Rumor: Zuccarello Close to Signing 2 or 3 Year Contract

[Ola]

First of all per Cap Geek there is $11,255,853 of Cap Space on 7/7/13. Add the $1,900,000 when Powe and Asham are buried in the minors, and that's $13,155,853. Plus another $600,000 when Aaron Johnson is buried in the minors and that's $13,755,853.00. Per Brooksie, McD will get 4.5-5M per. Split it and its 4.75M Step will get between 3.5-4M. Split it and its 3.75. Hags will get 2.5-3M which I don't believe but will budget 2.75M. That's 12.25M. That leaves approx. 1.5M to get Zucc in. Kinda tight. Leaves little wiggle space unless Sather jettisons some off the team. Someone else has to go.

It's a bit thight.

It can go both ways, if we get alot of 2-3 week injuries we would go over the cap. If people are healthy, a top 18 solidify itself, we can go with a 20 roster for home games, bring up reserves for road trips etc and save up some space.

 

[Tawnos]

We go through this every year with people freaking out over RFA's and offer sheets and so far no one has signed an offer sheet

Also that bit about Zucarello and Pouliot sounds more like Brooks speculation than anything else. Perhaps the organization does see Pouliot as potentially more than a bottom line guy and that could create some competition in the lineup, but doens't mean Zucc is on the way out either

It doesn't really make sense, either. If Pouliot and Zuccarello are competing for the same spot in the lineup, why does that automatically mean that Pouliot will be in the lineup and Zuccarello won't? If that's who he has to compete with, that's who he has to compete with.

If that speculation is coming from Zuccarello, or Zuccarello's agent, then I don't want him on the team anyway. He isn't one of the Rangers who should be guaranteed a roster spot. Pouliot certainly isn't. If it's just Brooks speculating without basis, well, I'm unsurprised by that anyway.

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

It doesn't really make sense, either. If Pouliot and Zuccarello are competing for the same spot in the lineup, why does that automatically mean that Pouliot will be in the lineup and Zuccarello won't? If that's who he has to compete with, that's who he has to compete with.

If that speculation is coming from Zuccarello, or Zuccarello's agent, then I don't want him on the team anyway. He isn't one of the Rangers who should be guaranteed a roster spot. Pouliot certainly isn't. If it's just Brooks speculating without basis, well, I'm unsurprised by that anyway.

Yea looks to be just speculation, although not baseless. Id imagine the Rangers feel they can move Pouliot around the lineup a bit more. Is Zuccarello valuable to this team is hes not in the top 6/not producing like a bottom tier top 6 forward?

 

[Tawnos]

Yea looks to be just speculation, although not baseless. Id imagine the Rangers feel they can move Pouliot around the lineup a bit more. Is Zuccarello valuable to this team is hes not in the top 6/not producing like a bottom tier top 6 forward?

Zuccarello wouldn't be valuable on the 4th line. But, given that this team is setting up like a top-9/bottom-3 group, in terms of playing style, I'm not sure your question is really that meaningful. If Zuccarello puts up 35-40 points from the 3rd line RW spot, while getting significant PP time, he's very valuable to this team. I agree that Pouliot might be somewhat more versatile, if only because of his size.

 

[Green Blob*]

Uh he better be signed....

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

Zuccarello wouldn't be valuable on the 4th line. But, given that this team is setting up like a top-9/bottom-3 group, in terms of playing style, I'm not sure your question is really that meaningful. If Zuccarello puts up 35-40 points from the 3rd line RW spot, while getting significant PP time, he's very valuable to this team. I agree that Pouliot might be somewhat more versatile, if only because of his size.

We'll see if that "3 offensive lines" stuff comes to fruition when AV is confronted with these roster deficiencies.

But beyond that, I think the Zuccarello decision comes down to flexibility. Do the Rangers want that extra $1M+ in cap space in case something comes along?

 

[LetterJ]

Zuccarello's QO is 735k. IIRC, the Rangers have QO'ed all of our RFA's, except Niemi. I don't see Zucc being a problem (if the brass has decided to have him back) given he had 8 points in 15 games

 

[LaffyTaffyNYR]

We'll see if that "3 offensive lines" stuff comes to fruition when AV is confronted with these roster deficiencies.

