Do you stay out of the free agent circus this year and save some cap space for a chance at McDavid, UFA in 2026?
No. I seriously doubt McD is leaving the Oil. I don't believe Drai would have signed an extension if he thought McD would not be there,
No. I seriously doubt McD is leaving the Oil. I don't believe Drai would have signed an extension if he thought McD would not be there,
Don't be so sure. The Oil don't have much cap space, and have 12 notable UFA's at the end of next season. Drai was just raised to $14 mil. Even with the cap growing, you've got to figure McD to get at least $15 mil, and if there is a bidding war, probably more. Will McD go the route of Taveras? The Leafs were his childhood team.
If Dolan wants McD bad enough, expect him to go all in.
It seems so rare these days that a top end player gets to UFA, maybe one a year. I mean if McDavid is ultimately unhappy in Edmonton, that's possible...may also depend on how Edmonton does this year. Then it remains to be seen whether he'd want to come to New York, because I would figure Drury would make it work if he wanted to
I don't want to build a team around a mega star that gets out played by guys who get it done in the playoffs. If the Rangers are ever going to find their way they need to follow the formula that proven cup winners use. It's not about flashy regular season point totals it's about having the salary cap distributed across a TEAM of players who play for each other and get the job done in the playoffs. If you take up 25% of your cap space for 2 players, you might leave yourself with a deficit of talent and grit to win once those high priced players get neutralized by a TEAM that can defend them. Not saying you can't win that way, but only Colorado comes to mind of a team whose star players performed well to win a cup in recent years. You need to have a plan B if your high priced players get shut down. Plus you need to be able game the cap like 3 teams did to exceed the cap during their Cup years. (Chicago, Tampa, Vegas)
If they need me to bleed, then I'll bleed for my team
I don't want to build a team around a mega star that gets out played by guys who get it done in the playoffs. If the Rangers are ever going to find their way they need to follow the formula that proven cup winners use. It's not about flashy regular season point totals it's about having the salary cap distributed across a TEAM of players who play for each other and get the job done in the playoffs. If you take up 25% of your cap space for 2 players, you might leave yourself with a deficit of talent and grit to win once those high priced players get neutralized by a TEAM that can defend them. Not saying you can't win that way, but only Colorado comes to mind of a team whose star players performed well to win a cup in recent years. You need to have a plan B if your high priced players get shut down. Plus you need to be able game the cap like 3 teams did to exceed the cap during their Cup years. (Chicago, Tampa, Vegas)
Well the 2023-24 Panthers were 23.95% of the salary cap with their top two players (Barkov and Bobrovsky at $10m apiece on an $83.5M cap number), so they weren't far of. They also had Tkachuk at $9.5M so had 35% of their cap tied up in 3 players.
Balancing that out though, they had guys overperforming their contracts because they were near the end of them, or were just good value: Reinhart $6.5M, Bennett $4.43M, Forsling $2.67M, Mikkola $2.5M, Kulikov $1M, Lundell $925K (ELC) as well as a bunch of depth guys and deadline adds
They didn't have a lot of overpriced contracts, aside from Bobrovsky (leading into that year), which the Rangers had a lot of last year
The cap increases by $8.5 million next season. Add Panarin's $11.6 million, and this gives Drury over $20 million of Monopoly money to play with. The only notable free agent next season is Schneider (RFA), but his increase may be significant due to the possibility of offer sheets. Others that may warrant an increase depending on how they play is Brodzinski (UFA), Soucy (UFA), Morrow (RFA), Quick (UFA), Berard (RFA) and Othmann (RFA), but doubt any has the type of season that would warrant a significant increase. Add a trade of Lafreniere, and you gain $7.45 million.
The player I would target is Eichel. Vegas is currently in cap hell.
McDavid will cost whatever the new league max is ~$20M/ for 7 years... That can be 4 or 5 players that fill important roles and resigning players like Cuylle.
If they need me to bleed, then I'll bleed for my team
I’m not so sure McDavid who has expressed how important a Cup is to him, see’s that in the Rangers future. Panarin probably gone, and Miller, Zibanejad and Trochek another year older. You got Cuylle and Lafreniere left in the top six and Lafreniere has to put a statement on what he is as a player this year or your down to Cuylle. Drury has work to do switching out Miller and Zibanejad in particular and probably Trochek to.
McDavid and Eichel are going to get the money and that old tax free state will undoubtably rear its head. I’d bet the Rangers will be in real tough trying to get either one of McD or Eichel.
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