Alex Frolov Anyone?

Update by Dave: Arthur Staple has tweeted that the Rangers have offered Frolov a two year deal. The deal is for a less AAV than the four-year offer from the KHL.

Let me start by admitting im unashamedly a Frolov fan. Always liked him in LA and always liked the idea of him in New York. However, im also willing to admit the guy has issues and people question his mental ‘make-up’ a lot.  Specifically there are his consistency issues; Alex Frolov is consistently inconsistent. For proof check out his last five season’s goal totals: 19 (09-10), 32, 23, 35, 21. It’s a very up and down resume. So what should fans expect out of Frolov this year, 30 plus goals again? Who knows? Alexander Frolov to the Rangers throws up a few questions…

Firstly the obvious; can the Rangers afford him? Well that’s easy to answer – with a move here or there, yes they can. How much does he want? That we won’t find out until he signs somewhere. The rumours seem to sway between a return to LA, to New York or the KHL. SKA and KHL president Medvedev has gone on record stating he is a target for his club although Frolov appears to be cooling on that option.

Does he fit in New York next season? For all his ‘issues’ yes he does. He’s proved he can score at a higher level than New York’s other Russian head case Nik Zherdev and would be a good fit on a line with Gaborik or alternatively on a secondary line with Anisimov. Frolov on the Rangers next year makes the club, in the short term, much better. Everyone acknowledges the Rangers need more scoring – secondary scoring – and if Frolov ‘only’ has another one of his sub par year’s, 19 goals and 50 points helps this team a lot. He immediately becomes the 3^rd best scorer on this team and helps the Power Play. In four of the last five years Frolov had double figure PP goal totals and lord does this PP need some more help. With Frolov this team is well in the mix for the 6-8 playoff spots. Whether that’s a good thing long term is a debate for another day. Adding Frolov does not make this team a contender. Not without a lot of variables anyway.

So where is my issue on Frolov? It really depends on what he wants. I’m not so concerned with dollar (although it’s obviously important) as I am with the term. The Rangers have a hell of a talent in Chris Kreider coming through the system (apparently NHL ready according to Sather), Tortorella appears to be sticking with Brandon Dubinsky on the wing and we don’t want the talented prospects’ route to New York to be blocked. I wouldnt say no to Frolov based on our current crop of wings. The Rangers don’t have enough top 6 talent comapred to bottom 6. Anyone can see that.

If Frolov would be willing to sign for no more than 2 years and $8m I’d jump all over him. If he’s a success then you re-sign him to complement Kreider and the kids as Prospal will be long gone by then. It’s when his demands of longer contracts get out of hand I would walk away. 2 years is relatively low risk and certainly a moveable contract given his career to date. I like the fact the Rangers are being linked to him as Laurie Carr points out. Sather should be doing due diligence on this exceptionally talented young man and I’d have no problem taking him for the right price.

Rangers Interested in Gagne?

With the Flyers in a dire cap situation, at $2.5 million over the cap, they are looking to move salary. Although the initial rumors were that Jeff Carter was on the move, a rumor which I never bought into, the prevailing rumor is that Simon Gagne will be the one traded. Gagne is in the final year of his contract with a $5.25 million cap hit. Although he has injury concerns, getting a top-six forward in the final year of a contract prior to the best UFA class in recent memory is certainly intriguing.

The Rangers are said to be one of three teams that have inquired about Gagne, and that Gagne has given the team permission to talk to other teams regarding a trade.

For the Rangers to acquire Gagne, and re-sign Marc Staal, they would certainly need to either trade Michal Rozsival, or waive Wade Redden. Both of these scenarios seem very possible. However, it is very doubtful that the Flyers would deal Gagne within the division. The cost of acquiring Gagne also needs to be considered. The Flyers are going to want a good, young, cheap roster player, and a prospect. Remember, the Flyers can’t take on any additional salary. Is it worth it for the Rangers to give up a young roster player and a prospect for a one year rental of Gagne, especially when considering that this will in all likelihood be a non-playoff year from the Rangers?

Pavol Demitra Wants to be a Ranger?

