Marc Staal is an important piece to the Rangers future cap situation.
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A week into July, the Rangers find themselves with a few players left to re-sign. Key restricted free agents Derick Brassard, Chris Kreider and Mats Zuccarello have all elected to go to salary arbitration. In doing so, it guarantees that each will be signed in time for training camp. At the very least, they won’t have to worry about any holdouts such as Derek Stepan’s last year before finally agreeing to a bridge deal that pays him another $3.075 million this season.

The likely candidate to get squeezed by Glen Sather is John Moore. Coming off a season in which he made $810,000 with the Rangers charged $965,000 completing his rookie contract, the 23-year old defenseman finished his third season establishing career highs in games (74), goals (4), assists (11) and points (15). He played on the third pair teaming with Kevin Klein, who came over for Michael Del Zotto. Moore made strides defensively but is still a work in progress. He was okay in the postseason registering two assists in 21 games. Alain Vigneault scratched him once in favor of Raphael Diaz and Diaz subbed for a suspended Moore in Game 7 of the Conference Final and Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.

Currently, the Rangers are approximately at $55 million according to capgeek.com. However, they’re counting depth additions Chris Mueller and Matt Hunwick with both likely ticketed for Hartford. Each is earning $600,000. So figure another $1.2 million saved. Assuming Jesper Fast makes the team, that’s $805,000. That gives Sather $15 million to work with. Most of it will go towards Brassard, Kreider and Zuccarello, who all figure to do well. Still, arbitration is tedious and Sather has always been a tough bargainer. You never can predict. Maybe something gets worked out between the agents of the players and Slats.

Sather would like to fit one more forward in. Whether it’s a bargain basement center (Carter, S. Koivu, Loktionov, Ribeiro) or a depth forward (Booth, Morrow, Penner, Setoguchi, Winnik), the Rangers can use another player capable of playing in the top nine to help offset the departures of Brad Richards and Benoit Pouliot. Assuming Slats waits it out, he should be able to get someone on the cheap. In house, prospects Fast, Oscar Lindberg and J.T. Miller have the inside track on spots while Ryan Bourque and Ryan Haggerty could also be in play. Once Brassard, Kreider and Zuccarello are done, here’s what you got:

Kreider-Stepan-Nash

Hagelin-Brassard-Zuccarello

???-???-St. Louis

Glass-Moore-Fast

It’s easy to conclude that someone must be added. I threw out some choices above. For now, I penciled in Fast. Of course, there’s no guarantee he makes it. Figure a combination of him, Miller, Lindberg and maybe Bourque are options. I have no idea about Mueller. At 28, he’s spent parts of four seasons with Nashville and Dallas totaling eight points in 46 games. His best output came with the Predators notching two goals and three assists over 18 contests in ’12-13. In ’13-14, he spent most of the year in Texas with the Stars’ AHL affiliate tallying 25 goals, 32 assists and 57 points in 60 games. Fifteen of his 25 markers came on the power play. In nine games with Dallas, he had no points, eight shots and 11 hits.

If they learned anything, having four lines is important. Look what the trio of Moore, Brian Boyle and Derek Dorsett were able to do. You can’t go into 2014-15 with Moore as your number three center. As versatile as he is, Dom’s best suited for that fourth line checking and penalty killing role. Since Tanner Glass is getting $1.45 million, you may as well stick him with Moore. Even if I hate the signing, he’s here because Vigneault is familiar with him from his stint in Vancouver.

Unless Sather is setting up for a trade, maybe this is the year they finally give kids a shot. Sink or swim with Miller instead of beating around the bush. Though if you read between the lines, Vigneault wasn’t thrilled with his maturity. At 21, the former 2011 first round pick possesses size and strength which should be pluses under AV’s system. At 6-1, 205, he is a capable forechecker who’s not afraid to go to the net. In Year 1, Vigneault preached the net presence of Kreider, who developed into a physical left wing who played with edge. Perhaps Miller can be that guy next season.

