Battle Of Hudson covers the Rangers and Devils, who's intense rivalry heated up in the 90's. With fresh faces added, they battle for supremacy in NYC and NJ..
Kevin Klein celebrates an overtime goal. Getty Images/nydailynews.com
Many hockey pundits have pondered whether the Rangers should trade Kevin Klein. At an affordable cost with a $2.9 million cap hit over the next three seasons, the 30-year old veteran defenseman is coming off a career year in which he tallied nine goals and 17 assists for 26 points with a plus-24 rating in 65 contests.
Klein is one of the few chips new GM Jeff Gorton has if he needs to free up more room for Derek Stepan. Stepan recently filed for arbitration and is due to a significant raise. The Rangers must decide whether it’s fruitful to sign Stepan long-term. If he goes to arbitration, it could affect their cap situation. They have over $10 million left to sign Stepan and re-sign Group II’s Emerson Etem, Jesper Fast and J.T. Miller. Stepan could cost between $6 to $7 million depending on what happens. That could impact what the organization does.
While it makes sense to see what they can get for Klein to free up space, the Rangers are reluctant to trade him. They have been asked about him. For the time being, they’re smart to hold onto Klein. Moving him would create a hole on the right side of the blueline. The club isn’t as strong with Dan Girardi and Dan Boyle the top two. If they traded him now, that would mean the pressure would squarely be on Brady Skjei and Dylan McIlrath to win the job out of camp. Raphael Diaz is the seventh defenseman and probably a step down from Matt Hunwick, who signed on the cheap with the Leafs.
It doesn’t make sense to move Klein now. They’d only be weakening themselves. It’s better to keep him as insurance because there’s no guarantee Skjei or McIlrath are ready. Even with Skjei impressing in a stint with Hartford after turning pro, eight regular season games and 15 postseason is hardly a great gauge. McIlrath also made strides for the Wolf Pack. The 23-year old 2010 first round pick might be ready. However, it remains to be seen if coach Alain Vigneault will trust him enough if he makes the team. McIlrath’s skating remains a question mark in Vigneault’s system.
The safer bet would be to start the year with Klein in the top six and Diaz as the extra. Let Skjei develop in Hartford where he’ll see regular minutes. McIlrath is a different case. Isn’t it about time they find out if he can become an NHLer? Toughness remains an issue. His hulking 6-5, 215-pound frame is something they lack. He’s certainly got a mean streak. It would be nice to find out that he can play.
There shouldn’t be any rush with trading Klein. A valuable character player who was a bright spot last year. Until the kids prove themselves, he stays.
Most of the videos we put up are usually of great hockey highlights of our favorite players doing something spectacular. Today’s Video Of Day isn’t one of those. This video has circulated around for a few days. So, of course I’ve seen it and was wowed by it.
Martin St. Louis retired a few days ago. The future Hall Of Famer was a classic overachiever going from undrafted out of Vermont to an All-Star who won the Hart and Pearson while leading the Lightning to Lord Stanley in 2004. He did it all winning two scoring titles and putting up great numbers which will result in his election to Toronto a few years from now. It’ll be well deserved.
What I admired about St. Louis was how hard he worked. Not the biggest in stature, he was a miracle who combined world class skill with grit to become one of the league’s best players. Over the last year after he came over to the Rangers for Ryan Callahan, we learned just how tough he is. How much heart he showed playing in Game 5 of the 2014 Eastern Conference Semifinal with his team facing elimination. They would respond with a resounding 5-1 win and comeback to stun the Pens in seven. There was St. Louis scoring an emotional goal at the start of Game 6 fittingly on Mother’s Day with myself, Dad, Justin and Mike at MSG going wild. You had to be there to see it.
His final act didn’t go according to plan because most don’t. That’s why players we root for retire. Truth be told, I’m sure St. Louis wanted to still play. But a poor showing in the postseason hurt his market value. And being so close to his family in Greenwich, Connecticut, he didn’t have many options. So, he realized it was time. As hard a decision as there is in sports. These guys live out a childhood dream. They play a sport they loved for money. But most of all, the chance to be the best and to win. Something St. Louis succeeded at. Even if he fell short with his Rangers teammates, it was a fun ride. As riveting as that Game 4 overtime winner which he went top shelf on Dustin Tokarski in the Eastern Conference Final. Mom France must’ve been proud.
So, what we’re left with is a nice video the NHL put up of St. Louis taking roll call before a playoff game. Here, you see him firing up his teammates in the Rangers locker room. The energy and excitement is palpable. The enthusiasm is everywhere. It might not have been the easiest final postseason for him but that 39-year old sure had fun. That’s what you need to be successful. Just the smiles and laughs told us everything we need to know. Martin St. Louis is a winner.