As per of InsidePittsburghSports.com, free agent center Pavol Demitra has two offers from the KHL, but is holding off on signing due to his desire to play for the Rangers, and reunite with close friend Marian Gaborik. Demitra would offer the Rangers a true top line center that, , can put up a little less than a point per game. The problem, of course, is that bit. Demitra, 36, has only played two full seasons in his entire career.

If the Rangers take a chance on Demitra, then there would be many questions to follow. First off, if they sign Demitra, do they learn from their Donald Brashear lesson and only sign him to a one year deal? If so, how much? Where is the cap room going to be created? Which youngster gets booted from the top line? Which player gets demoted to Hartford or sits in the press box?

These are all legitimate questions that need to be answered before the Rangers even look at someone like Demitra. Personally, I would prefer the Rangers stay the course, and allow the youngsters to earn their spot on the roster, as jurgenno . Glen Sather has had a pretty decent offseason, except for giving Derek Boogaard two too many years. Signing Demitra to a one year deal may not be a detriment to the team or the cap, but it would certainly be a step away from what Slats has publicly said the plan is. Of course, it’s tough to really recognize a rumor when the source spells the player’s name incorrectly.
 

Welcome to July

July 1st is here. What will the Rangers do?

Trades are possible. Though a few of the players linked to the Rangers (Versteeg etc) are out of the equation, if 14 teams have really approached Chicago for Andrew Ladd that makes a 50% the Rangers are involved! Price allowing, Ladd would be a good addition to the club in terms of both size and offense.

Don’t rule out a swoop for Sheldon Souray. For the record I’d be willing to take on the additional cap hit if Roszival goes the other way. I’d also be willing to throw in a pick to make it happen. With equal contract length remaining and with Souray’s health apparently not an issue his shot and physicality would be a welcome addition. With the historical trade link with Edmonton it’s a realistic scenario and Souray would be a big upgrade.

Then there’s free agency. Matt Lombardi? Sure, at the right price. Biron or Hedberg as back up? Yes please to either. With Auld more than likely not coming back a new face is expected. The preference should be a cheap(er) veteran which allows Johnson a full year of starting games in Hartford. An ideal scenario would see Johnson play 60 games and be ready in 12 months time.

If he makes free agency (and talks have broken down at present) an underrated addition – and return to NY – could be Manny Malhotra. Over hyped and too highly drafted in his time in NY the SJ center has turned into a nice 2 way center for the 3rd line and depth is never a bad thing.

Alot of twitter feeds are still linking the Rangers to guys like Volchenkov. Personally I prefer going the trade route and sending cap the other way (see the Souray theory) or I hope they go smart and bring in a guy like Michalek (with the standard caveat of price allowing). In an ideal world the Rangers will not make headlines today. The only headline that would please every Rangers fan would be a new deal for Marc Staal. 

How active will the Rangers will be? Needs are there for sure; hopefully prospect camp will have shown the Rangers where any free agents are genuinely needed and after Grachev’s ( 4 goal) show yesterday maybe the Rangers don’t add too much to the offense…

Arthur Staple: Redden “Certain” to be Waived

As per Arthur Staple of Newsday, the discussions about waiving very expensive and underachieving defenseman Wade Redden have begun internally amongst the New York Rangers brass:

There is more room on defense, where Wade Redden is almost certain to be waived and sent to Hartford when training camp ends. “He’s been discussed,” Sather said.

Clearly, we all know what the benefits of waiving Wade Redden would be. It would open a spot on the roster for a young kid, and it would clear $6.5 million in cap space for the Rangers to play with. Considering Glen Sather’s recent non-statements about Ilya Kovalchuk, fearing tampering accusations, it isn’t out of the realm of possibility that this is truly being considered as a viable option for the Rangers.

Fans have talked about this ad nauseum. For a long, long time, I believed this to be just us fans hoping and dreaming that he would get waived. As a matter of fact, I have penned several posts explaining why he won’t get waived, bought out, or traded, and that we were stuck with him for the foreseeable future. Then, this article by Staple comes out in Newsday, which is owned by Cablevision, owned by the same people that own the Rangers. The Dolan’s historically hate the media (kind of ironic, yes), but the fact that this article was published in a Dolan-owned entity speaks volumes.