Some local bloggers have extolled the virtues of Lindberg, who had a good first pro season with Hartford placing second in scoring with 44 points (18-26-44) in 75 contests. The 22-year old former Coyotes’ second round pick might be ready. We’ll get a better idea in September. The same goes for Bourque, who could become a fixture on the fourth line. He scored 21 goals and 16 assists for 37 points with a plus-16 rating in 74 games. Listed at 5-9, 178, the son of Ray Bourque is undersized but a diligent worker. Older brother Chris signed with the Rangers after splitting last year in the KHL and Switzerland.

Organizational depth is something they addressed by also bringing in Nick Tarnasky, Steve Kampfer and Cedric Desjardins for Hartford. It’s nice to have experienced players for development. The Wolf Pack missed the playoffs. More success can help.

As for team defense, Dan Boyle replaces Anton Stralman. Of course, the veteran is a different player who will contribute more offensively where he’ll be asked to quarterback the power play. The Rangers lose defensively in search for more offense from the blueline. That can prove beneficial helping out Ryan McDonagh. John Moore is capable of contributing. A superb skater with offensive instincts, he boasts a good shot. It’s just about harnessing it.

There’s no way Dan Girardi should see power play duty. Let him focus solely on 5-on-5 and penalty kill. Marc Staal isn’t a good option either but must produce better than 14 points in the season and five in the playoffs. He enters the final year of his contract earning $3.975 million. A defensive defenseman, the 27-year old former ’05 first round pick has been a fixture in our top four. He’s battled serious injuries and is one of the team leaders as an alternate captain. After returning from a concussion, he settled back in teaming with Stralman on the team’s second shutdown tandem. His best play came against the Pens during the second round. He struggled against Montreal and Los Angeles.

For Sather, the Staal dilemma remains. A year away from unrestricted free agency, he’s a valuable player who could command at least $6 million if he hits the open market. The Rangers must decide if he’s worth keeping. I’ve always been mixed on him. Part of me feels he’s too important a piece. A key part of the core, he’s extremely popular and a good teammate. Offensively, I’d love to see more but wonder if we’ve already gotten the best of him. Committing long-term will only further damage their cap. However, with Brady Skjei hinting at returning to Minnesota for one more year, the options are limited. One thing Slats wants to do is decide on Staal. Either re-sign or trade him. There’s no in between.

Currently, the Rangers’ top four are McDonagh, Girardi, Staal and Boyle. Once Moore re-ups, he and Klein are numbers five and six. Mike Kostka is the extra. Keep an eye on Conor Allen and Dylan McIlrath. Hopefully, we get to see one eventually. I like what I saw from Allen in his brief stint. McIlrath got into two games as an emergency recall and had his first fight.

McDonagh-Girardi

Staal-Boyle

Moore-Klein

In goal, there’s no reason to worry. As long as they have Henrik Lundqvist, they’re fine. Even in a down season, King Henrik recovered from a poor first half and carried the team to its first Cup appearance in 20 years. He did everything in his power to get them there and never should face criticism again. Cam Talbot is recovering from a broken right hand suffered during warm ups in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final. He didn’t need surgery. Signed for one more year at a bargain cost of $562,500, the just turned 27-year old proved to be a steady backup winning 12 games with three shutouts, a 1.64 goals-against-average and .941 save percentage. Talbot is here for at least this year.

In assessing the cap situation, the Rangers have eight players signed for $36.85 million through 2015-16. Broken down further, that includes three forwards, four defensemen and one goalie. The forwards are Rick Nash ($7.8 million), Dom Moore ($1.5 million) and Glass ($1.45 million). The defensemen are Girardi ($5.5 million), McDonagh ($4.7 million), Boyle ($4.5 million) and Klein ($2.9 million). The goalie is Lundqvist ($8.5 million). Depending on what happens with Brassard, Kreider and Zuccarello, that could change. Also factor in John Moore, Staal and key 2015 RFA’s Derek Stepan and Carl Hagelin, who are due raises. Martin St. Louis is unrestricted. He earns $5.625 million this season. That money could be freed up if he retires.

It’s hard to figure out what the future holds. The Rangers remain without a top line center and lost offense with the subtractions of Richards and Pouliot. They should remain competitive. Continued improvement from Brassard, Stepan, Kreider, Hagelin and McDonagh should stabilize them. The unknown dynamic are the kids. How ready are they and how soon will they be able to play pivotal roles? It’s why Slats must add a piece to a tricky puzzle. Don’t expect it anytime soon.