Vladimir Tarasenko celebrates his shootout winner. Getty Images/AP Photo by Kathy Kmonicek
Since last week’s fireworks, it’s been relatively quiet. That’s to be expected once July 1 passes. It didn’t stop the Blues from showing star forward Vladimir Tarasenko the money. They signed him to a eight-year deal worth a reported $60 million. Tarasenko had a breakout ’14-15 season leading the Blues in scoring by setting career highs in goals (37), assists (36), points (73), plus/minus (27), power play goals (8) and game-winners (6).
A restricted free agent, St. Louis GM Doug Armstrong took care of his top priority by locking up the 23-year old Russian to a long-term contract that averages out to $7.5 million per year. An identical cap hit to the contract Ryan O’Reilly signed with the Sabres. The only difference being his was $52.5 million over seven years.
What must the Rangers be thinking with Derek Stepan, who is going to arbitration? Of course, that’s a different case entirely. As I alluded to yesterday, he’s two years away from unrestricted status. If only former GM Glen Sather didn’t always do bridge deals with the team’s top forwards. The same applies to Chris Kreider, who will make $2.6 million in ’15-16 before becoming a Group II free agent. One look at what the Blue Jackets gave Brandon Saad is enough to be concerned. Saad signed for six years, $36 million.
New Rangers GM Jeff Gorton has his work cut out. He must make important decisions on Stepan and Kreider which could impact the future. Both are key cogs who play on one of their two top lines. Each will see a significant bump in salary. While Gorton can wait on Kreider, he must work hard on getting Stepan done. Hammering out a long-term contract that can buy up free agent years and save the Blueshirts money is the smart way to go. Getting key restricted free agents Emerson Etem, Jesper Fast and J.T. Miller to take cheap deals should allow them to be under the cap.
The organization faces more changes. Especially with Keith Yandle in the final year earning $5.75 million with the Coyotes splitting the cost paying $2.625 million of his $5.25 million cap hit. Yandle could be out of the Rangers’ price range the following summer. Veteran defenseman Dan Boyle also comes off after making $4.5 million. It also could be the end for respected fourth line center Dominic Moore who earns $1.5 million in his final year. The torch could be passed to young prospects Brady Skjei, Dylan McIlrath, Oscar Lindberg and Ryan Bourque.
Gorton will lean on Team President Sather to make key decisions that could impact the club long-term. Next summer, Kreider and Kevin Hayes are RFA’s. The sooner they can get them re-signed, the better. With Kreider, it makes sense to lock him up. He is the one young player who should get a long-term deal that’ll help the Rangers save over the long haul. If Hayes can match his rookie production (17-28-45) or improve, he also could be worth investing in.
The Rangers have $24.4 million committed to Henrik Lundqvist, Ryan McDonagh, Dan Girardi and Marc Staal through 2019 when McDonagh can become unrestricted. Throw in Rick Nash ($7.8 million) over the next three years and it increases to $32.2 million for five players. That’s before Stepan gets his big raise. Derick Brassard is signed another four years at $5 million per season. Mats Zuccarello starts the first of a four-year deal worth a average cap hit of $4.5 million.
Somewhere along the line, Gorton will have to make a trade. Kevin Klein remains the most likely candidate with a cap friendly deal that pays him an average cap hit of $2.9 million over the next three years. The hope is that Skjei can replace him. I’m not sure what the plan is for McIlrath who they qualified. The former 2010 first round pick has only played in three games with Alain Vigneault unwilling to trust him. Chris Summers who was also acquired in the Yandle trade is the other depth defenseman who appeared in three games this past season.
It all points to a challenging time ahead. With close competitors like Columbus, Washington and Pittsburgh getting better, the Rangers are basically status quo with the exception of key checking forward and speed demon Carl Hagelin, who was subtracted to make room for Stepan. They need Etem to perform or the third line could be a soft spot. I still don’t get throwing away $1.1 million on Viktor Stalberg but at least it’s only for a year unlike Tanner Glass, who has two years left at $1.45 million per. Vigneault’s guy.
The growing question is when will the Rangers do what these other teams do with key forwards. The days of bridging players is coming to an end. Sather’s penny pinching only hurts because it makes it harder. It’s time for a change in philosophy.
