Rangers' shake-up must start on defense
The fallout from the New York Rangers’ elimination from the playoffs may be more torturous to the players than losing in six games to the Ottawa Senators in the second round.
Significant changes to the roster are likely coming.
The Rangers are a quality team that has grown stale. They are like an aging house in need of a renovation project to keep up with the times. The Metropolitan Division is an elite area, and you must continually update to keep up with your neighbors.
General manager Jeff Gorton’s mission has to be to overhaul a defense that needs considerable work. It won’t be easy to make changes there. First, there are few proven defensemen available in the free agent marketplace or through trades.
Second, moving veterans Dan Girardi or Marc Staal is a managerial challenge. Both players have struggled and have big contracts. Girardi, 33, has three seasons left on a deal with a salary cap hit of $5.5 million. Staal, 30, has four seasons left on a deal that comes with a $5.7 million cap hit.
According to capfriendly.com, the Rangers already have $66 million committed to players for next season with restricted free agents Mika Zibanejad, Jesper Fast and Oscar Lindberg to sign. The salary cap is not expected to grow too far beyond this season’s $73 million. A buyout of Girardi and/or Staal could be considered, however the Rangers would be on the hook for dead money. For example, Girardi would still cost $2.6 million against the cap next season if he was bought out.
Keeping feisty Brendan Smith would help freshen up the defensive group, but re-signing him without moving salaries isn't feasible.
The same would be true if the Rangers want to pursue unrestricted free agent Kevin Shattenkirk.
Now that forward Rick Nash has only one season left on his contract, he might be easier to trade. But it’s still hard to believe a team would accept his $7.8 million cap hit without the Rangers retaining some of the salary cap hit.
Fans often mention trading Derek Stepan for a defenseman — and there’s logic to that — but that doesn’t change the necessity of moving Girardi, Staal or both. The Rangers need a new look on the back end.
The expansion of Brady Skjei’s presence next season should be factored in as part of a defensive makeover. He is a player to build around.
Trading Kevin Klein and his $2.9 million cap hit also would help, but that would not drastically shake up the back end.
Gorton would like to make it clear that being a good team isn’t what this exercise is about. It’s about building a championship team. The Rangers aren’t heading in that direction with the defense configured the way it is.
The arrival of the Vegas Golden Knights could provide Gorton an opportunity to be creative in dealing Girardi or Staal, who both have no-move clauses in their contracts. Maybe they realize a fresh start would be beneficial for their careers. It's worth asking.
Despite the NHL’s effort to give the Golden Knights a better start than previous expansion teams have had, the Golden Knights aren’t going to be starting this season as Stanley Cup contenders. Girardi and Staal are quality people, with some name recognition, making them reasonable bridge players for a building team.
Perhaps Vegas general manager George McPhee might entertain accepting a Rangers’ salary dump if the Rangers part with draft picks and/or prospects. How much would it be worth to Gorton to create cap flexibility? Probably quite a lot.