Zibanejad Arbitration Today

*UPDATE* The Rangers and Zibanejad agree on a five year, 5.35 AAV contract extension.  Frankly, it appears as if the Rangers blinked first, so credit Zibanejad and his new agent, who I believe is his brother in law, for getting a very favorable contract.

There is still time to get a deal done, but that time is running short. They could also have the arbitration and then strike a long term deal before the arbitrator renders his decision, just as the Red Wings and Tatar did.

I would write more about timing and rules, but I am just swamped. I’m sure someone smarter than me will fill you all in later today.

266 thoughts on “Zibanejad Arbitration Today”

  2. So, we have 48-hours after an arbitration decision to hammer out a non-arbitration-enforced deal. But the advantage of getting it done prior to arbitration is that you’re not trying to negotiate a multi-million dollar contract immediately after telling a player, to his face, why he sucks.

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  5. SN – the problem with that is inflation. If he gives you a healthy year along his averages, that 5×5 might be a 6×5 next season. If he gives you 30 goals and 70 points next year, we might be in 7×5 territory.

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  8. Once the Mika contract situation is settled, you have to figure the Rangers search for a third line center gain begin in earnest. Gorton will know how what he can and can’t do it terms of adding fishnagels. Bozak is probably the “best” option given his contract status (not too crazy salary-wise and he has one year left on it).

    If they can’t get Bozak I would look to bring in someone on the cheap and hope you end up with another Grabner situation. That would also give Lias Andersson a full shot to crack the lineup as a top nine forward because I do NOT want to see him stick as a fourth liner.

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  11. True Anthony. Once Zika is all settled and we know exactly what we have to play with, the search for another center begins.

    Though hopefully that need doesn’t sway Gorton from doing the smart thing – locking up Zika for around 5×5. If they go to arbitration hoping for a 1-year deal at around $4.5m just so they can afford a slightly-better 3rd line center…that’s not exactly thinking ahead.

    But hey, maybe the plan is to go dark, spend no money, and tank for a few seasons starting in 2018 or 2019.

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  13. A Bozak type of player ( I don’t like Bozak), is what the Rangers should be looking for. Experienced, with one year left on his deal. You don’t want someone who will block the two kids they drafted this year. I would still prefer they moved Miller ( couldn’t, shouldn’t) to center.

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  17. Alright, that leaves about $3M in cap space – not counting the $1M in wiggle room we’d probably want to leave over, nor a 13th forward.

    So we have about $1.3M realistically to spend on another center. If Holden goes the other way, that brings it up to around $3M again. BUT then we’d also need a new 7th defenseman (Pionk and Bereglazov both make $925K fyi). So down to $2M.

    If we wanted Bozak, we’d have to shed a bit more salary AND get Toronto to foot some of the cap hit. That probably takes him into Too-Expensive-to-Acquire-Land.

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  20. A bit more than I would have liked to spend. We all have to hope he plays up to that contract. It also probably makes Bozak too pricey. But overall, I think that Gorton has had a good off-season so far.

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  25. I have been trying to come up with a cheaper alternative to Bozak and I haven’t come across any center that fits being cheaper and is an UFA. I even looked at teams that have lots of cap space to retain salary and still struck out.

    I might have a way for the Rangers to get Bozak cheaply and have Toronto retain part of the salary and not have them take any salary back, but it is a gamble on the Rangers part.

    First off, the Rangers trade Holden to free up the $1.6 million for a draft pick (or two if they are lower type picks). The Rangers would send a combination of picks and or prospects to Toronto based on how much salary the Leaves retain (the more they keep, the more they get). The key to the deal would be the Rangers taking Nathan Horton’s contract off of Toronto’s hands.

    Horton has three years at $5.3 million, but he is done as a player due to injury so he goes on LTIR with no regular season cap hit. The 10% off-season kicker should cover Horton going forward. Taking Horton saves the Leaves almost $16 million (American) – money that Jim Dolan can make up by raising beer prices.

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  29. As it stands now, your center are,
    Zibanijad, Hayes, DD, Neives, and Andersson.
    LWs are,
    Kreider, Vesey, Nash, and Grabner.
    RWs,
    Zucc, Miller, Buchnevich, and Puemple. With Fast on IR.
    Help wanted.

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  32. With Miller at center.
    Kreider, Zibanijad, Buchnevich.
    Nash, Hayes, Zucc.
    Grabner, Miller, Vesey
    Puemple, DD, ? (Fast)
    In this scenario, Andersson does not make the team.