Derek Stepan filed for arbitration yesterday. It would be a mistake to trade him. AP Photo by Frank Franklin II/Getty Images
On Sunday, Derek Stepan filed for salary arbitration by the 5 PM deadline. The 25-year old Rangers’ top center is coming off a good fifth season. His 16 goals and 39 assists for 55 points over 68 games was two fewer than a career high 57 points he had in a full 82 during ’13-14. The 39 assists ranked just behind Derick Brassard (41) and 55 points were third best trailing only Brassard (60) and Rick Nash (69). He also ranked second to Nash in plus/minus (26) and was third in postseason scoring with 12 points (5-7-12).
The Rangers are in a cap crunch. Having already subtracted key third liner Carl Hagelin to free up necessary space, they have approximately $10.8 million left to re-sign Stepan along with key restricted’s Emerson Etem, Jesper Fast and J.T. Miller. I’m discounting depth signings Luke Adam and Brian Gibbons who are listed by nhlnumbers.com. They’re ticketed for Hartford which frees up another $1.2 million with each signing for identical one-year $600,000 two-way contracts.
It is assumed that Stepan’s price range should be within $6 to $6.5 million. In the final year of a bridge contract that expired, he made $3.85 million with an average cap hit of $3.075 million. With him two seasons away from unrestricted free agency, new Rangers GM Jeff Gorton has a important decision ahead. He must decide if Stepan is worth re-signing to a long-term deal that’ll buy up some free agent years. Stepan turns 27 on June 18, 2017. If they go to arbitration, he’ll likely get a two-year reward which the team can walk away from. Highly unlikely considering Stepan’s value to the club. He’s not only a top six forward but a smart playmaking pivot who is responsible in all three zones. A trusted top penalty killer, he teamed with Nash to form a dangerous combination with the two combining for six shorthanded goals.
The only aspect of Stepan’s game that’s been subpar is his work on faceoffs. Between the dots, he’s won 44.0 percent (2337-and-2970) for his career. If he ever improved to near 50, there would be nothing to critique. Even so, he’s proven capable of winning key draws. Rangers coach Alain Vigneault trusts him enough to do a good job.
There’s not much to dislike with Stepan, who’s totaled 252 points (89-163-252) and a plus-85 rating in 362 career games. You know what you’re getting with the smart Hastings, Minnesota native creating chances for teammates while being strong defensively. He’s been everything I thought since following him lead Team USA to a gold medal at the 2010 Under-20 World Junior Championship. Not only is he important to the team’s future but also has formed great chemistry with former USA linemate Chris Kreider. The 24-year old power forward continues to develop scoring 21 goals in the regular season and seven more in the playoffs. A first line of Kreider, Stepan and Miller could be the way to go for the coaching staff. Especially with the 22-year old 2011 first round pick proving himself to Vigneault who used him on all four lines. Miller plays with edge and is a breakout candidate.
Stepan is also a team leader wearing an ‘A’ as one of the alternate captains. With Martin St. Louis retired, Stepan will again be looked upon for leadership. Given some of his clutch play during the second round against the Capitals where he set up Kreider’s tying goal and Ryan McDonagh’s Game 5 overtime winner along with his Game 7 series clincher in sudden death, that shouldn’t be a problem.
When you factor everything in, it would be hard to replace Stepan. Even as some have panicked suggesting trading him due to Ryan O’Reilly’s absurd seven-year $52.5 million contract with the Sabres, that was a separate situation. When Buffalo acquired him, he had already made $6 million due to the Avalanche matching the Flames’ offer sheet. Stepan should cost less than the $7.5 million on average O’Reilly will make. With everything being equal, I would suggest a six-year deal topping out at $39 million which would average out to $6.5 million. That’s more than fair.
That should leave Gorton a little over $4 million for Etem, Fast and Miller who all have no arbitration rights. They’ll probably bridge Fast and Miller. Not sure about Etem who if he agrees to a one-year deal has much to prove.
The biggest issue for the Rangers is they’ll be right up against the $71.4 million cap. The most likely candidates who could be cut or traded are Tanner Glass ($1.45 million) and Kevin Klein ($2.9 million). Why did they go give $1.1 million to Viktor Stalberg? Oscar Lindberg and Ryan Bourque deserve chances to make the roster. I just don’t get it. If Vigneault realizes that Glass is the odd man out, they can put him on waivers which he’ll likely clear and play for Hartford. Trading Klein doesn’t make sense unless Brady Skjei or Dylan McIlrath prove ready. Besides, Klein had a good year which has been forgotten due to an uneven playoffs returning from a fractured left arm. Raphael Diaz is your classic seventh defenseman.
The Rangers could be dangerously close to the cutoff. A place you don’t want to be. Just ask the Kings who at a critical point of last season fielded a incomplete roster. If there are injuries, their depth could be seriously tested. There wouldn’t be many options. I’ll get to that in another post.
