article: Why the Rangers Had to Let Jesper Fast Go in Free Agency

You keep repeating how the back-to-back top picks blew up the bonus cushion. They haven't. And I'll keep telling you they haven't. I explained pretty clearly how the cushion works.

 

Just don't front-load contracts as a general rule. UFAs face diminishing returns throughout their deals so making the backend buyout proof puts you in a shitty situation. Shattenkirk's contract did. The league is trending towards signing bonus laden deals that are also frontloaded. That doesn't make them right. I'm not against signing Panarin but God forbid the guy ever tails off unexpectedly and you need to buy him out because he has one of the least buyout friendly deals in the league. The Shattenkirk deal was bad. The buyout for him was also bad.

 

If we're going off anecdotal evidence, show me proof of these "doormat" teams with low payrolls and free of bad contracts. What makes the Rangers the unicorn here? Aside from an astronomical amount of buyout debt.

 

You explained clearly that bonuses only count against the cap if they are earned, which yes, you are correct. I don't agree with you that it does not affect them currently. They cannot spend to the cap AND go into the season assuming that enough of the bonuses do not get earned to keep them cap compliant. Doing so would be negligent, or more fitting in the scope of this conversation, cap mismanagement.

 

Do you need proof that the Penguins and Oilers weren't league doormats before getting top 2-3 picks?

You explained clearly that bonuses only count against the cap if they are earned, which yes, you are correct. I don't agree with you that it does not affect them currently. They cannot spend to the cap AND go into the season assuming that enough of the bonuses do not get earned to keep them cap compliant. Doing so would be negligent, or more fitting in the scope of this conversation, cap mismanagement.

 

Do you need proof that the Penguins and Oilers weren't league doormats before getting top 2-3 picks?

 

I never said they should spend to the cap. But there’s about a $2-3M difference that we’re talking about that will end up unrealized. There’s a bit more space than advertised.

 

I did my research...but if you don’t want to.

I never said they should spend to the cap. But there’s about a $2-3M difference that we’re talking about that will end up unrealized. There’s a bit more space than advertised.

 

I did my research...but if you don’t want to.

 

Well now that you are correcting yourself and admitting that it affects them currently, we aren't that far off. Your research seemed to miss that part.

Well now that you are correcting yourself and admitting that it affects them currently, we aren't that far off. Your research seemed to miss that part.

 

I’m not correcting myself, good gotcha attempt, it’s just logic that a contract signed now would have implications at the end of the season when their effect is calculated so you know if you’re over.

I’m not correcting myself, good gotcha attempt, it’s just logic that a contract signed now would have implications at the end of the season when their effect is calculated so you know if you’re over.

 

No "gotcha". You said they aren't affected currently. If they can't spend to the cap because of it, then it does affect them currently.

 

I also think they probably want to limit any amount that rolls over to next season, and not just making sure they are in the clear with respect to any cushion overages. There's no reason to spend $2-3M now if it just pushes the bonus money over the upper cap, such that they have to roll it over.

No "gotcha". You said they aren't affected currently. If they can't spend to the cap because of it, then it does affect them currently.

 

I also think they probably want to limit any amount that rolls over to next season, and not just making sure they are in the clear with respect to any cushion overages. There's no reason to spend $2-3M now if it just pushes the bonus money over the upper cap, such that they have to roll it over.

 

They aren't affected currently in that the bonuses literally don't count against the cap yet. Read closer.

 

We're in agreement on the second part. I even said that earlier.

They aren't affected currently in that the bonuses literally don't count against the cap yet. Read closer.

 

We're in agreement on the second part. I even said that earlier.

 

It's just about semantics at this point. It means very little if the bonuses are literally against the cap now or not. They need to plan accordingly all the same.

What I bet screws it up is they probably all have these bonuses on “yearly situational” for lack of a better term. Like first year finish 3rd or higher in Calder voting....but second year that gets replaced with someone else since u obviously can’t win Calder second year...

Bonus Cushion Penalty was added to CapFriendly, right near the top:

 

https://www.capfriendly.com/teams/rangers

https://www.newsday.com/sports/hockey/rangers/rangers-jasper-fast-jeff-gorton-1.50035345

 

The length of the contract was the reason the Rangers chose not to re-sign unrestricted free agent forward Jesper Fast, GM Jeff Gorton said on Monday.

 

"We felt like term was a big issue for us going forward, with all the young players that we have in the organization and that we'll have to have to take care of eventually, financially,’’ Gorton said. "It's a tough decision, because Jesper has been a really good Ranger and very popular with his teammates, with his coaching staff, with us in management, and fans, certainly.’’

 

I think this is a BS excuse. 3 years for a guy that can play the bottom 6, be a good leader in the locker room, and if anything, can be exposed in the expansion draft, shouldn't have been an issue. This was a cost controlled contract that was very easily movable as well. Is till feel Gorton screwed the pooch here, especially on this excuse.

3 years is a pretty important year for us technically.