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  33. Anthony

    no thanks on Horton. That works much better for teams like Arizona. I don’t think the long term injury is = to that cap space as it is very restrictive and team must be at cap max to take advantage of it and completely limits flexibility. made worse by being a 3 yr thing

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  34. BDL

    yes lets just keep penciling in Buch for 1st line while marginalizing Grabner to 4th line.
    Although the one with Miller at c makes more sense.

    Thankfully pencils have erasers.

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  35. A little higher than expected, but 5 year deal sounds just about right considering his age.
    By the way, does anyone know if AZ decided to continue Stepan’s NT clause? They have no obligation to do so and could easily void it.

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  36. I could see a Nash/Hayes/Vesey or Nash/Hayes/Buch, i think Kreider/Zibanejad/Zucc would stick. Miller will slot on 3rd line i think, we’ll see whether thats with Andersson or if there’s a trade. Vesey and Grabby will slide up and down the line up. Puempel is the extra when Fast is fit

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  38. Buch, Vesey, Hayes, Miller, Zibanejad, Skjei are all the future. I think the line up is such that it will be flexible, wingers will slide up and down based on their performance but its clear from last season Buch is not suited to 4th line – Fast and Grabby are ideally your 4th line wingers, but if one of them is playing well, bump them up a line or two

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  39. Holden will get moved at some point – they’ve got plenty of competition for the bottom pair now – no need to pay someone $1.65m to do that when you’ve got Staal on the other side – DeAngelo, Bereglazov or Pionk will play opposite him

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  41. Well, for me, I thought the rangers were going to take a step backwards last year and was pleasantly surprised how far they went in the playoffs but this year is going to be tight whether the rangers get in the playoffs or not.

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  44. Wow. ZibanePAN. guess Gorton is committing to this guy as our #1 centerman for the next 5 years. I have no problem with paying your own players but this is the first time I’ve seen a player get exactly what he asked for from the Rangers in arbitration since…well, ever actually. Now things get complicated if they need another top 6 forward and you can just about guarantee that a Zucc or Kreider get moved if there’s to be a deal during the season.

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  46. C3, it was there. But that’s how quickly money goes in this league after you take care of your guys and upgrade a spot or two. Nash 8 million on his final year is prime relocation status. So are Zucc and Kreider if they don’t perform.

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  47. Tommy, I should have added Nash into that original post. Kreider is actually on a cap friendly deal if he’s going to replicate his goal scoring from last season. JT has set career highs the last two years. Zucc was a force in the playoffs. Then you have Hayes that’s going to want a raise and Staal’s atrocious cap hit. always a good time in Rangers cap land

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  49. I kind of expected $5.25 for 5, but close enough for comfort…Now, I would really like to lure back Artem Anisimov from Hawks for Holden and some pick. I do believe it’s doable. Hawks are desperately squeezed in cap and in need of added defense and we need reliable, proven 3rd line center (who also, I think will be glad to come back to his roots). Financially sound. Win=win. No?

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  50. BDL

    i’m a lot less worried about this year than you are. the future is much more important to me.

    Re Grabner we’ll get a lot more for him at the deadline if we don’t marginalize him on the 4th line. It’s using assets to best advantage.

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  51. I feel the rangers have the right guy as GM in Gorton. I remember him as temporary GM for the Bruins and made deals that won the cup for the bruins. It’s going to take some time.

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  52. I see we are trading Kreider again. It never stops. Every year he has been here, we try to trade him. Now we want to trade him for a top 6 forward. It’s funny, all along I thought Kreider was a top 6 forward. Silly me. And so i don’t have to post again, put Miller name everywhere I said Kreiders.

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  54. Horton’s not costing Leaves anything, it’s all insurance. Only thing that salary is affecting is cap space which is why so many ‘small market’ (i.e. cheap) teams are anxious to take on those contracts to reach cap floor.

    Ranger’s cannot afford Bozak without sending more salary back than Holden. Leaves don’t want to take more salary back. There is no yin/yang.

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  56. No, right now Anisimov is a lose-lose. Factoring in their cap space and even if they give Holden away, that leaves the Rangers with about $4.7 million in cap space.

    The problem is Artem’s cap hit is for $4.55 million – for the next four seasons. It also leaves the Rangers with $150,000 in cap space and only 6 d-men and 12 forwards on the roster. Really, it is only 11 forwards because Fast will miss the start of the season and I am not sure that he will be out long enough for LTIR.

    So unless you want to deal a Zucc or one of the younger forwards, the Rangers can’t make a deal for Anisimov.

    It just goes to show that all GMs need to shave off any salary they can when signing or re-signing players. $100,000 here and $100,000 adds up in the long run.