Thanks Marty: Former Lightning captain Martin St. Louis acknowledges the crowd after a video tribute in his return in what turned out to be his final season. St. Louis announced his retirement on July 2, 2015. We look back at the future Hall Of Famer’s brilliant 16-year NHL career. AP Photo by Chris O’Meara/Getty Images
Earlier today, Martin St. Louis announced his retirement from hockey. A day after only a couple of teams showed interest in signing him, the 40-year old proud father of three decided to hang up the skates after 16 seasons. The Rangers made the announcement on Twitter.
St. Louis will be remembered for being a classic overachiever. Unlike many players who get drafted and have spots handed to them at the start, the pint sized 5-8, 176-pound St. Louis had to work extremely hard just to make the NHL. Following a four-year collegiate career at Vermont, he was signed by the Flames. He spent most of his Flames career in the minors until getting a chance in ’99-00 when he had three goals and 15 assists in 56 games. He totaled 20 points in 69 games before Calgary gave up on him.
On July 31, 2000 he was signed by the Lightning. This time, he made the most out of his second chance becoming the franchise’s all-time scoring leader with 953 points (365-588-953) in 972 games. St. Louis also leads the franchise in assists (588), shorthanded goals (28), game-winners (64) and overtime winners (10).
He’ll always be remembered for winning the Hart in the Lightning’s championship season of ’03-04. That year, St. Louis won the Art Ross Trophy with 38 goals, 56 assists and 94 points with a plus-35 rating. He also won the Lester B. Pearson. Topping it off was a brilliant postseason in which he tallied nine goals and 15 assists for 24 points in 23 games to help lead the Lightning to a Stanley Cup. His most memorable moment came in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final against Calgary. With his team facing elimination, he scored at 33 seconds of the second overtime to force a deciding Game 7 which the Bolts would win 2-1. The highlight reel goal can be seen above. A determined St. Louis going to the net and finding a rebound past Miikka Kiprusoff. I was at my old job SportsTicker in Jersey City for that.
From 2000-14, St. Louis had a wonderful Lightning career. His best statistical season came in ’06-07 when he registered a career best 43 goals and 102 points. But the Lightning were eliminated in the first round even with St. Louis notching eight points (3-5-8). In a 14-year career with the Bolts, he went over the 90-point mark four times including back-to-back with 94 in ’09-10 and 99 in ’10-11.
Most astonishing is that despite being the smallest player on the ice, he didn’t miss many games. Between ’06-07 and ’10-11, St. Louis played all 82 each season while producing 458 points (158-300-458) in 410 games averaging 1.12 points-per-game. At the end of that run, he had 10 goals and 10 helpers for 20 points in 18 postseason games when the Bolts made it all the way to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final before losing to the eventual Cup champion Bruins. In the shortened season of ’12-13, St. Louis won his second Art Ross leading the league in scoring with 60 points (17-43-60). He played in all 48 but they missed the playoffs for a second straight year.
It was during ’13-14 when he was having another big season leading the Bolts in scoring when he requested a trade to the Rangers. He came under fire with many in the media criticizing him due to a dispute with Tampa GM Steve Yzerman over not being selected to Canada for the 2014 Olympics in Sochi. He was left off the roster until Yzerman put him on as a replacement. The bitter divorce resulted in the first ever captain for captain trade with St. Louis going to the Rangers for Ryan Callahan. The deal also involved picks with the Rangers coughing up two first rounders while the Lightning sent back a second round pick. The Bolts also received a 2015 seventh round pick completing the trade.
Retirement was always a possibility for St. Louis, who wanted to be closer to his Greenwich, Connecticut home and family. However, he’ll always be fondly remembered in New York City for the mental fortitude he showed after Mom France suddenly passed away at 63 during last year’s playoffs. After the Rangers lost in ugly fashion at home to the Penguins falling behind three games to one in the second round, it would’ve been easy for St. Louis to skip Game 5 and be with his family back in Laval, Quebec. Instead, he wanted to play because that’s what his Mom would’ve wanted.
What became apparent is the team rallied around St. Louis by winning Game 5 easily 5-1 to send the series back to MSG for Mother’s Day. Sunday, May 11, 2014 will be forever remembered by Garden Faithful. Along with my Dad, Justin and his buddy Mike, we were fortunate enough to be in the building for Game 6. Fittingly, St. Louis scored early to give the Rangers a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. When he scored that goal, the place went bananas. Between his reaction and the Garden, there was no way they were losing. A Carl Hagelin goal and Derick Brassard tally along with 37 big saves from Henrik Lundqvist guaranteed a Game 7. They would go on to complete their first ever 3-1 comeback by edging the Pens 2-1. Appropriately, St. Louis had a hand in Brad Richards’ power play series clincher setting it up. They teamed up to win the Cup in Tampa and weren’t done after an exciting second round comeback.
