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Metropolitan Notes: Rangers, Foligno, Devils

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The New York Rangers locked up restricted free agent defenseman Anthony DeAngelo to a two-year pact Thursday, but with a lopsided group of blueliners on the right side, the New York Post’s Larry Brooks writes that Rangers’ general manager Jeff Gorton and his staff have had internal discussions about moving either DeAngelo or Adam Fox to the left side.

With Jacob Trouba, Fox and DeAngelo on the right side, the Rangers would be better off if one player moves to the left, which isn’t as strong with Jack Johnson, Ryan Lindgren and Brendan Smith leading the way, not exactly what you’re looking for on one side. The Rangers then might have an opening to bring in top prospect Nils Lundqvist, the 28th overall pick in 2018, to join the team’s top six after his SHL season ends in early March, although they would still have to convince him to sign his entry-level deal.

Brooks also noted that the recent two-year deals handed out to both DeAngelo and goaltender Alexandar Georgiev suggest that both players could be trade candidates in a year as a two-year contract makes them easier to trade down the road then if there were both restricted free agents once again.

  • This should be a critical year for Columbus Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno, who is entering the final year of the six-year, $33MM contract he signed back in 2014. The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline (subscription required) writes that while Foligno has played mostly in top-six roles over the years, that role is changing, especially with his decline in offense after posting 10 goals and 31 points in 67 games last season. While head coach John Tortorella has said that he intends to be more aggressive this year and have Foligno play a big role in that, the 32-year-old will have to fight off a number of players for a top-six role, including Alexandre Texier. With other top forwards coming in in the next couple of years, Foligno’s role will have to change. Despite his respect around the organization and his love for the city of Columbus, the veteran will have to take a significant pay cut if he wants to stay for the remainder of his career.
  • One question that many fans are asking is whether the New Jersey Devils are done making moves. One area of weakness is on the team’s blueline where they have Ryan Murray and Will Butcher on the right side and Damon Severson and P.K. Subban on the left. However, the team has little else in terms of depth with injury-prone Connor Carrick and rookie Ty Smith the likely candidates for the third-pairing role. The Athletic’s Corey Masisak (subscription required) suggests the team could try and add a veteran via free agency, but there aren’t many options left. The team could circle back around to Sami Vatanen, but the team may be looking at the trade market as well with cap space being one of the few assets the team has.

 

New York Rangers Agree To Terms With Fontaine, Raddysh

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The New York Rangers have agreed to terms with two more of their restricted free agents, Gabriel Fontaine and Darren Raddysh. Contract details were not included for either player.

Fontaine, 23, was a sixth-round pick of the Rangers in 2016 and has spent the last three seasons with the Hartford Wolf Pack in the AHL. Unfortunately, his 2019-20 campaign came to an early end when he underwent shoulder surgery in November. In the 13 games he did play, Fontaine scored just three points.

Raddysh meanwhile was once a relatively sought after undrafted free agent, following his OHL Defenseman of the Year award in 2017. An elite offensive defenseman in junior, Raddysh has carried some of that to the AHL level, racking up 80 points in 204 games. Even on this NHL contract, he’s an unlikely candidate to spend much time with the Rangers, though obviously they believe he can be valuable depth.

Rangers Re-Sign Anthony DeAngelo

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The Rangers have taken care of another one of their pending restricted free agents, announcing via Twitter that they’ve re-signed defenseman Anthony DeAngelo.  While terms of the deal weren’t officially disclosed, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that it’s a two-year deal with a $4.8MM AAV.  The blueliner had filed for salary arbitration last weekend but won’t need the hearing now.

The 24-year-old had to settle for just a one-year, $925K contract last September as DeAngelo didn’t have arbitration rights and the Rangers were right up against the Upper Limit of the salary cap.  While that certainly was a tough one for him coming off of a 30-point season, he made the most of it in 2019-20.  DeAngelo had a breakout season that saw him post 15 goals and 38 assists in 68 games, good enough to tie him for fourth in NHL scoring among blueliners with Canucks rookie Quinn Hughes.