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  61. No to Anisimov, no to Bozak, neither of these guys will make this team any better than it is already. They drafted Andersson for a reason I think he is going to surprise! Gorton stays with the plan younger faster no more retirees please! Move Holden and empty Staals locker he can’t see anyway and with his concussion history he may think he’s been trade and leave town!

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  65. Still have to subtract Holden, but I think this is our team. I, personally, don’t want to see any trades for a marginal 3C. Either give it to Miller or Anderssen and live with it. I actually think the rookie can and maybe should make the team out of camp.

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  66. this team will not “rebuild” the the 8.5 million dollar man in net.

    They will certainly “retool” as they go along, which is what they’ve been doing.

    This team will be a mid to low playoff seed for the remainder of hank’s tenure.

    The only way for this team to be better than that is to show some onions and make a trade for established NHL top end talent that isn’t over the hill but it will of course be at a cost.

    It seems like the organization is more concerned with getting into the playoffs than winning it all at this point..participation award team.

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  67. difficulty of making electronic music.

    ——

    see…he’s not making sh*t…he’s just playing pre-recorded sh*t. Making electronic music takes a lot more than you think. Educate yourself, then speak.

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  75. No, you and your boyfriend actually do think that making electronic music is just pushing buttons.

    Also, I see you can’t get enough of me, booby… That’s cool… One of these days.

    🙂

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  78. I don’t get the negativity from everyone? All holes are filled, we’ve got a fantastic top 4 D, we’ve got young guys stepping up into roles that are a logical progression alongside some established wingers and some young guns to push them, we’ve got many guys in their prime and only one on the downside of their career.

    Are you just all missing a bit of Glass-bashing or moaning about Giarardi’s CORSI?

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  83. The roster, as it’s currently constituted, makes Hayes and Pavelec 2 of the bigger X-factors.

    Hopefully, Benoit Allaire can fix Pavelec. It might take a few months before we know.

    Hayes is in a contract year and he sees his brother’s career faltering. I think he’s going to give it everything he has to prove he’s a true 2C, but I’m just not sure if he’s up to the task.

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  84. UK – They are hoping that all of their young players improve and the older ones don’t regress. I would think that looking for improvement from the likes of Ziba, Buch, Vesey and Skjei is normal. Of course, whether they do or not, we’ll see.

    I’m worried about the defense because I see Hank as being on the downside of his career and it doesn’t look like he’s going to get much help from this group of defensemen.

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  85. So we build a defense that is good at puck possession and making passes out of their zone and you’re worried about what’s behind them? Lundqvist will face a lot less time with the puck in his own end

    The problem in the past few years has been a soft defense unable to win the puck back and get it to the forwards with enough urgency, putting pressure on our goaltender. Now we have a defense capable of doing just that and plenty of speed up front, young players who are not rookies ready to take the next step and plenty of secondary scoring. Nash is in a contract year so will want to prove he’s worth a few more years, Hayes, Miller, Vesey and Buch will also want to prove they can handle the increase in workload and responsibility

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  86. UK – I like your optimism, but every team in the league is looking to possess the puck and making the pass out of the zone. You’re not going to have possession 100% of the time.

    And, Nash, Hayes, Miller, Vesey, et al may want to prove that they can handle and increased workload, that doesn’t mean that they actually can. From what I’ve seen of Hayes, I think he’s about as good as he’s going to be. I do think that Vesey and Buch are the wild cards. If they can improve over their rookie year it will take some of the pressure off of some of the other forwards.

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  89. I love the Mika contract. Still want to see one more good center as I am not convinced that JT should or could fill that role and I need to be convinced by Lias.

    Interesting post from Zuuc on his Allstar charity game Facebook page (see below). It seems that Lundqvist and Kreider have bowed out of playing. I’m hoping that the reference to “decay” is a google translation glitch and not a foreshadowing of next season…

    “We all know it’s going to be tough for you in hockeysporten, and sometimes you have to throw in the towel. Despite the fact that they would like to join and contribute, unfortunately we have received the message of decay from Lundqvist, kreider and Hedman.”

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  91. I think JT is capable of playing Center, but not playing that position to our satisfaction. You can play him there if you are a re-building team in a lost season. We ain’t there yet. He’s a perfectly suited winger for a contending team.

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  92. Ah yes, but when you’ve got one of the better top 4’s in the league you can actually do it.

    I’m an optimist, i saw what Hayes is capable of last season – he could be a beast if he’s motivated and given the opportunity. Vesey will progress, he’s a smart kid and knows he needs to be fitter to last the full 82+ games. Buch is a wildcard, i agree – play him, coddle him a bit and he’ll be good too.