After getting the jump on the Canadiens by taking the first two games convincingly at Bell Centre, the Rangers got a better challenge from the Habs who were minus number one goalie Carey Price. Following Alex Galchenyuk’s OT winner in Game 3, P.K. Subban’s power play goal two minutes into the third period forced another overtime between the Original Six rivals. With the Eastern Conference Final hanging in the balance, St. Louis provided this special moment below.
The smallest man with the biggest heart didn’t miss going top shelf on Dustin Tokarski sending pumped up teammates off the bench and MSG into bedlam. That clutch goal from Marty put the Blueshirts within one game of a trip to the Stanley Cup Final. Let’s be honest. If he doesn’t score there and they don’t win, I doubt they make it. The Habs would’ve had all the momentum. Good thing it didn’t come down to that because we all know how Montreal blitzed Lundqvist in Game 5. But in Game 6, all it took was a goal from Dominic Moore late in the second to win 1-0 behind 18 saves from Lundqvist in about as perfectly played a home game. Still the most exciting moment I’ve experienced as a fan.
Of course, it didn’t have a happy ending like most Hollywood scripts. The Kings were too powerful prevailing in a long five-game series that felt more like seven by the time Alec Martinez scored in double overtime. The Rangers lost all three games in sudden death at Staples Center blowing leads in each. It still burns.
St. Louis’ final season was up and down but he still pumped in 21 goals with 31 assists totaling 52 points in 74 contests. The 21 markers tied him with Chris Kreider for second behind Rick Nash (42). St. Louis’ 52 points ranked fourth in team scoring. Even though he struggled badly in the postseason scoring his only goal against his former team in Game 4 of the Conference Final, the Rangers must replace his production. They’ll look to J.T. Miller and Kevin Hayes and bank on Kreider to continue his development.
For his 16-year NHL career, St. Louis finishes with 391 goals and 642 assists totaling 1,033 points in 1,134 games. In 107 playoff games, he had a respectable 42 goals and 48 helpers for 90 points winning one Cup and leading two different teams to the Stanley Cup Final. Four different times, he reached the Conference Finals. St. Louis is a two-time Art Ross winner with a Hart, Pearson and three Lady Byngs. He should be a first ballot Hall Of Famer.
Even if it didn’t end the way he would’ve liked, this was the right decision. It was hard watching him struggle this past Spring. He was missing shots he used to bury in his sleep and guilty of several turnovers that forced coach Alain Vigneault to sit him for a crucial stretch against the Capitals in Game 7 of the second round. It definitely hurt his pride. St. Louis was a hard competitor who wanted to be out for each shift. It couldn’t have felt good getting replaced by Miller on the second line.
In reflecting back about his brilliant career, I’m amazed at how tough St. Louis was. He was a gamer who didn’t miss many games and took a lot of punishment in the old NHL to win a scoring title, MVP and Cup in the final season before the lockout. The odds were stacked against him. Not every small player can succeed in this league. Especially back then when the rules were more lax allowing clutching and grabbing. St. Louis was Theoren Fleury without the snarl. He never quit on plays which is why he got so much out of his career.
Rather than critiquing now retired former GM Glen Sather for the St. Louis trade, I’m thankful because he helped teach our players how to prepare and win. Anyone who thinks otherwise needs to reevaluate it. There is no trip to the Stanley Cup Final last year without Marty. Even if Slats rolled the dice for the short-term, it was a success with the team going deep twice. No one could’ve predicted what happened in Game 7. Sometimes, those things just happen.
Congratulations to Martin St. Louis on a wonderful career. A lock for the Hockey Hall Of Fame! Thank you No. 26.
While other teams made a splash, it was anything but for the Rangers. Their Canada Day was uneventful. The highlight was the official announcement from Glen Sather that he was moving upstairs to Team President while handing over the reigns to new general manager Jim Gorton. The long-time assistant GM finally takes over after the club rejected interview requests from the Bruins and Leafs.
With little cap space due to having to re-sign Derek Stepan, J.T. Miller, Jesper Fast and Emerson Etem, the Rangers made a couple of minor signings on Day 1 of the free agent frenzy. After losing dependable extra defenseman Matt Hunwick to Toronto (2 years $2.4 million), they quickly signed replacement Raphael Diaz for one year, $700,000. The 29-year old from Switzerland played 11 games with the Blueshirts posting a goal and helper in 2013-14. He spent the past season with the Flames going 2-2-4 in 56 games and getting into three postseason contests. At least he’s familiar with the system. But it’s a downgrade from Hunwick.
