Team: 2022-23 New York Rangers

Initial Creation Date: Jun. 16, 2022

Published: Jun. 16, 2022

Salary Cap Mode: Basic

The first order of business is to trade away Georgiev. He does not want to be with the Rangers anymore as he has really no potential to be a starter and develop with Shesterkin dominating the last 1.5 years. Trading him and packaging him with someone else will be the way they need to go.

Also, in my opinion, Filip Chytil is not worth the $2.3 they are paying him.
- He has trouble on face-offs (he was only a 43% this year (Technically his best year, but that is not that good)
- He doesn't score goals (He almost had more in the playoffs than all of the regular season).
- He had 8 goals this year (basically came out to be almost 1 each month), then 7 in the playoffs (1 against Tampa, 6 against PIT/CAR).
- He averages 2 shots a game and sometimes he is basically non-existent on the ice.
- In the defensive zone, there are times he gets completely lost, loses his assignment, and TON OF RINK TURNS CONSTANTLY. He hasn't grown on the defensive side which is why he is a career minus + a -2 in the playoffs.
- He is basically a career minus, grant it, the Rangers have not been that good in years past and was a +14 in the regular season, but would get hemmed in the defensive end on a consistent basis.
- He cannot be a 2C and honestly he is an okay 3C, but the Rangers have no depth in the center role, he had to go there.
- He has been on a decline since his first season (DESPITE COVID), he did okay in the playoffs this year and scored 5v5, but there is almost 0 consistency in his game.
Okay, Done on my Chytil RANT. I am just not a fan of him and I would utilize this decent playoff performance to move his contract to free up some more space.

***In my opinion, Geo + Chytil + EITHER Draft picks or another prospect should be traded to Anaheim in return for Troy Terry who can be a legit 1st line RW for his $1.45 price tag (for one more year). This can be good for both sides as they would be getting a goalie (SINCE Gibson wants out now) and Chytil can be their 2C and get more minutes for them. He is a very good player who plays both ways of the ice, can score goals, and can be a legit player with Kreider + Zibenajad. The trade I made is what I think Anaheim will ask for future considerations, could be no considerations and just a second + those 2. Anything can happen, or not happen, in this trade, but I think this is the best option for the Rangers with moving both Geo + Chytil.***

***BEFORE the warriors come out and say this is a bad trade for Anaheim or the Rangers, and don't actually put input into their comment, I don't care. The point of this is all for my opinion and would like feedback or other possibilities people think can happen or won't happen with these two guys.***

Next, GET RID OF NEMETH. He is awful, he is slow, and he was a -9 on a team that was 2nd in GAA throughout the regular season. He was a bad sign from the beginning and I didn't mind it because I figured he would be a 7th for the Rangers. He just needs to go, if you HAVE to retain his salary, DO IT. Have him submit his eight-team no-trade list and try to ship him somewhere for a draft pick in the late rounds.

***The trade I made for Nemeth is a placeholder as it could be any team within the league.***

Next, in my opinion, they should resign Copp and Motte. Copp can be a good option at 2C with his 54 pts (21 goals) in the regular season and 14 pts in the playoffs. Motte is an easy sign as he is a gamer, can play well defensively, can add a 3rd tier scoring as he is good on the forecheck, and can kill penalties. He is a perfect 3rd/4th line winger.

Next, I am resigning Kakko to a $2mil 3-year bridge deal as he has shown promise in him, but he hasn't been consistent with everything. Partially that has to do with his injury where he didn't play 39 games, but I think he can grow more if he is given a more solidified role on the 2nd or 3rd line where he is playing 13-15 minutes a night. This will be his test to see what he does over the summer and what he can do during the season next year. He needs to have a good year in terms of scoring and I think he would have had a good year this year despite the injury. In my opinion, he would have been a 35-45 point guy this year if he didn't get hurt.

Also, I am resigning Blais to a $1.75 deal. The Rangers have to see him out for another 2 years as they gave up a decent amount to get him in the first place. He can be a 4th liner that kills penalties and adds a 3rd tier-scoring capability. It's not a definite that he is back, but he is a decent player. I would give him another shot after he comes back from his injury.

Also, Othmann should be brought to the Rangers or Hartford. He had a breakout year with Flint, but in my opinion, there is no more room for growth with him playing in the OHL being an older guy. He should start out in Hartford, and see what he does in pre-season. If they decide he needs another year in Flint then so be it, send him back to Flint. In my opinion, this kid is very good and has tremendous upside to him. He just needs to be developed.

Next, I am going after Eric Comrie as a backup goalie for Shesterkin who can play 20-30 games in the regular season. He had a decent year this year with Winnipeg and has shown he can play at the level. This can be a very bad decision, but the Rangers goaltending for a backup is very slim. They have options with Huska and Kinkaid, but I don't think Huska or Kinkaid are worthy backups.

Also, you may think I am crazy, but the Rangers will need a 4th line center. Curtis Lazar can be a decent option, a very cost-efficient centerman that can play a 4th line role. There are probably other options out there for a 4th line center, but I chose to give Lazar the contract.

Finally, to fill out the defenseman who will be able to play with Schneider, I would want the rangers to sign Brett Kulak to a $2.5 deal for 3-4 years. He is a good 5/6 defenseman and could help with the development of Schneider and whoever else they put in that role. I don't know if Kulak will go for $2.5mil but that is all that was left in terms of signing guys.

I understand that these are all hypothetical and some people may or may not like some of the things that I have done with this lineup (particularly Chytil). I am just not a fan of him (posted above). Some of these trades and signings will probably not happen, but in my opinion, Troy Terry would fit well with Kreider and Zibenajad as they lacked that 3rd option with Vatrano and it showed in the playoffs 5v5 vs Tampa. Vatrano is not a 1st line winger, he can be a good 2nd/3rd line winger, but in reality, the Rangers are already jammed on both the left and right side with prospects, Lafreniere, Kakko, Othmann, etc. I am not sure what they are going to do with Kravtsov. I know he is a good player, but that right side is going to be hefty if they move Laf and Kakko into 1st and 2nd line wingers on that right side. We will see I guess.

Lastly, I think these signings and trades (if they were to actually work this way which 99.89% of it won't happen), could work and it would free up some things for coming years with the cap increasing little by little. For instance, if this was exactly to happen, the Rangers would have $4,887.500 open up on the forwards' side, $925,000 on the Defensemans' side, and an additional $3,427,778 will open up after all the buyouts are finalized. They will have to sign Troy Terry (if they want him), Ryan Reaves (if they want him), Lafreniere, Miller, and Hunt and will have about $10mil+ to work with if the cap increases.

The Rangers are in a cap crunch and I believe this summer will consist of moves that people like and don't like. In order for them to compete and get back to an ECF, they need to be better 5v5 as they only score 187 EVG which was 18th in the league and only good for 2.2 EVG/G. They were a young team and I think that long 20-game playoff they just endured was great for all of the players to get back into playing much more meaningful games. We will see if they learned their lesson with closing teams out when it comes playoff time next year as I think that experience this year will help them grow and it's only a matter of time before this team either bursts and flourishes or busts.

I am sorry that this is such a long description, but I wanted to go more in-depth with my opinion and give my views on what I think should be done this summer. Obviously, everyone has their opinions, so please answer with actual opinions on things, don't just say I disagree or this whole thing sucks. I actually want to see what people think and get their opinions on what they think should be done over the summer.

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