piece.
2. 2nds- self explanatory. Our 1st is likely in play for the right guy as well, but I think Drury would rather hold on to it.
1 of Berard/ Othmann/Cuyelle/ Robertson
Doubtful we want to give up any of them, but I’m sure teams will be asking with the last 2 years they’ve all developed up to this point. One may be added to the package, but likely only for the right player.
beyond that, everyone else is either staying, or will be moved down the line when they have less years, clauses change, internal replacements are ready, etc.
I highly doubt Schneider will be made available, he’s likely seen as a future core cheap cornerstone piece that will eventually allow them to trade Trouba a little early down the line. I’m sure teams will ask, but imo you can add him in with
Shesty/Kakko/LaF/Fox/panarin/Zibby etc as players who are going to be here for at least the next 5-6 years no question.
Some from need, some contractually, all have above average talent. LaF/kakko should keep progressing to elite talents in time like panarin/Fox/and shesty are already