While a few Blueshirt fans tried to put a spin on adding depth forward Viktor Stalberg for a year at $1.1 million, it’s a fringe move for the 29-year old who spent part of the season in Nashville AHL affiliate Milwaukee where he had 11 goals and 17 points. He only took part in 25 games with the Predators tallying two goals and eight assists. A far cry from the player he once was with the Blackhawks. Imagine a player with size who goes 6-3, 210 pounds and doesn’t use it. That best describes Stalberg. Another finesse forward.
The one intriguing addition involved trading a 2017 fifth round pick to Nashville for Swedish goalie prospect Magnus Hellberg. The 24-year old netminder was drafted by the Preds in the second round of 2011 number 38 overall. He spent part of one season with Frolunda. Hellberg’s spent a majority of time with Milwaukee going 15-10-6 with a 2.33 goals-against-average, .913 save percentage and three shutouts in 2014-15.
With Mackenzie Skapski recovering from hip surgery, it makes sense. Hellberg is three years older and new Rangers backup Antti Raanta is only signed for one year. I like it.
On Day One of the free agent frenzy, the Pens were big winners landing Phil Kessel. It was indeed a Happy Canada Day for Pittsburgh general manager Jim Rutherford who acquired the scoring forward from the Maple Leafs. Here are the details below.
The condition of the first round pick depends on if the Pens make the postseason. The first is lottery protected. If they somehow missed, it would instead be a 2017 first. That also would mean the Leafs throw back a 2017 second instead of a 2016.
Even in a loaded Metropolitan Division, it’s hard to see the Pens missing the playoffs. Now that they’ve added a proven finisher in Kessel for Sidney Crosby and/or Evgeni Malkin, they become scary. Finally, the 27-year old American has a top center to play with which could mean 40+ goals. He’s scored 30-or-more five times totaling 247 for his nine-year career with the Bruins and Leafs. Unlike Toronto, he won’t have to be the guy. A motivated Kessel could do wonders for the Pens.
As part of the trade, the Leafs are picking up $1.2 million of Kessel’s remaining salary. He’s entering the second year of an eight-year deal that pays him an average of $8 million per season. He’ll earn $10 million in 2015-16. The Pens are still paying a huge chunk for a player who came under fire in Toronto after a lackluster season that saw his production drop to 25 goals and 61 points with a minus-34 rating. Pittsburgh has $38 million committed to Crosby, Malkin, Kessel, Kris Letang and Marc-Andre Fleury through 2020. It should be interesting to see how they manage the rest of the cap.
Even though Toronto was criticized for not prying Olli Maatta or Derrick Pouliot, they still managed to get a good return for a player they couldn’t wait to get rid of. Kapanen is a Pens 2014 first round pick who came over from Finland joining Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at the end of the AHL season. After netting a goal and helper in four games, he went 3-2-5 in the playoffs.
Harrington was a 2011 Pens second round pick who played in 10 games this past season. The former London Knight is a defensive defenseman who tallied two goals and 10 assists with a plus-19 rating for the Baby Pens. He’s 22 and should be ready to compete for a spot on the Leafs’ blueline. They’re still shopping captain Dion Phaneuf and center Tyler Bozak.
Spaling is the only roster player the Pens subtracted. The 26-year old forward came over from the Predators with Patric Hornqvist for James Neal. A solid checker, he registered nine goals and 18 assists while going 1-1-2 in the playoffs for Pittsburgh. He has one year left on a contract that pays him $2.2 million.
Biggs and Erixon also went back to the Pens. Neither looks like more than fringe players who’ll join Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Sadder for Erixon who once was a first round pick of Calgary in 2009. It wasn’t long ago that the Rangers traded Roman Horak for him as part of a bigger deal that netted the Flames Markus Granlund. Eventually, Erixon was part of a package for Rick Nash. He played parts of three seasons in Columbus before being dealt to Chicago for Jeremy Morin. Then lasted eight games before the Leafs claimed him off waivers. Now, he’ll join his fourth organization in less than a year.
In assessing the Pens forwards, it has the potential to be lethal with a projected top six of Crosby, Malkin, Kessel, Hornqvist, Pascal Dupuis and David Perron. Brandon Sutter and Chris Kunitz are in the top nine with restricted free agent Beau Bennett. Pittsburgh only has six million left unless they dump Kunitz or Rob Scuderi. They re-signed defenseman Ian Cole to a three-year deal worth an average of $2.1 million. They’re looking for a backup goalie with Thomas Greiss landing with the Islanders.