This deal will effectively serve as a second bridge contract, albeit one that’s a lot more expensive than it would have been had they been able to afford to give DeAngelo a multi-year deal last offseason.  He gets a significant raise but the risk is limited with just a two-year term.  It also leaves him one year shy of being eligible for unrestricted free agency so the two sides will be in this situation again in 2022 where there will be a longer track record to work off of when pondering a possible long-term deal.

With that in mind, it’s worth noting that PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that the deal is slightly backloaded as many have been in recent weeks with 2020-21’s salary being $4.3MM and 2021-22’s salary at $5.3MM.  Under the new CBA rules which says the qualifying offer will be the lower of 120% of the AAV or the final year salary, DeAngelo’s qualifying offer in 2022 will be $5.3MM.

Meanwhile, New York still has some work to do this offseason, even after re-signing Alexandar Georgiev earlier today.  Ryan Strome and Brendan Lemieux both have arbitration dates in early November and while they will still have some cap space left after signing both of them, their exceptionally high potential performance bonus total (over $10MM) does limit their ability to spend; teams can only use the bonus cushion up to 7.5% of the cap (just over $6.1MM).  Anything over that is deducted from their allowable spending so GM Jeff Gorton won’t be able to spend right to the cap.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

New York Rangers Agree To Terms With Alexandar Georgiev

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The New York Rangers will be without Henrik Lundqvist in net for the first time in years and now have both of his replacements under contract. The team announced they have agreed to terms with Alexandar Georgiev on a new contract, which CapFriendly reports will be a two-year deal that carries an average annual value of $2.425MM.

Georgiev, 24, has more NHL experience than his crease partner Igor Shesterkin, but not much. The undrafted goaltender has appeared in 77 games over the last three seasons, posting mostly excellent results whenever given an opportunity. He has a .913 save percentage and 35-31-7 record, posting four shutouts and even a 55-save performance against the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2019.

The young tandem will be incredible to watch develop with a Rangers team that is turning the corner towards contention and both will be protected from the Seattle expansion draft. Shesterkin is not eligible for selection thanks to his limited North American experience, while Georgiev can now be the goaltender the team protects, exposing third-string Keith Kinkaid in the process (a key reason why Kinkaid was given a two-year deal).

Importantly, Georgiev will also not be an unrestricted free agent at the end of this deal. Instead, he will once again be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights, a process he elected this offseason as well. Georgiev’s hearing that was originally scheduled for October 31 will no longer be necessary.

Not only will the Rangers have a strong tandem in 2020-21, but they are also only paying a total of $3.35MM for the pair of goaltenders. That will change slightly with Shesterkin’s RFA status next offseason, but given he won’t be eligible for arbitration they should have a window here of very inexpensive, but very productive, goaltending.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

New York Rangers Sign Alexis Lafreniere

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Sometimes it’s easy to forget that the first-overall pick doesn’t immediately join an organization when he is selected, but still needs to negotiate a contract. That wasn’t a problem in this case, as Alexis Lafreniere has inked his entry-level deal with the New York Rangers just a few days after being picked.

CapFriendly reports that the deal, like other contracts signed by first-overall picks, will be set at the entry-level max. It includes a base salary of $832.5K, $92,500 signing bonus, $850K in Schedule ’A’ performance bonuses and $2MM in Schedule ’B’ performance bonuses in all three years.

Those ’B’ bonuses are difficult to reach and include things like finishing in the top ten for NHL goals, assists, points or points-per-game, winning major awards like the Hart or Selke trophies, or making the NHL first or second All-Star teams at year’s end. The ’A’ bonuses are much easier milestones to reach and include things like scoring 20 goals, 60 points or finishing in the top six in team ice time.

Technically Lafreniere’s contract could slide forward like any other prospect, but the young forward will play this season with the Rangers and thus burn the first year of the deal. If all goes well, he will be a restricted free agent in 2023.