But beyond that, I think the Zuccarello decision comes down to flexibility. Do the Rangers want that extra $1M+ in cap space in case something comes along?

roster deficiency or not, the Rangers will score more goals with pretty much the same team under AV than we did with Torts simply because its not going to be a defense only system.

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

roster deficiency or not, the Rangers will score more goals with pretty much the same team under AV than we did with Torts simply because its not going to be a defense only system.

OK, we'll see.

 

[TheTakedown]

roster deficiency or not, the Rangers will score more goals with pretty much the same team under AV than we did with Torts simply because its not going to be a defense only system.

absolutely true. We have a stellar coaching staff, and for the most part, the same talent as 11-12/12-13. How that talent is used is what will be the difference maker here

Every hockey fan I talk to (devils fans included) insist the rangers do actually have the talent. it's just not utilized. You can see this in most of last seasons play. Certain guys good at certain hings, but the level of utilization on a per player basis is so low that it looks like a blob of crap on the ice

 

[eco's bones]

Somehow I don't see the Rangers giving Hagelin a $2.5-3 mil per year average contract. He's a good player but he was a little off from his first year. The Rangers didn't play to his strengths very well and his numbers suffered for it. IMO--they should have been higher but how many times did we see that length of the ice pass play that he specialized in his first year?---not very much this time around. If I were to guess he'll come in around $1.8 mil for either one or two years. McD and Stepan they'd be wise to lock up for a while. They'll make a lot more and it's hard to argue when the one is pretty much your best defenseman and the other your best center. Zucc I'm thinking will be making somewhat in the neighborhood of what Hagelin gets--maybe a little less.

 

[TheTakedown]

It's a bit thight.

It can go both ways, if we get alot of 2-3 week injuries we would go over the cap. If people are healthy, a top 18 solidify itself, we can go with a 20 roster for home games, bring up reserves for road trips etc and save up some space.

As per brooks:

Larry Brooks ‏@NYP_Brooksie 5 Jul
NYR have approx $11.1M to sign McDonagh, Stepan, Hagelin, Zuccarello, Falk. Another $6.43M over summer, but tight roster squeeze if no trade

That is tight, indeed.

That total is $17.53M... I have a feeling Sather is going to get cheap, but hand out very long contracts to avoid the higher cap hits. That could bite us in the but in a few years.

Assuming McD gets 4.5M, Step gets 4M, Hags gets 2M, Zucc gets 1M, Falk gets 1.5M (ballparking on this one), that still leaves us 5M under the cap

 

[LaffyTaffyNYR]

absolutely true. We have a stellar coaching staff, and for the most part, the same talent as 11-12/12-13. How that talent is used is what will be the difference maker here

Every hockey fan I talk to (devils fans included) insist the rangers do actually have the talent. it's just not utilized. You can see this in most of last seasons play. Certain guys good at certain hings, but the level of utilization on a per player basis is so low that it looks like a blob of crap on the ice

last year, Torts did not use the talent the way he should have. We did not have the same grinding/forechecking team we did in 11/12 which is why it did not work. We had more talent last year and he still insisted on playing the same way he coached in 11/12.

 

[LaffyTaffyNYR]

As per brooks:



That is tight, indeed

I wouldn't go over Falk's QO for him, just my opinion. Eminger did it the last couple years for 750K. The big ones are Stepan and Mcdonagh and Hagelin honestly. The other 2 we could live without.

 

[TheTakedown]

last year, Torts did not use the talent the way he should have. We did not have the same grinding/forechecking team we did in 11/12 which is why it did not work. We had more talent last year and he still insisted on playing the same way he coached in 11/12.

Yeah, exactly.

I'm not saying we're going to be the 1st place Canucks right out of the gate, but I can see us landing 5th or 6th given that we play with the talent we have.

But again, too early for this type of discussion

 

[I Am Chariot]

I wouldn't go over Falk's QO for him, just my opinion. Eminger did it the last couple years for 750K. The big ones are Stepan and Mcdonagh and Hagelin honestly. The other 2 we could live without.

