Time is Ticking in the Big Apple
Photo Credit: chatsports.com
Artemi Panarin, Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad, Vincent Trocheck, and Captain Jacob Trouba are all above 30 years of age. The Rangers have made the playoffs four out of the last five seasons, including two Eastern Conference final appearances. Though the core group has yet to make the Stanley Cup finals, it's fair to ask: is this group ready to take the next step before its to late?
After losing to the eventual Stanley Cup Champions, the Florida Panthers, in six games in the conference finals, General Manager Chris Drury wanted to make big changes to the roster. This would build into a drama-filled offseason in New York as the Rangers were shopping their captain, Jacob Trouba. At 30 years old, Trouba’s decline in play has been present. At times throughout the Rangers playoff run, he was a liability on the ice and would take bad penalties. In 16 playoff games, he finished 7th in penalty minutes with 22. With his struggling on-ice performance, his contract does not do the Rangers any favors. Trouba is under contract for the next two years, with a cap hit of $8 million. Drury reportedly had a deal in place to make Trouba a Red Wing, but Trouba vetoed the trade. Who knows what the return would have been, but potentially earning $8 million in cap space would have created a lot of flexibility for Drury to make a big move.
With the lack of cap space available to make a big splash, many Ranger fans were disappointed by their offseason. In free agency, they would get a cheaper replacement for Barclay Goodrow in Sam Carrick at the 4th line center. The biggest move came via trade, where the Rangers acquired former Stanley Cup champion Reilly Smith from the Pittsburgh Penguins. Smith was never a fit in Pittsburgh, and he will now play a big top-6 role with the Rangers. Smith is highly capable of putting up 25+ goals with a talented top six, and he can kill penalties.
As mentioned, the core group is getting older. However, it would not be fair not to discuss the Rangers having elite youth. Former first-overall pick Alexis Lafrenière took a massive step forward in his game, scoring 28 goals. A 12-goal increase from his previous season. At only 22 years old, he can turn into a consistent 30-goal scorer or point-per-game player. At the blue line, they have a former Norris Trophy winner at 26 years of age, Adam Fox, who is under contract for the next 4 seasons. Then, in goal, they have the best goalie in the world, Igor Shesterkin.
Igor has one more year left to make $5 million. He becomes an unrestricted free agent next year. This is a huge problem for the Rangers if Igor is demanding a lot of money. The best forward the Rangers have, Artemi Panarin, is also hitting the open market in two years. The time to win for the Rangers is right now before giving Igor a big percentage of the salary cap.
Looking at the offseason as a whole, the Rangers did not do enough to submit themselves as a clear favorite to win the Stanley Cup or even the Eastern Conference. This is disappointing given the fact that their top guys are approaching their mid-30s. With the work the New Jersey Devils did and the Hurricanes still being competitors, the metropolitan division is not going to be a cake walk.
Despite acquiring Reilly Smith, this is the same team as last year, but older. Maybe Lafrenière will take another step, or even Kaapo Kakko burst onto the scene this year. With the lack of significant change, the players have to elevate their game for the Rangers to win their first Stanley Cup since 1994.