    The only potential weaknesses we have right now is a slot or two on the bottom 6,the PK and questions over the 3rd pair D – hardly a crisis!!

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  93. Be interesting to put VC with Grabber between Miller as both are able to generate shots and put pressure on D.
    Nash with Haze and Zucc as he doesn’t pass and the other 2 do not like to shoot.
    Leave Kreider with Zika and Butch – a line on fire last year prior to injuries and return of Fast to top 6.

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  98. Ode to Jimmy Vesey:
    ‘I’ve seen your picture
    Your name in lights above it
    This is your big debut
    It’s like a dream come true…’

    VC has the size, talent, and a bit of growing moxie. I see big things.

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  99. The problem with Hayes is you see what he is “capable” of doing, but what he actually does is not all that great. Supposedly, he trained harder, got himself in the best shape of his life and still he was rather meh.

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  101. As the roster stands now, it looks as if Andersson, and Nieves are going to fight it out for a roster spot. I’ve seen a few people say they would prefer Andersson play in Sweden rather that Hartford. I disagree. Keep him in Hartford if he doesn’t make the team. Come December he will go to the WJC. Then you can decide what to do with him.

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  103. Simon/UK
    I didn’t notice anyone really being negative, but maybe I missed a few posts.

    That being said, I think we all need to calm down just a bit re the D. I expect mcdonut and smith to be the same as last year. The rest are a crap shoot.

    We all know about staal and his decline. Holden had “flashes” of good play but will he even be here at the start?

    Skjel was not good in his own zone or along the wall during the regular season. He did improve considerably in the playoffs in that area but will that translate into this season? I hope so.

    Shattenkirk will help the mobility on the back end and hopefully the point production but will he help out in front of hank significantly?

    How will deangelo or another young guy do as #6 if Holden is gone?

    And how will AV use his top 6? Who will get “lost” towards the end of games?

    It’s fine to be optimistic, but realistic (does not mean negative) is also a good way to be.

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  110. I am going to have BDL’s dental record in my face from all the times he bit my head off this off season. 🙂

    Without using names BDL- someone with a significant salary will have to be moved if the necessity for a top 6 forward develops. I for one don’t want Kreids anywhere but here

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  112. And BDL agreed on Andersson. Same people who want him to take more time wanted Buchnevich to play a full year in the AHL last season to learn how to play North American hockey

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  119. It’s looking more and more like an interesting lineup. With Stepan gone, and Fast not coming back till November, Nash is now the most defensively responsible forward. If I were AV I’d forbid Nash from crossing their own blueline- may as well trying to score as many as you can.

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  121. It is interesting how people agree that we need/want a top six forward (preferably a 1st/2nd line center) UNTIL you mention their favorite player and then it is all bets are off.

    No player is untouchable, not should they be on this team. The closest the Rangers come to an untouchable player are the ones Slats gave NMC/(Full)NTC to. I have no problem with the Rangers moving Kreider/Miller/Insert Player as long as the Rangers don’t bring back a player in their 30s. The return has to be a player within a couple of years of the player traded.

    I have a feeling that the 3rd line center’s job is Lias Andersson’s to win/lose – which is why AV has been cryptic about J.T. Miller moving to center because Miller is the fallback if Andersson loses the job. Not the best situation, but it beats Desharnais playing on the 3rd line on a regular basis. Even if they did that, the Rangers are shy a 4th line center unless Boo Nieves has a great camp or someone like Paul Carey fights his way on (which he might as the 13th forward).

    If Andersson doesn’t make the Rangers and Miller plays center don’t be surprised to see the Rangers do what most of us fear and dip into the old-fogey free agency waters should one of the 40+ set are still unsigned. Could we see a Jagr 2.0 (or in his case Jagr 45.0)?

    Carp- I am more than half way through “Nightmare on 33rd Street” and am enjoying the misery of that season. I am glad that there are few things that I can remember about that season. The only thing I remember was Stefan Cherneski’s retirement. The only reason I remember that was because i was at the game in Hartford when he suffered that devastating knee injury.

    I was sitting directly across the ice from where Cherneski got hurt and I can remember being sick to my stomach that he suffered such a bad injury – and I didn’t even realize how devastating it would become.

    Putting aside the obvious first round busts, you have to wonder how the Rangers history plays out if Cherneski, Dan Blackburn and Alexei Cherepanov would have been given the chance to reach their potential?

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  126. And then you are short a top 6 winger, Anthony. The play here for the Rangers is this, short term stop gap center, or fill from within. That means Andersson, or if he deemed not ready, Miller.