Gotta sign Steps and McD..... Love Hags but I see Sather eating thrifty there....maybe risk the OS

 

[Boruto]

Signing Step and McD as well as Hags is an automatic. Unless we are reamed by 29 offer sheets and Step and McD both sign, signing the Wisconsin boys aren't going to be a problem. The length of the contract is 5-8 for McD, 2-3, maybe 4 for Step, 2, maybe 3 for Hags. The $ amount isn't going to deviate by more than $250K from what has been said either. The win-lose is on whether we are able to retain the players that we want outside of these three. If Slats wants Zucc for depth and god knows we need help on the 3rd line in order to form a top-9/bottom-3, then that's sort of the focus of it all, as Brooks has been yapping about for the weekend.

Zucc and Falk add depth and that's apparently the key to this off season so if we end up retaining only McStepline and at the cost of extra depth, it's a lose in my books.

 

[Tawnos]

That total is $17.53M... I have a feeling Sather is going to get cheap, but hand out very long contracts to avoid the higher cap hits. That could bite us in the but in a few years.

Assuming McD gets 4.5M, Step gets 4M, Hags gets 2M, Zucc gets 1M, Falk gets 1.5M (ballparking on this one), that still leaves us 5M under the cap

Brooks' numbers are inaccurate. For example, Bickel counts against the cap 100% in the summer.

That being said, for the bolded point... when talking about RFAs, the longer term the contract, the higher the Cap hit, not lower. That's because you're taking up the more lucrative years of the player's career. If you want to go cheap on RFAs coming off of their ELCs, you offer them 2 years.

 

[LaffyTaffyNYR]

Gotta sign Steps and McD..... Love Hags but I see Sather eating thrifty there....maybe risk the OS

step, mcd, and hags are essential IMO

 

[TheTakedown]

realistically, I don't see Sather missing these signings. It'll happen

 

[Kwayry]

For cap purposes, signed roster players include Henrik Lundqvist and Martin Biron in goal; Dan Girardi, Marc Staal, Anton Stralman, Michael Del Zotto, John Moore and Johnson on defense; Brad Richards, Derick Brassard, Boyle and Dominic Moore at center; and Nash, Callahan, Kreider, Taylor Pyatt, Derek Dorsett and Miller on the wing.
Those players — plus approximately $217,000 that will be the combined cap hit of Darroll Powe and Arron Asham if they start the season with AHL Hartford — account for approximately $52 million, with only base salaries for entry level players counting toward the cap.

That leaves approximately $12 million to sign Ryan McDonagh, who will get between $4.5 million and $5 million if the number isn’t driven up by an offer sheet; Derek Stepan, likely to command between $3.5 million and $4 million without an offer sheet; Hagelin, probably in the $2.5 million-to-$3 million neighborhood; and Justin Falk, in for close to his qualifying offer of $866,250.

There’s your $12 million, or close enough to it. And that’s without a penny for Zuccarello, who probably is in the $1.3 million range — the amount the Blueshirts committed to Pouliot.

Brooks's got it all wrong, Pouillot makes Pyatt expandable, not Zuke.
I have been railing about needing more size, but this is a no contest.
Pyatt's 1.3M caphit can be jettisoned.
Between Zuke and Pyatt, I choose Zuke everytime.

 

[LaffyTaffyNYR]

Brooks's got it all wrong, Pouillot makes Pyatt expandable, not Zuke.
I have been railing about needing more size, but this is a no contest.
Pyatt's 1.3M caphit can be jettisoned.
Between Zuke and Pyatt, I choose Zuke everytime.

agreed but the difference is Pyatt is signed, Zucc is not. can they find someone to take Pyatt?

 

[NickyFotiu]

Doesnt make sense not to keep Zooks. I heard that the Canucks PP was pretty bad. We need creative players never mind guys that can score in the shootout. Zooks had 15 points in 27 games last season including playoffs.

 

[SKS]

Doesnt make sense not to keep Zooks. I heard that the Canucks PP was pretty bad. We need creative players never mind guys that can score in the shootout. Zooks had 15 points in 27 games last season including playoffs.

And the guy has yet to play a full season. He will get better, just look at the improvement he has shown season to season.

 

[Kwayry]

agreed but the difference is Pyatt is signed, Zucc is not. can they find someone to take Pyatt?

Pyatt has + value and has only 1 year left on that 1.55 cap hit. I'd take a 4th/5th rd pick and/or B prospect.