[brooks] Behind the Rangers? Complicated Trade Deadline Dilemma

[Phil]

It is not scripture that pending free agent Chris Kreider must be sent away in a deal for futures. It is not etched in stone that pending restricted free agents Ryan Strome and Tony DeAngelo, both salary arbitration eligible, must be traded because their numbers are too good.

 

There are 23 games before the deadline hits. This will provide more than enough time for the Blueshirts to declare themselves as legit playoff contenders ? or not ? and more than enough evidence for management to proceed. There really is no telling which way it is going to go, because for almost every defensive lapse or foolish puck-management decision, there is superior goaltending or a play by Artemi Panarin or Mika Zibanejad to twist things around.

 

You tell me. If the Rangers remain in the race for eighth but nevertheless move out a handful of their most productive players because of looming cap issues and/or adherence to a rebuild philosophy, you tell me how that is going to play with Panarin or with Zibanejad or with Henrik Lundqvist or Marc Staal ? or with a fan base that has embraced the program but should not have to endure a third consecutive deadline purge.

 

The future may not be now, and it almost certainly is not. But it sure won?t arrive anytime soon if there is constant turnover and if every veteran who reaches a free agent crossroads is summarily dismissed. The Rangers have a choice. The Rangers have choices.

 

Kreider is a culture-driver. Lundqvist almost certainly will be gone after next season. Staal will be gone, too. Their absences will create gigantic voids in the room. So would the removal of Kreider, to whom the kids flock for advice and look up to. There is an added value to that.

 

There is added value to keeping Strome, who at 26 is channeling the talent and persistence that made him the fifth-overall pick in the 2011 draft, selected by the Islanders a slot before the Senators tabbed Zibanejad. There is added value in keeping DeAngelo, who has taken his game and attitude to another level.

 

https://nypost.com/2019/12/30/behind-the-rangers-complicated-trade-deadline-dilemma/

[josh]

I did not see that article, but ironically I was looking for this post this AM.

 

http://www.blueshirtsbrotherhood.com/showthread.php?22215-2020-Cap-Situation&p=990915&highlight=zibanejad#post990915

 

 

You can spend $10 on these guys (upcoming free agents - Kreider, Strome, Lemieux, Fast, DeAngelo, Georgiev). Then, for every additional $1m spent, you are crossing out 1 guy from below.

 

21-22 class:

Buchnevich

Chytil

Howden

Lindgren

Hajek

Rykov

Andersson

Lundkvist

Shersterkin

 

22-23:

Zibanejad

Kakko

Fox

Kravtsov

[josh]

There are 23 games before the deadline hits. This will provide more than enough time for the Blueshirts to declare themselves as legit playoff contenders — or not — and more than enough evidence for management to proceed.

 

Not sure I make moves unless they are cup contenders.

[CBrowningPI]

I'd love to see a stop to the turnovers. The players in question themselves have to question if financial gain is better than playing with the Rangers and staying in New York. I don't think ADA has much love for management but he does seem to enjoy playing with this team and especially Bread. Some serious life decisions and management will continue to push the "business" decisions which are valid. There's really a no win situation here and it sucks for us fans.

[Dunny]

They really don't have a choice because of the other, unmovable, garbage they employ. We've been over this umpteen times.

 

Now, they'll be forced to retain players that have no use, and jettison the useful ones. That's the repercussion of mis-managing your cap to tne extent that Jeff Gorton did.

[Pete]

They really don't have a choice because of the other, unmovable, garbage they employ. We've been over this umpteen times.

 

Now, they'll be forced to retain players that have no use, and jettison the useful ones. That's the repercussion of mis-managing your cap to tne extent that Jeff Gorton did.

 

No...This is not solely about having cap for Kreider. This is about do you want a 37 year old Kreider making $7 million to play on your third or fourth line and PP to pop in maybe 10-15 goals? Do you want him being the guy who we say "They really don't have a choice because of the other, unmovable, garbage they employ."

 

They can absolutely move Skjei and free up that cap because I think the league knows Ruff is a complete tire fire and Skjei has the tools to be a competent middle pair D and that's what his price tag says he should be.

 

This isn't only about cap...It's about the point in the career of guys like Kreider, Strome and Fast.

[Dunny]

OK, blame the assistant coach that doesn't have anything to do with the D for the performance of Brady Sjkei. Just ignore the obvious indicators that Skjei has rocks for brains and can't make decisions at the pace they need to be made at.

 

Can we drop the Ruff trope? Ruff runs the PK and I'm fine with the PK.

 

If Kreider wants seven years, that's one thing, but we don't know that.

[Dunny]

It also has everything to do with the cap, which is why we couldn't lock up Deangelo for three or four years @ relative peanuts, but instead will watch Brady Skjei embarrass himself for four more years for more money.

[Pete]

OK, blame the assistant coach that doesn't have anything to do with the D for the performance of Brady Sjkei. Just ignore the obvious indicators that Skjei has rocks for brains and can't make decisions at the pace they need to be made at.

 

Can we drop the Ruff trope? Ruff runs the PK and I'm fine with the PK.

 

If Kreider wants seven years, that's one thing, but we don't know that.

No, we can't drop the Ruff trope that good players come here and don't play good D (Skjei, Trouba) and bad players go elsewhere and play much better D (Pionk).