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  128. After this season you have Nash, and Grabner as UFAs, and the season after that, Zucc. You want to trade a wing to fill the center spot. Makes no sense.

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  129. @Carp – was looking for you at Walter’s Monday afternoon. Took some out of towners there. Assured them the extremely large squirrel was just big boned and had no plans to make off with their food when not looking. The bird on the other hand….

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  131. very dumb if they do this this summer re ANOTHER buyout. far better to wait a year and trade him while eating a lesser amount of cash/cap space

    NHL Rumors‏ @NHLRumorsDaily

    I don’t think it looks this way right now, but NYR have been exploring possibility of a Marc Staal buyout. A Bozak trade adds to that

    Looking like IF, and I say IF a deal is reached soon between NYR and TOR, it would look like Holden and a 2nd or 3rd I’m hearing for Bozak

    Back after my long hiatus. Bozak to the NYR is EXTREMELY close but nothing has been agreed upon yet. Take caution but swap of players/picks

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  132. Who do we have or who can we get who is better than Staal and can it be worth dumping millions on Staal so he can play elsewhere? I think he’s penciled in and management is focusing on other problems.

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  133. BDL – I am not saying I would make the deal, I was just saying why someone would make the deal. The only way I make that type of deal is if some team is crazy enough to send me back a center who is better than the winger I am trading – age and salary being equal or close to equal.

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  134. Keep in mind that when Nash is gone they WILL sign another wing. Too many big names and out there next summer. Maybe they re-sign him. Idk. But someone too 6 quality will be here whether it’s Nash or no Nash.

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  137. Count – At the very least see if there are any teams that Staal would accept a trade to. Maybe he would go to Carolina to play with Jordan. I highly doubt the Wild would want him, but it never hurts to ask. Not exactly the popular thing to do “to a player”, but Marc is smart enough to know he is never going to finish out that contract as a Ranger.

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  138. Problem is that you have half of Staal’s salary on the books for three years after Bozak is gone. You still need another center and you’re still paying for Bozak. Not wise cap usage.

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  140. Aneirin

    buyout far worse.

    instead of 2,850 each yr for 4 yrs if took half his salary via trade buyout goes 8 yrs including 3.9 in year 4. and that’s on top of Girardi buyout. unless they know something like meteor strike it makes no sense. i am not saying you are advocating this.

    and who’s to say they would have to eat 1/2 via trade, maybe they’d do 2 mm per yr.

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  141. I think they would eat up to half of Staal’s salary to trade him now that he’s dropped down the depth chart and there are 2/3 guys knocking on the door to replace him.
    4 years is a lot shorter than the 8 for the buyout and although the buyout tails off, those first few years are going to hurt.

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  142. Staal buyout: $2.1m, $2.1m, $3.1m, $3.9m, then 4 x $1.4m

    Years 3 & 4 look awful…..especially when you add on the Girardi cap charge

    it also peaks before they can rewrite the CBA

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  144. if they’re going to marginalize Grabner anyway as some here suggest in mock lineups, maybe they trade him for a pick now.

    Would there be room for Messier (sorry i mean Bozak) if Grabner and Holden are traded either together or separately.

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  146. I would much rather have Grabner, than Bozak. And Alex, I do not marginalize Grabner. He was a real find for them last year. It doesn’t matter what line Grabner plays on, he will get the same minutes. He just makes way more sense on the 4th, the Buchnevich and Vesey.

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  150. BDL

    Grabner on 4th line is marginalizing him. Better to trade him as part of the process to bring in Messier (Bozak)

    for large segments of the year the best line was Hayes, Miller, Grabner. But if it’s not broke fix it anyway.

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

    as per the above with 12F, 7D and 2G thats $3.05m in cap space left. Then add Andersson at $925k and have $2.1m available and a 13th forward to add, for examples Nieves at $755k.
    Fast won’t be fit to start the season so there will be an IR decision on him too.

    I don’t think thats enough room for Bozak – even if Andersson starts in Hartford.

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  152. No point trading Grabner in the off-season, he can slide up and down the lineup and he’ll be much more valuable at the deadline if we’re not in contention (my view, we will be and Grabby stays)

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  160. Grabner had a nice year last year but before we retire his number let’s remember he hadn’t sniffed 20 goals since 2011/12 and didn’t hit double digits in the last two years. Injuries/slumps/benchings will give Grabner plenty of chances to get off the fourth line IF he starts the year there.

    If my choice is Buchnevich or Grabner on the fourth line, I’d refer to have the kid get the playing time. Now my thinking would probably change if the Rangers were top contenders for the Cup, but they are not.