If there is a weakness, the Pens are very top heavy. Their depth could be a issue. However, adding Kessel to Crosby and Malkin will make them dangerous. More on the frenzy later.
On what’s been a hectic Canada Day on July 1 with the free agent frenzy, the Rangers have called a 4 PM press conference. Glen Sather will step down as general manager moving upstairs as Team President and Jeff Gorton will take over as the new GM.
Give credit where it’s due to New York Post’s Larry Brooks who reported the story following the Rangers’ elimination. A brief email exchange proved correct with Sather uncertain of returning. After 15 years, he’s finally done. The 71-year old Hall Of Famer who was the architect behind five Oilers Stanley Cups took over as Rangers President and GM in the summer of 2000. After some big swings and misses on Eric Lindros, Bobby Holik, Pavel Bure and Alexei Kovalev, he traded Anson Carter for Jaromir Jagr in January 2004.
Following the lockout, Sather rebuilt the organization through the draft while signing Michael Nylander, Martin Straka, Martin Rucinsky, Marek Malik and Michal Rozsival. They would team up with Jagr and former 2000 seventh round pick Henrik Lundqvist to bring the Rangers back to the playoffs for the first time since 1997. Veteran Kevin Weekes along with Petr Prucha, Steve Rucchin were key components. Slats also added Petr Sykora and Sandis Ozolinsh at the deadline. While Sykora fit in, Ozolinsh struggled. After a feel good regular season, they were swept by the Devils. Brendan Shanahan joined up the following year along with protagonist Sean Avery with the team coming very close to beating the Sabres.
That was the start of some of the best hockey the franchise has seen. Over the past decade, the Blueshirts have qualified for the postseason nine out of 10 times and made at least the Conference Finals in three of the last four years. Lundqvist has been the backbone becoming the all-time franchise leader in wins (339) and shutouts (55). The 33-year old Swede has a few years left to win a Cup.
Sather’s best move was dumping Scott Gomez to the Canadiens in a deal that landed them Ryan McDonagh. The anchor of a blueline featuring Marc Staal and Dan Girardi, he’s the 26-year old captain who led them to their first Stanley Cup appearance since 1994 last year. Already a shutdown defenseman, he’ll continue to improve.
While it’s easy to critique Slats for throwing away first round picks in deals for Rick Nash, Keith Yandle and now departed Martin St. Louis, it was all to try to win now. They were close in 2014 losing to the Kings and were a period away from a second straight Stanley Cup Final against the Lightning. The question is will the sacrifice of picks and top prospect Anthony Duclair come back to bite the franchise in the long-term. That’s now Gorton’s job which will be challenging with the Pens improving mightily after acquiring Phil Kessel and the Blue Jackets getting Brandon Saad.
Sather was able to rebuild the team thanks to good drafting by getting former core players Ryan Callahan, Brandon Dubinsky and Artem Anisimov. They were integral parts of the 2011-12 team coached by John Tortorella that finished with the East’s best record and reached the Conference Final. Eventually, Slats included Dubinsky and Anisimov with Tim Erixon and a first round pick (Kerby Rychel) for Nash, Steven Delisle and a third round pick (Pavel Buchnevich). If Buchnevich comes over next year, that deal could look even better. Though the Jackets used Anisimov as the main piece to pry Saad away from the Blackhawks.
Slats is also responsible for Mats Zuccarello signing. There’s no doubt they missed him the last two rounds. The gritty Zuccarello has become a crucial player who mixes skill with edge making him irreplaceable. He re-signed before the deadline for a now bargain average of $4.5 million over the next four years. His full recovery from a brain contusion is essential to the club’s future. That he can still even play is a miracle.
Sather also gets credit for acquiring Derick Brassard from the Blue Jackets for Marian Gaborik who ironically wound up burning the Rangers as a King last June. Brassard has been a godsend becoming a top two playmaking center who has performed well in the postseason with a team best 40 points (17-23-40) over the last three years. He also is signed for another four years at a cap friendly $5 million average. Derek Stepan is the top center who was selected 51st overall in 2008. He’s become a team leader totaling 27 points (10-17-27) over the last two postseasons. Only 25, the former Wisconsin Badger must be re-signed and should get around $6 million per season.
Former first round picks Chris Kreider and J.T. Miller are big parts of the future. Kreider continues to develop into one of the best power forwards. The 24-year old is coming off a career best season with 21 goals, 25 assists, 46 points and 88 penalty minutes. He’s a proven playoff performer with 12 of his 18 goals coming the past two years. Miller went from the AHL to a top nine forward Alain Vigneault trusted. After tallying 10 goals and 13 assists during the season, he added a goal and seven helpers in the playoffs. The versatile forward who can both play center and wing plays with edge and is a solid two-way player with good upside.