[Pete]

It also has everything to do with the cap, which is why we couldn't lock up Deangelo for three or four years @ relative peanuts, but instead will watch Brady Skjei embarrass himself for four more years for more money.

Nope. Expansion draft eligible.

[BrooksBurner]

No, we can't drop the Ruff trope that good players come here and don't play good D (Skjei, Trouba) and bad players go elsewhere and play much better D (Pionk).

 

I'd probably put Quinn at the top of the pecking order when it comes to determining structure and style of play, before pointing the finger at Ruff. Not to absolve Ruff, who hasn't seemed to help.

[Pete]

I'd probably put Quinn at the top of the pecking order when it comes to determining structure and style of play, before pointing the finger at Ruff. Not to absolve Ruff, who hasn't seemed to help.

 

Yea, no argument here. My original point is that I don't think Skjei is immovable at all.

 

I can also argue that it's Trouba who's blocking ADA because he plays the right side and in hindsight we actually don't need him since we know what we have in Fox and ADA.

[Costa]

CK20 NEEEEEEEEDS to go. Strome, no reason you can't give this guy a Zbad type deal (4yrs/22mil or 5yrs/27.5mil). TDA, you might need to make a long term commitment to him buy backloading his deal so you can pay him once Henke, Staal & Smith come off the books. Same goes for Lemieux.

[Dunny]

You can't backload deals in hockey.

[Phil]

You kind of can but year-to-year variance can't exceed 30% if I recall correctly.

 

The average would still be the average, though, which is all that matters.

 

 

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[Dunny]

That's straight cash, though, right?

 

AAV is your cap number.

[Pete]

That's straight cash, though, right?

 

AAV is your cap number.

Yes.

[Dunny]

Yeah, I don't think the Rangers are too worried about payroll. It's less than it was 20 years ago lol.

[Phil]

Right. I just mean you can technically "backload" a deal (within the Y?Y variance). It doesn't ever change the AAV, though.

 

 

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[josh]

The more we discuss it, and the more I think about it, the less I want Strome back. I think his price will be within $1m of Kreider, and in that aspect, I might lean Kreider, if I'm picking

[BrooksBurner]

Yea, no argument here. My original point is that I don't think Skjei is immovable at all.

 

I can also argue that it's Trouba who's blocking ADA because he plays the right side and in hindsight we actually don't need him since we know what we have in Fox and ADA.

 

I have always wondered if the Rangers make the trade if they knew they would land Fox. In fairness, with the way Fox and ADA performing, it doesn't always go that smoothly, so maybe they still would have but who knows. Even though I like Trouba and what he brings (physicality, steady defense, not completely inept offensively), I'm not sure if I had both Fox and ADA if I would have pulled the trigger on Trouba. Essentially, they chose to pay Trouba over Kreider or some other combination of players (Buchnevich/Skjei, Buchnevich/ADA, Strome/ADA, etc.). Depending on what choice they make here, I'll either be OK with it or a bit irked by it.

[BrooksBurner]

The more we discuss it, and the more I think about it, the less I want Strome back. I think his price will be within $1m of Kreider, and in that aspect, I might lean Kreider, if I'm picking

 

So what's your salary guess here? Strome 5.5-6M vs Kreider 6.5-7M? I don't think Strome has that much leverage as an RFA. If he stuck to that much, I have a feeling the Rangers would just take him to arbitration, probably get him for 4-4.5M, and make him have another good season next year.

[Pete]

The more we discuss it, and the more I think about it, the less I want Strome back. I think his price will be within $1m of Kreider, and in that aspect, I might lean Kreider, if I'm picking

 

So what's your salary guess here? Strome 5.5-6M vs Kreider 6.5-7M? I don't think Strome has that much leverage as an RFA. If he stuck to that much, I have a feeling the Rangers would just take him to arbitration, probably get him for 4-4.5M, and make him have another good season next year.

 

So...29 year old, 1 dimensional LW who offers nothing when not scoring and doesn't score enough to warrant the disappearance...who you are probably paying close to $7 until around 35

 

vs

 

27 year old forward who can play all 3 positions on any line in your lineup in any situation...who you are probably paying ~$5 until around 32

 

One you lose to UFA this year and one you have control as an RFA...Both are like 50 point players in a vacuum...

 

This is a no brainer in favor Strome, in my eyes.

[RangersIn7]

I’ll have to agree with Pete

 

I say this as someone who happens to like Kreider, even taking into account the fact that he’s someone who does provide leadership, but the skill set and production doesn’t warrant keeping him around at the suspected price and term.

 

Though I doubt it’s a straight one or the other situation, as Kreider is likely getting dealt in the next 60 days, it has to be Strome.

Younger

Cheaper

More versatile

More productive

[Rosenvold]

The biggest issue is the cap hit of next season.

 

Basically, the Rangers have 15-17M of cap space (depending on cap increase) to fill 9 roster spots. You can fill in Shestyorkin and Kravtsov plus a further 3 AHL/ELC guys. That's about 5M. Then you have 10-12M to resign or replace deAngelo, Kreider, Strome and Fast, who all hold trade value at the deadline. Therefore at least one of those four guys must be traded - it's as simple as that.

 

You could argue for trading both Kreider and Strome, although I doubt it. The forward rental market seems extremely thin this year, so their values could be high near the deadline.