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  164. I was wrong, according to an article on the tsn website rangers have 500K right now left for there cap. The article stated the rangers are looking to trade Holden to free up space to get a center, probably looking for a draft pick and reading leaf fans perspective on the leafs trading Bozak according to leaf fans, it isn’t happening.

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  167. Anthony

    I’d rather trade Grabner than have him be marginalized on 4th line. The line with Miller and Hayes was quite often our best. When I see Grabner I see Hags and Hags was never a 4th liner while here. Too many people want to annoint Buch or even Vesey with some spots even in some cases having Buch as 1st liner.

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  170. Regarding Grabner; I think those who want to elevate Vesey or Buch, even prematurely or undeservedly so, are doing so with the future in mind. Grabner is gone after next year, so why not give your future the better linemates and minutes on a team that most agree isn’t a cup contender?

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  171. Booby

    that’s why they can’t waste the asset that Grabner proved very well last year. Trade him now before he gets marginalized. If we wait until the deadline and he’s wasting on 4th line we won’t get much for him.

    he’s too good to be a 4th liner. let another team (outside the division) use him where he’s best suited.

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  173. Development is for Hartford; paid to win at MSG. It’s not like those players are not given the opportunities.
    Grabner is a weapon and keeps the D honest, allowing more room for his line mates. The AV top 9 approach will provide a mismatch for one of the lines.
    They also cannot afford to trade Grabber, too much dollar value.

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  174. Re Staal buyout vs retain money on a trade, it’s not an either or situation. They can, and probably will, do neither. That cap hit for the three years after potentialBozak leaves also doesn’t take into account the need to replace Staal. It’s a cluster…. waiting to happen.
    The Holden/Bozak trade can’t happen capwise either. Right now, a probable roster of 13 forwards (including Fast) and 8 d-men (including Holden) leaves the Rangers with (give or take) 1.5 million in cap space (every cap site has the Rangers with 12 forwards and 7 d-men – Fast needs to be replaced, Holden probably needs to be replaced). So with Holden traded, the Rangers gain another 1.6 million. Not enough to accommodate Bozak.
    Even trading Staal and eating half his salary in the deal, still can’t do it. Trade Holden then and yes, they can but now you have two unproven d-men on your 3rd pairing and you have almost no cap room. No gm in their right mind is going to saddle a coach with that.
    Go with what they have and trade Holden and they go into the season with about 3 million in cap room with a 22 man roster. Flexibility, they can easily accommodate a 23 man roster and considering the plethora (yes, I typed plethora) of (cheap) d-men they have who might be NHL ready, carrying 8 d might give us a nice little bonus at the deadline if they can persuade WBM1 to waive for a chance with a legit contender.

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  175. Grabner is a weapon like the original M16. Too many misfires and too many jams.

    What do you hope for when you see Grabner on a breakaway?

    That he passes.

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  177. When Hags was here we didn’t have nearly the depth on wing that we have now. Yes, Grabner had an outstanding half a year but when February rolled around, his scoring absolutely dried up. He scored 4 goals in 3 games at the beginning of the month than only 1 goal the rest of the season. He’s gone at the end of the year, he’s effective on the fourth line where the guys he might be bumping off of the top nine won’t be. Sure, if he gets hot again, bump him up but he shouldn’t be a fixture and if Hayes is pushed up to the 2C, there’s no way that line is reconstitued anyway.

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  178. Aneirin

    disagree big time on Grabner and he was one of our best forwards in playoffs. his speed is a huge weapon and people act like he’s old – he’s the same age as zucc and most don’t consider zucc old.

    but lets give his spot to mr hype Buch. who did nothing most of the year.

    if we’re not going to utilize Grabner properly then lets trade him while he has some value.

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  181. Rangers TV spent time catching up with #NYR @kphayes12 & @jimmyvesey26 near their hometowns to get an inside look at their summer training.
    ===============================
    Just watched that video – nice to see the BC boys get in shape using the ultimate aerobic workout – boxing. Hopefully, Haze will head to the wall now and possibly win a 50/50 board battle. Their form however leaves little to be desired unless Rocky’s boxing Defense is their goal..

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  182. If Miller is the 3C (should/could), the team will have a Top 9 in which every player can score 20 goals. All have save for Haze and VC.
    Only 3 have scored over 25 – Nash, Kreider and everyone’s favorite defensive 4th line forward, Grabner. A guy who was also tied for the team lead in PO goals.
    .
    Last 2 years Nash has 38 goals @ $15.6M. Grabner has 36 @ $6.6M. Who is a better defensive player?
    Exactly….