Rangers Re-Sign Phillip Di Giuseppe

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The Rangers have taken care of business with one of their restricted free agents as PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that New York has re-signed winger Phillip Di Giuseppe to a one-year, two-way deal.  The contract will pay him $700K in the NHL and $250K in the minors.  While he gets less at the NHL level than his qualifying offer, Di Giuseppe at least doubled his minor league salary from a year ago.

The 27-year-old joined the Rangers as a free agent signing last summer after being non-tendered by Nashville.  He spent most of the year with AHL Hartford where he potted 14 goals and 12 assists in 43 games but he also played in 20 games with New York during the regular season, recording four points while playing a little more than 11 minutes a night.  Di Giuseppe also suited up in all three of their playoff contests.

Depending on what other moves GM Jeff Gorton makes this offseason, it’s likely that Di Giuseppe will have a chance to earn a spot on New York’s fourth line next season.  If he doesn’t make it, he’ll have to pass through waivers in order to make it back to the Wolf Pack.

Jack Johnson, Anthony Bitetto Sign With New York Rangers

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The New York Rangers will see if they can squeeze some value out of Jack Johnson this season, as Darren Dreger of TSN reports they will sign the veteran defenseman to a one-year contract. Larry Brooks of the New York Post reports the deal will be worth $1.15MM.

Rangers fans might not like it after watching Johnson flame out in Pittsburgh and require a buyout, but the fact was they needed some depth options on the back end. Since moving Marc Staal there wasn’t a lot on the left side, with only Brendan Smith signed to a one-way deal. Ryan Lindgren should also play on that side, but there are still minutes to go around alongside the Rangers excellent right side.

If he’s playing 20 minutes a night, Johnson is a disaster. But at just over $1MM and on a one-year deal, there is almost no risk for the still-rebuilding Rangers.

For Johnson, this is just another chance to show he can still hack it in the NHL. Now 33, he’ll already be earning almost a million dollars from the Penguins in each of the next six seasons, meaning this deal only supplements his buyout money. Getting a chance to play with the up-and-coming contender will be a treat, even if things haven’t gone well in his last two Eastern Conference stops.

Speaking of depth defenders, John Matisz of theScore also reports that Anthony Bitetto has also signed with the Rangers. His will be a two-year, two-way contract that will pay $725K at the NHL level in 2020-21 and $750K in 2021-22.

New York Rangers Sign Colin Blackwell, Kevin Rooney

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The New York Rangers have added to their forward depth with a pair of shrewd signings. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the team has signed both Colin Blackwell and Kevin Rooney to two-year contracts. Blackwell’s deal carries a $725K AAV and is one-way in year two; Rooney’s deal carries a $750K AAV but is expected to be two-way.

Blackwell and Rooney are both 27-year-old Massachusetts natives and collegiate products with strong underlying numbers in limited NHL showings. Blackwell in particular recorded ten points in 27 games with the Nashville Predators this season and looked ready for a full-time NHL role. The Predators were trying to work out an extension with Blackwell, but he likely felt that he could find better opportunity elsewhere. Rooney might have a more limited ceiling, but has more experience and has played well in a fourth line role for the New Jersey Devils in back-to-back seasons of 41+ games.

The Rangers have also added a veteran No. 3 behind their young Russian tandem, inking goaltender Keith Kinkaid to a two-year deal with an $875K AAV, per PuckPedia. Kinkaid will also serve as a sacrificial lamb in the 2021 Expansion Draft, satisfying the under-contract goalie exposure requirement for the Rangers, who will protect Alexandar Georgiev with Igor Shesterkin ineligible.

New York has also agreed to terms with RFA defenseman Brandon Crawley, the team announced. Jonny Brodzinski and Anthony Greco were added later in the night.

Free Agent Focus: New York Rangers

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With free agency now just hours away, teams are preparing for a frenzy of action.  There will be several prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign.  The Rangers don’t have many UFAs of note but their RFA class is going to be one to keep an eye on.

Key Restricted Free Agents

F Ryan Strome – While they were undecided about tendering him a qualifying offer until about two hours before Wednesday’s deadline, it wasn’t because they were unhappy with Strome’s performance but rather a concern about an arbitration award.  Those concerns may be well-founded as the 41 assists and 59 points were both new career benchmarks and have him well-positioned to earn a sizable raise on the $3.2MM salary he earned last season.  The fact they qualified him suggests there is some optimism they can avoid going to a hearing and the hope is that they’ll be able to sign him before it gets that far.