The Rangers decision to wait until after training camp does serve a purpose. It forces kids to beat out the veteran for his spot on the roster, instead of just handing them the spot. Also, if no kid plays his way on the team, then the Rangers at least have a body to play on the blue line until someone proves themselves in Hartford. This also gives a 12 year veteran one more camp to try and find his game. Despite many fans feelings towards him, Redden is a class act and a nice guy. If just for that, he deserves a chance at camp to try to reclaim him spot, even if he, and we, knows it is for naught.

I still do not believe the Rangers have the cojones to waive Wade Redden. And I will continue to believe that until the day comes that he is actually waived. Maybe it is just a defense mechanism, in that if I believe he will be waived, and he isn’t, I’ll just get angry. But, for what it is worth, Rangers brass is discussing waiving Redden. Now, what to do with all that cap space?

Florida Will Blow Up Roster, Weiss/Horton May Be Available

In a topic that has been touched on here, Florida GM Dave Tallon (of the Chicago Blackhawks “Oops I forgot to submit the paperwork” problem) has made it known that there are very few players on the Florida roster that are considered to be untouchable. In fact, it is only known that Dmitry Kulikov, David Booth, and goalie Jacob Markstrom are the only one’s to be safe.

It is widely speculated that Nathan Horton will be the first to go, as he would bring back one of the better return values. There are several other veterans that are going to be included in trade rumors as the weeks pass (Cory Stillman, Tomas Vokoun, Radek Dvorak, Steven Reinprecht, Bryan McCabe). However, the name that should draw serious interest from the Rangers is center Stephen Weiss.

The 27 year old Weiss has put together two 60-point seasons in a row as he enters his prime. Last year, a career year, saw Weiss fall just short of 30 goals, putting up a line of 28-32-60 and a decent 7.4 GVT, while playing with some sub-par teammates (0.225 QUALTEAM). Weiss has a scoring touch that the Rangers sorely need on the first line with Marian Gaborik. Weiss is also relatively cheap, as he is signed for the next three seasons at a $3.1 million cap hit ($3.2 million, $4.0 million, $4.1 million in salary for each season). The cost to acquire Weiss would be high though, think along the lines of a top prospect (Bobby Sanguinetti), a middle of the road prospect (Michael Sauer) and a fairly high draft pick or two (2nd rounder at a minimum). The quality of the prospect offered will directly affect the quality of the draft pick.

Note: The prospects named are just to give you an example of the value, and not the actual prospect the Rangers would give up.

This is definitely something that the Rangers should kick the tires on, as Weiss would be a tremendous improvement on the center position, and would provide some top-line support for Gaborik that he has sorely needed. Sather tends to be stealthy when making trades, and we are generally blindsided by the good trades he makes (see: Gomez, Scott), so don’t be surprised if you don’t hear even a whisper about a trade before it even happens.

Of course, don’t be surprised if no trades happen either.

Stepan and Rangers Close to Deal (UPDATE: Officially Signs)

It looks like Derek Stepan will not be returning to Wisconsin after all. Just a few months after being named Captain of the Badgers, it is being reported that the Rangers and Stepan are closing in on a deal that will make Stepan a pro, thus leaving the University of Wisconsin. In a recent interview, General Manager Glen Sather noted that they are going to try very hard to sign Stepan before the season started, and it at least appears that this will get done relatively soon.

What this means for Stepan’s teammate, and highly touted prospect Ryan McDonagh, we don’t know. It is safe to assume that Stepan turning pro will leave the Badgers hard pressed to repeat their success next year. With Sather’s determination to get both Badgers signed, McDonagh may follow suit sooner rather than later.

Update 4:30pm: As per Larry Brooks, Derek Stepan has officially signed with the Rangers. The deal is an entry-level deal, three years at $875,000 base salary. Stepan’s bonuses will also count against his cap hit, so the $875,000 is not his complete cap hit. Expect Stepan to play a full season in the AHL, unless he makes a great impression at camp.