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  187. Goal Projection (4 goal range):
    Kreider: 28 – 32
    Nash: 25- 29
    Miller: 23 – 27
    Zika: 22 – 26
    Zucc: 21 – 25
    Grabner: 20 – 24
    VC: 19 – 23
    Haze: 18 – 22
    Butch: 17 – 21
    .
    Glass: 0 – 4

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  188. Love Grabner, but he hasn’t shown consistent ability to score 20+. And if he does, he will have essentially played his way out of NYR affordability. Though, to be fair, he’s just about as consistent as any other NYR player. That is to say, not.

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  191. I think everyone needs to calm down just a bit re some of the ranger players and anointing them Norris winners or Richard winners.

    One season does not a career make.

    We signed grabner and most of us said 10-15 goals and good d play would be acceptable (indeed many said a Hagar replacement). He exceeded expectations with his goal production.

    I, for one, would consider him having a good season if he scored 12 goals and played well defencively.

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  192. That being said, regardless of which line they play on, id love every ranger forward to score 30+ goals and every ranger d man regardless of pairing have 50+ points

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  198. Carp – Since the statute of limitations are up, I have a question from your book. One of the players in “Nightmare” basically accused Slats of coaching the team. Not that farfetched given no one else was hiring Ron Low and the hiring of Bryan Trottier reeked of two guys being beholden to Slats giving them a coaching job I am not sure if that was the same person who said that Messier hadn’t even talked to him and the season was over half gone. I had it narrowed to Eric Lacroix and Sandy McCarthy and settled on Lacroix. Is that right, and if not, who was it?

    Also want to pick your brain on a “What if” question. Let’s say MSG gave Neil Smith the okie-dokie to fire John Muckler who do you think gets the job? Would we have seen a much earlier start to the Torts Era (the four game interim stint not withstanding) or did Smith have someone in mind?

    As I mentioned before, I am enjoying the book and am extremely glad that I had erased that entire season.

    I am also extremely glad that Carp has hung around with us Boneheads post his employment at the newspaper-who-shall-not-be named. Back in those days he had to hang out with us because it was his job. Now he does out of love, or boredom 🙂 Either way, I know I really appreciate being able to discuss the Rangers and hockey with someone who knows the game. I think that is what separates this place from most others on the Internet.

    I again feel the need to thank everyone for the daily pleasure of talking Rangers and hockey. I may not always agree with youse guys, but y’all sure have helped me through these tough times and God as my witness when we win the Cup in 2018 I am being everyone a hot dog at Walter’s.

    Liked by 1 person

  199. BDL

    it’s a matter of who a guy plays with plus their minutes. i very much doubt that each line will be treated equally in terms of talent level and playing time.

    that does not mean that best 3 are line 1 next best 3 line 2. some styles gell better than others. like grabner, miller and hayes played very well together.

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  201. In the AV Top 9 approach, at least one solid line will be against 3rd pair or a tired top 4. If usually provides opportunities for players who do not produce as much in more formal top 6 roles (see Pull-out, Hags).
    .
    BTW, Pitt took off when they went with a 3 line approach and moved Kessel down to play with Hags who has started to miss games as his slight frame is not built for wall battles. When Hags was with Ducks, more of a traditional checking 3rd line, not so much Offense coming from him.

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  204. Alex,
    I am pretty tired of talking about Grabner, so this is going to my last response on him.
    It’s not about one guy. It’s about putting as many guys as you can in a position to succeed. Having Vesey, or Buchnevich on the 4th line does not put them in a position to succeed. Grabner, on the other hand, does not need to top 9 to succeed. He will be just as effective on the 4th line as he would on any other line. Don’t get caught up in Grabners goal scoring last year, that was lightning in a bottle. Take 10 to 12 goals and great PKing and forechecking from Grabner on the 4 th line and be really happy about it.

    Liked by 2 people

  206. BDL – 12 goals on 4th line would be the equivalent of 22 on the 3rd. he also was the beneficiary of playing with 2 very good passers; Haze and JT.
    If Miller is center, the young guys play up in top 9 and Grabber can be a defensive presence needed to support Miller and VC.

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  211. Coos- buying. It has been a long week. Co-worker retired and I get to do his job, with no additional pay. Ain’t I lucky, but I need the job to BUY all of those hot dogs for youse guys following the GWG in Triple OT of Game 7, scored by #15 Tanner Glass! 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

  213. Anthony – ‘From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.’ Obviously, your employer feels that you have great ability but don’t need any more money. So you have that going for you. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  216. Anthony: You are one of the best reasons to hang around here. As for CARP….he needs to play more golf and bring The Athletic to New York.

