It's been a bit since I blogged, and as i still determine my next steps, I wanted to get a fresh one up. Part of this is crowd surfing and garnering your view on whether a draft blog makes sense. In addition, given the discussions to date, asking for your view on the top-25 or so questions.
Roster:
Since the end of the season, GM Chris Drury has made three moves. Two we have discussed already. One was bringing a winger back from the hinterlands. The second, if all pans out as hoped, was importing a possible bottom-six center. The third was locking up a winger acquired last year in a heavily panned trade - at least in certain circles - for an additional season.
We spoke last week about
Vitali Kravtsov. The hope is that he will fill the role as a second or third-line right winger. Part of that will be his adaptation or re-adaptation to the US but also, Kravtsov submerging his ego to an extent and being part of the team. I had heard some whispers that the Rangers signing him was to facilitate trading him, so his status on the team is far from locked in stone. This could mean the platitudes lobbed his way by coach Gerard Gallant and Drury were lip service to maintain the facade of interest, But time will tell.
Gustav Rydahl is far from a given. But, a veteran, physical center who has played at the highest levels in Sweden and on the national stage making close to the minimum is never a bad thing. Rydahl is not afraid to be physical, which should endear him to Gallant and Drury. As I noted when he signed, Rydahl should get a shot to be a bottom-six center, depending on how the team configures the third line. He could chip in 12-15 goals filling a third line center role or play on the fourth line also at a low cap hit.
Drury completed the trifecta, re-signing
Sammy Blais to a one-year, $1.55 million deal. That figure is slightly above the $1.525 million Blais made this past season, but below his qualifying offer and the $2 million many projected for his salary. Every dollar saved helps with the cap only rising $1 million to $82.5 million. Blais, injured by a slew foot by PK Subban, limiting him to 14 games, underwent ACL surgery last December. He was rumored to be close to returning and a possibility for the SCF, if the Rangers made it that far. Blais should fill a bottom-six wing spot, making the team that much harder to face. Rydahl and Blais gives Drury options to fill oher open slots, knowing he may have 2/3 of the fourth line.
Mock draft:
The past four seasons, we did a mock draft pick by pick to lead us up to the actual draft. A big driver of having the draft was due to the Rangers selecting high as they rebuilt the roster. In addition, making the selections enabled us to pass the long period of time between the end of the end of the regular season and free agency.
This season, that is clearly not the case. The Rangers advanced to the ECF, finishing two games shy of representing the Eastern Conference in the SCF. As such, the time frame between the end of the season and free agency is much more narrow than in years' past.
Draft date is July 7. If we decided to do a draft, we would have to start in a week and post anywhere between 4-6 picks daily to finish before the actual draft. In addition, due to meeting the conditions associated with the pick dealt for Andrew Copp, New York surrendered their first rounder and now won't pick until the second round.
I mention all these factors since they may impact your view. If the prevailing thought is not to do a draft, that works for me. Just throwing out the option, just in case, since if the view is to conduct one, I will need to find representatives for each team.
25 Questions:
In almost every year past, we have done some version of the top 20 or so off-season questions. To state the obvious and what should be remembered by many, we usually have entered the late-spring and summer with more questions than answers. This year may be no different, despite what looks to be settled on the team. As done in year's past, I throw this one to you, asking for you to provide your questions, which I will incorporate in the blogs to carry uis through the summer.
One question has already been partially answered, which was would the Rangers bring back Kravtsov. Though as noted above, this is not yet a final response. Blias likely would have been a question, but more so, how much would bebe paid and would you have gone more than one year to prevent him from being a UFA after next season.
Here are a
few more, and as in year's past, not looking for responses immediately. In addition, these will be answered mainly one by one, not in any order, the rest of the offseason. My request if you allow one from me is to please enable the questions and responses to be played out over the off-season:
1) Will Ryan Strome or Andrew Copp be re-signed, and if one is to be brought back, which one do you prefer?
2) Would you deal Kakko Kappo for a second or third line center and do you want that to be Kirby Dach?
3) Is Filip Chytil a center or a winger? Is he locked into the top-six next season?
4) Did Alexis Lafreniere show enough to be moved to the top-six and do you view him as a first line right winger?
5) Would you buy out Patrik Nemeth or what would you package him with to free up his $2.5 million salary this year (and next)?
6) Who are you adding as Igor Shesterkin's back up once Alexandar Georgiev is moved? Can Keith Kinkaid and/or Adam Huska fill that spot? Do you add a veteran like Braden Holtby for $1 million?
7) Should New York add a veteran blueliner or try Nils Lundkvist or Zac Jones or Matthew Robertson as the sixth d-man? Would the wiser course of action to do both?
More to come
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