D Anthony DeAngelo – Last year, New York held the hammer and used it, basically leveraging DeAngelo into a cheap one-year deal with him not having any real leverage to work with.  The power has swung over to the other side now, however.  The 24-year-old had 52 career points heading into last season but managed to produce 53 points in 2019-20 despite not seeing an increase in playing time.  That performance has him well-positioned to land a substantial raise via an arbitrator and after the Rangers played things out to their advantage last season, expect DeAngelo to at least file for a hearing to give himself the leverage this time around.

G Alexandar Georgiev – Georgiev enters this offseason in the same spot he was a year ago, albeit behind a different starter this time around.  He has shown flashes of being a capable starter at times over his brief NHL career but inconsistency has been a challenge as well.  Just 24, it’s possible that New York pushes for a one-year or two-year deal to give them more time to evaluate his long-term upside and fit for his role while also giving themselves a bit more short-term cap flexibility with the Upper Limit flattened out.

Other RFAs: D Brandon Crawley, F Phillip Di Giuseppe, F Gabriel Fontaine, F Ryan Gropp, F Brendan Lemieux, D Darren Raddysh

10.2(c): F Dawson Leedahl (ineligible for an offer sheet)

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

F Jesper Fast – The 28-year-old has been a steady middle-six winger for the past five years and while he doesn’t put up a ton of points (he has ranged between 20 and 33 points in that span), he plays with an edge physically and is a capable penalty killer.  Even in a lowered cap environment, there should be a fair bit of interest but it appears it’ll be coming from elsewhere as Fast and the Rangers were well apart on contract terms leading up to the trade deadline.  Fast earned the 28th spot in our Top-50 UFA Rankings.

G Henrik Lundqvist – It was a move that had been anticipated for a while but the Rangers officially bought out the franchise legend back in September with Igor Shesterkin and Georgiev set to be their tandem of the present and future.  The 38-year-old has made it known that he wants to continue playing but he’ll be facing a significant drop in pay from the $8.5MM AAV he had before the buyout.  Washington has been widely speculated as a landing spot although other teams will certainly show interest in him in either a mentoring role or even a platoon situation.

Other UFAs: F Matt Beleskey, G Jean-Francois Berube, F Steven Fogarty, F Greg McKegg, F Micheal Haley, F Vinni Lettieri, F Boo Nieves, F Danny O’Regan

Projected Cap Space

On the surface, the Rangers have plenty of space to work with following the buyout of Lundqvist and the Marc Staal trade as they have roughly $58.8MM committed to 14 players, per CapFriendly.  But it won’t take long for that to be whittled away as they get their three primary RFAs re-signed and then fill out the rest of their roster.  There will be a bit of room to work with in the free agent or trade market but there shouldn’t be a splash like there was last year with the Artemi Panarin signing.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Rangers Believed To Have Interest In Brian Boyle

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Brian Boyle has bounced around the NHL over his 13-year career, playing for seven different organizations.  The longest he stayed in one place was in New York with the Rangers and Larry Brooks of the New York Post suggests that the Rangers may have interest in a reunion with the soon-to-be free agent.

The 35-year-old was limited to just 35 games with the Panthers last season although he managed to pick up 15 points in that span (six goals and nine assists), good for the second-highest point per game average of his career.  Of course, he was his usual strong self at the faceoff dot but he didn’t see as much penalty killing time as he normally does, logging just 30 seconds per game in that situation.

New York already has four centers on their roster but Brett Howden could certainly shift over to the wing to make room for Boyle who best profiles as a fourth liner at this stage of his career.  Brooks notes that the Rangers aren’t likely to sign Boyle right away as they will likely only be limited to offering a bargain contract and the veteran may want to wait things out if his asking price isn’t met right away.  He made $940K last season in Florida but could command a bit more this time around.

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