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  217. Coos – No, not Communist. My employer is a college (same difference, really) so they have no money – at least for peons like me 🙂

    Considering said college is in Shatty’s hometown maybe he can donate a couple of fishnagels?

    Liked by 1 person

  218. Here is a quick story to tell how nuts things are going at work. I have a note up to claim a missing journal called “Times Higher Education” which goes by the acronym “THE”. I just looked at the note on the wall and wondered why I had Krieder’s name on a post-it. I guess that just goes to show that I am 100% committed – to what I have no idea! 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

  220. Sweet Jebus, over at Blueshirt Banter they actually suggested that we could get Matt Duchene for either:

    1) Ryan Graves, Adam Huska, R1
    or
    2) Brady Skjei and Marc Staal

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  222. SN Im getting the feeling we definitely know each other or have mutual friends. Hadn’t seen Sal in almost two years. My father was in there a few months ago and heard he was doing alright though.49 is way too young.

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  224. And these Grabner bickerfests are so annoying that I’m hoping he gets traded soon 🙂

    Maybe he and Nash can play first line and we can find some room in Hartford for Buch and Vesey. Especially Vesey. Kid can’t even throw a punch. What do we do if we play Montreal and Dwight King is in the lineup?!?!?!

    Liked by 2 people

  225. You know the dog days of summer are here when you google “ny rangers” and the top 3 articles are:

    -Brooks speculation about Staal/Bozak

    -A blog featuring a piece on possible line combos

    -an article about why they could bring back Jagr..

    WOOF

    Liked by 1 person

  226. If I want entertainment, I’ll watch a movie. I want my hockey team to win championships, could care less if that championships are won with a boring style or boring players.

    Liked by 1 person

  227. BDL

    4th line for Grabner does not put him in position to succeed either except as pk.

    far better to trade him now before his value declines if that is truly the intent. keep him out of the division though.

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  228. I have a solution to the Grabner debate. Bring back Mike Keenan to coach and tell him that Grabner is Alexei Kovalev and Iron Mike will leave him on the ice until he is exhausted. If he can last as long as Kovalev did on some of his shifts, Grabner will end up skating on four lines! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  229. James

    me too. I want Grabner traded as well and certainly not because I don’t think he’s a really good player. Just hate him being marginalized.

    i don’t even care what we get for him as long as it’s outside the division.

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  231. Anthony

    actually me eyes tell me he tends to come off pretty quickly after a few sprints.

    Cooscoos

    I’d say you’re 2nd behind SN

    I don’t see him getting it back after the various concussions and the eye.

    hopefully in another yr we can trade him with less of a remaining cap hit than a buyout.

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  232. Wick – Had many an argument with fans over that same discussion over boring hockey vs, exciting hockey vs. winning hockey. As much as we all hated to watch the Devils slow the game to a crawl, anyone here not willing to trade our one Cup for their three Cups?

    Yes, in a perfect world I would prefer the Rangers to win a Cup dazzling the world of hockey like the old Flying Frenchman. As we know, we don’t live in a perfect world so I will take a Cup any way I can get it.

    FYI – I will not be surprised to see the Rangers with an ex-Toronto Maple Leafs center in the fold. Former Leafs 5th round pick in 2012 Dominic Toninato (6-2/190) hits UFA come August 15. He played four years at Minnesota-Duluth and averagred about 16 goals and 10 assists the last three years. Seems like perfect fodder for Hartford and gives Vinny Lettier a paesan with the Wolf Pack.

    Liked by 1 person

  233. Alex – It wasn’t a knock on Grabner. It was a joke because Keenan punished Kovalev by forcing him to stay on the ice when Alexei would sometimes forget there were other wingers who needed their ice time too.

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  241. Alex we should trade Grabner to Anehiem what could possibly go wrong? And I hate the summer as well, my boss cuts out my weekday cabby job because of the heat & all the rain (electric cab no windows). So I only work Saturdays. Retirement without hockey stinks!

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  243. getting a hockey fix sort of. watching alumni game stl – chicago. cummins actually threw a check. stl fielded a team of names. chicago not so much.

    part of my clearing the dvr in summer

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  255. Bozak or no Bozak, by my count, we’re down a forward or 2. We can’t assume Andersson is NHL ready, (especially in October) and Nieves sounds like he’s poised to be the new Hrivik for short term call ups. In addition to Stepan and Lindberg we lost Pirri, Glass and Jensen. Added Deharnais, Amdersson, Paul Carey and Cole Schneider,(the latter 2 will be in Hartford). So either we’re trading for a forward or signing another UFA.
    Chiasson? Winnik? Vanek?

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