The Rangers are also expecting Kevin Hayes to improve after a great rookie year that saw him total 45 points (17-28-45) in 79 contests after being signed last summer. He struggled somewhat in the playoffs going 2-5-7 but will learn from the experience. Jesper Fast emerged during the postseason registering three goals and three assists while playing with Stepan and Kreider. He’s more of a defensive forward who can play third line and kill penalties replacing Carl Hagelin who was dealt with a second (Julius Nattinen) and sixth round pick (Garrett Metcalf) to the Ducks for Emerson Etem and a first round pick (Ryan Gropp).
In a ultra competitive division, Gorton’s work is cut out. He doesn’t have a lot of cap room due to Sather overspending to keep Girardi and Staal who both have no-movement clauses. The team’s first moves today have been addressing seventh defenseman by replacing Matt Hunwick who signed with the Leafs by bringing back Raphael Diaz and adding depth forward Viktor Stalberg. They really can’t do much else with Stepan, Miller and Fast key restricted’s along with Etem.
With Sather moving upstairs, it officially is a new era. Hopefully, Gorton will be able to deliver a championship.
Defenseman John Moore signs with the Devils as a FA, after playing with the Blue Jackets, Rangers and Coyotes since 2010-11
So far, Day One of Free Agent Frenzy 2015 has been an expectedly quiet one for the Devils. Especially after reported target Michael Frolik signed a five-year deal with Calgary early in the afternoon. New Jersey’s only activity to this point has been a minor deal, signing ex-Ranger defenseman John Moore to a 3-year deal at $1.67 million per season. Moore seemed to be to be a nice role player for the Rangers (I’m sure Derek will have more to say on him later) and by all accounts is a good skater and has some snarl to him. On the minus side he seems to have issues with discipline and smarts, which is perhaps why the former first-rounder is on his fourth team at age 24, and didn’t get tendered by the lowly Coyotes this summer.
Still, it seems like a good, low-risk gamble for a team such as the Devils to take. Moore is young enough to have upside and take his play to another level, and the money and term aren’t prohibitive in case Moore turns into Andrei Zyuzin (i.e. a talented project that doesn’t work out). Of course he fits in with the ‘fast, attacking, supportive’ vision of GM Ray Shero and coach John Hynes and doesn’t block the Devils’ prospect defensemen from eventually making an impact if they wind up outplaying Moore. Author’s note: While I agree in principle with the notion of fast, attacking and supportive I cringe at just how much of a motto it’s become, as if it’s part of a PR/sales pitch as much as it is a vision for a hockey team <end mini-rant>.
Ironically, though Moore is just 24 he becomes the second oldest member of the current defensive core. Although Moore supposedly has a good shot and tools to have potential offensively he has just nine goals and thirty-one assists in 230 NHL games.
Rookie Anders Lee celebrates his 23rd goal with Johnny Boychuk during the first period for the Islanders. AP Photo by Kathy Kmonicek/Getty Images
In a good move to start the offseason, the Islanders re-signed forward Anders Lee to a four-year deal worth $3.75 million-per-season. A former 2009 sixth round pick who turns 25 on July 3, Lee had a good rookie year tallying 25 goals with 16 helpers totaling 41 points in 76 games. He only registered an assist in the Isles’ first round loss to the Capitals and was a healthy scratch twice.
Still, Lee was a good player for Islanders coach Jack Capuano with his 25 markers ranking second on the team behind captain John Tavares (38). He’s set to earn $2 million in 2015-16 with payouts of $3.5 million, $4.5 million and $5 million the following three seasons. Obviously, it’s a risky contract because they’re expecting Lee to be a consistent scorer.
With Kyle Okposo a year away from unrestricted free agency, GM Garth Snow might already be planning the club’s future. Okposo is set to make $4.5 million in the final year of his deal and could draw significant interest in 2016. Snow must also bump up Group II Brock Nelson who attained a career best 20 goals and 42 points in his second season.
The Islanders have almost $13 million in cap space currently at $59.35 million. They could look to add a depth defenseman on July 1 with potential candidates Francois Beauchemin, Cody Franson, Johnny Oduya and Jan Hejda. Getting a proven playoff performer like Justin Williams also wouldn’t be a bad idea.
Defenseman John Moore signs with the Devils as a FA, after playing with the Blue Jackets, Rangers and Coyotes since 2010-11
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