As expected, a quiet Day 1 at the NHL Draft for the Rangers, who did not have a selection. New York's first round pick went in the Abdrew Copp deal to Winnipeg, who selected Brad Lambert at 30th overall. The irony is I was hoping the Blueshirts would trade back into the first round to select Lambert, who went with the pick New York traded. The Rangers made one deal earlier in the day, dealing Alexandar Georgiev to the Avalanche for three picks.
Drury stuck to his guns, acquiring more for Goergiev than we expected. This could be a deal that is a win-win for both sides. Colorado gets a possible starting goalie, as GM Joe Sakic said Thursday night he expects Georgiev to be the #1 backed up by Pavel Francouz as Darcy Kumper will not be back. New York gets salary relief, freeing up some much needed cap space.
The NHL knew the Rangers, due to cap issues, would not qualify Georgiev at $2.6 million by Monday’s qualifying-offer deadline, making him a must trade candidate. Despite that knowledge, Drury was able to acquire a 3rd and 5th this year and third round next season from Colorado. Maybe not the home run he wanted but a solid line drive in the books. By acquiring those three selections, Drury was able to recoup the third he traded to Vegas for Ryan Reaves, the third he traded to Philly for Justin Braun, and the fifth that was involved in the Copp trade
With the trade, here are the Rangers current selection spots in the 2022 draft:
New York is now in the market for a back up goalie. Larry Brooks in his column spells out some possible options. "The Blueshirts will be seeking a backup out of a free-agent pool that will include Martin Jones, in whom they had serious interest before he signed with the Flyers last year; Thomas Greiss; Jaro Halak; Braden Holtby; and Charlie Lindgren. The Rangers ideally would like to spend in the $1.25 million-$1.5 million range on the position." None of those names moved the needle that much. Scott Wedgewood or Casey DeSmith might have been options but each signed with their respective teams. One possible target not mentioned could be Jake Allen, if Montreal eats part of his $2.5 million salary.
Chris Drury spoke about the Georgiev trade as well as where things stand with Ryan Strome and Aandre Copp. In addition, he touched on Brennan Othmann and Will Cuylle. Drury doesn't say much, keeping his hands close to the vext. The most he really talked about was Mike Grier getting the San Jose GM job.
Arthur Staple provided his own update on where the Rangers sit after Day 1 of the draft.
What we’re hearing about the Rangers after Day 1 of the NHL Draft
Some quick highlights:
- Copp and Strome are near certainties to hit the open market.
- Copp is seeking at a minimum the deal that Zach Hyman got from the Oilers last summer. Seven years at $5.5 million per. He could be aiming even higher on salary, putting him out of New York;'s range. Detroit might be the landing spot.
- Strome is seeking a five- to six-year deal at something around that same $5.5 million. He may be warming to leaving the team.
- J.T. Miller was rumored to be going to the Isles for their pick, but they shifted gears and acquired Alexander Romanov. Miller, with one year left at $5.25 million, may still be in play.
- Kaapo Kakko and the Rangers are working toward a new contract without many hitches. He will be qualified by Monday, but a deal will likely come in well higher than his $874,000 qualifying offer, probably in the $2 million range for one or two years. Whether he’s moved in a trade remains to be seen, as his name has been involved in some of the trade conversations Drury has had over the last week.
Separately, with Kirby Dach going to Montreal on the heels of Alex DeBrincat heading to Ottawa, Chicago is in full rebuild mode. Further evidence of this was the trade of Brandon Hagel during the season and use of their cap space to take on Petr Mrazek foremother first round pick. WIth the Blackhawks looking to the future, holding on to Patrick Kane and/or Jonathan Toews just got a little dicier and makes even less sense. I would presume either or both will want to play for a contender while Chicago, despite what each has meant to the organization, could move the duo if they express a desire to go elsewhere. Kane might be want to be reunited with Artemi Panarin, which could possibly be an option if the Blackhawks ate half his $10.5 million salary. Toews will be harder to deal since his play has regressed and he missed 2020 due to injury.
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