 

Ziby and Buch are both ufa assuming we re-upped buch on a one year deal after the 21/22 season. Kakko, Fox are rfas, it’s the year before ALF goes rfa and Chytil should be either up for a new contract or close to it.

 

 

Still though, 2m wasn’t going to be the difference because you always need a bottom 6 and some vets sprinkled in. Likely 3 years from now this covid crap is done and cap is back to getting small bumps up and if not, the landscape has changed cover 3 seasons where future top salaries aren’t as high as now

Here's some good Gorton/JD insight, fellas. He explains Fast, Lafreniere and other moves.

 

Keirik, I think you hit this one dead on the nose, man. It's all about term and building this from the ground up with the young guys.

 

https://www.newsday.com/sports/hockey/rangers/rangers-jasper-fast-jeff-gorton-1.50035345

 

 

 

 

 

I think this is a BS excuse. 3 years for a guy that can play the bottom 6, be a good leader in the locker room, and if anything, can be exposed in the expansion draft, shouldn't have been an issue. This was a cost controlled contract that was very easily movable as well. Is till feel Gorton screwed the pooch here, especially on this excuse.

 

That's 3 seasons someone else isnt developing into a 2nd or 3rd line player.

I'd rather watch Kakko, Kravtsov, even Buchnevich. And thats season 1 of three. The possibilities for seasons 2 and 3 are endless.

It sucks he went to a division rival, though, because he's probably going to pester the Hell out of us. lol

Well I like the justification. What I dont like is the bodies picked up to fill holes.

 

We will wait and see but damn, you have to hope their is at least one trade for the back end and the pivot position before 1/1/21.

Well I like the justification. What I dont like is the bodies picked up to fill holes.

 

We will wait and see but damn, you have to hope their is at least one trade for the back end and the pivot position before 1/1/21.

 

We'll see a few of them throughout the season. I anticipate most will be spending time in Hartford, with Bitteto and Rooney. All of them have been splitting time in the AHL and NHL over the past several seasons. I think the Rangers specifically targeted such players, to help out establishing Hartford, and to add role players in Hartford to help prospects develop.

I think it's smart to not dole out term. Zibanijad is probably looking at 8 figures and if these other kids pan out like we think they are, they're not going to be cheap.

 

Next season we'll have close to 40 million in cap space. I'm okay running back the same team, perhaps even a lesser team, if it means big things for the summer.

I don't see what is such a big deal with this term. If you don't want Fast locked in a $2m in the third year, you have to replace him on the roster with someone else. How much less than $2m will that player be? Small savings and inferior replacement.

 

I can see not wanting to lock a $5m player in for a third year, but not a $2m player. Unless you are committed to $700K replacements who you play for two shifts a game and end up -2. We've seen that.

I don't see what is such a big deal with this term. If you don't want Fast locked in a $2m in the third year, you have to replace him on the roster with someone else. How much less than $2m will that player be? Small savings and inferior replacement.

 

I can see not wanting to lock a $5m player in for a third year, but not a $2m player. Unless you are committed to $700K replacements who you play for two shifts a game and end up -2. We've seen that.

 

Do you want Fast for 4 seasons?

What about 5?

 

I mean, its just $2m for another season.

Do you want Fast for 4 seasons?

What about 5?

 

I mean, its just $2m for another season.

 

I don’t see how that’s a valid question when he accepted 3 years. Also, at 2m, he’s very tradeable if there was any cap problem in the future. Really no matter what way you slice it, they kind of messed this one up. Not the end of the world though but still.

They didn't want him. That's the end of it. They're hoping Buch Kakko and probably Kravstov are ready to play. And they can find a stop gap 4th liner for less than 2m.

 

They reassess at the end of the season and bring in a gritty guy to PK and do all those things.

They didn't want him. That's the end of it. They're hoping Buch Kakko and probably Kravstov are ready to play. And they can find a stop gap 4th liner for less than 2m.

 

They reassess at the end of the season and bring in a gritty guy to PK and do all those things.

 

That’s basically it. It is what it is. Guess unless we get 700k players we are looking at rotating 4th liner retreads/unwanted for a while

Those stop gap 4th liners have been working out well, right? Not like we've been talking about the need to upgrade those positions for a few years now. End of the world hardly. So far as it stands today and it's not set it stone obviously I don't remember anybody predicting or hoping for these kind of signings and moves in the offseason. Basically having both arms tied behind their backs. Thank god for the lottery.

Those stop gap 4th liners have been working out well, right? Not like we've been talking about the need to upgrade those positions for a few years now. End of the world hardly. So far as it stands today and it's not set it stone obviously I don't remember anybody predicting or hoping for these kind of signings and moves in the offseason. Basically having both arms tied behind their backs. Thank god for the lottery.

 

I don't think anyone really understood that bonuses count against the cap. I never heard of it until friday.

 

So, yeah. Between bonuses and dead money, that's it. They're tapped out. And the same team comes back, one year older but collectively younger. Miller and Kravstov will probably make the team. They'll sink or swim, and then have all that dead weight fall off in the summer.

I guess we now know why everyone was so giddy over Brett Howden a couple weeks ago.