Update 4:45pm: Stepan probably won’t make the Rangers outright, and is too young to play in the AHL, so expect him to play in Canadian juniors (reportedly the Calgary Hitmen of the WHL) for a year. It’s a little bit odd that the Rangers pushed to sign him since he won’t be playing in the AHL. I guess they are thinking he can make the team, which I personally don’t feel he can. But hey, what do I know? Wow I was wrong. Stepan can play in the AHL, as the minimum age is 20, and that only applies to those who were drafted out of Juniors, which Stepan wasn’t.

What Does McDonagh & Stepan at Camp Mean?

Looking back through some old hockey magazines yesterday and I came across an 04/05 OHL year book (im a geek and collect all sorts of things) when I noticed Ryan McDonagh’s picture in the Sudbury Wolves section alongside Marc Staal; it’s a shame that they didn’t get to suit up together in the OHL.

Anyway, looking at Glen Sather’s comments in the recent Brooks interview it got me wondering something. I was of the impression that NCAA players cannot attend a pro camp if they were committed to college or it ends their college eligibility (as does having an agent), so given Sather’s insistence McDonagh and Stepan will attend a prospect camp in July does this mean neither McDonagh or Stepan have yet to ‘officially commit’ to next season in Wisconsin? What level of commitment does it take for NCAA players? The Islanders’ Kyle Okposo left college mid season to join the Isles a few years back….

So what does all this mean? Is there is an increased chance Sather can get the blue chip pair under contract sooner rather than later as he appears to want to do? And are both players seriously entertaining the idea of going pro this summer given their apparent willingness to go to Rangers camp? Is there a deadline where they have to commit to the NCAA by? Alot of questions seem unanswered right now for Rangers fans.

Sather’s brief comments regarding the pair were very insightful. It makes you consider about the knock on effect the two would cause; what moves will be made on D and up front if the pair needed to be accommodated. Are they ready for the NHL? McDonagh appears to be and personally I think Stepan is but only time will tell. One thing seems certain; Sathers comment means prospect camp will be full of rookie royalty.

Garrioch: Rangers Interested in Volchenkov?

According to Bruce Garrioch, the Rangers are one of the teams showing interest in soon to be unrestricted free agent Anton Volchenkov. Volchenkov has been a hot topic so far this offseason, and was covered here in our Scouting the Market series. Volchenkov turned down a reported five-year $20 million deal after the Olympics from the Senators, ensuring that the highly sought after defenseman will hit the open market. Volchenkov has been linked to the Washington Capitals, but those rumors have been refuted.

Let’s play a game of which defenseman would you take?

Player A: 6’1, 226 lbs. 28 years old, 7 year veteran. Physical, shot blocker, stay at home defenseman. Averages 15 points per season, GVT of 4.7 (4.2 DGVT). Averages 65 GP/season. Will command at least $5 million/season for five years.

Player B: 6’1, 210 lbs. 28 years old, 6 year veteran. Physical, shot blocker, stay at home defenseman with a little offense. Averages 22 points per season, GVT of 4.3 (5.1 DGVT). Played a full 82 games for four of six seasons. Will command roughly $500,000-$1 million less than Player A for one or two fewer seasons.

Which defenseman do you want?

I think we can agree that Player B brings more value for the dollar, which is what the salary cap era is all about. If you said Player A, you said Anton Volchenkov. If you said Player B, you said Zbynek Michalek. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, when looking for bang for your buck, Zbynek Michalek makes more sense than Anton Volchenkov. They have the same style of play, Michalek contributes more on the blue line, and is much more durable. The slight difference in GVT is negligible, but it’s worth noting that again Michalek has the better defensive GVT.

So the Rangers can be interested in Anton Volchenkov all they want, but they will not have the cap room for him. On the other hand, Michalek should certainly be an intriguing option, and worth more than just a kicking of the tires. Of course, Dan Girardi is an even cheaper option with almost identical numbers (6.8 GVT, 5.0 DGVT), but he isn’t as physical as the other two. Girardi, of course, will cost significantly less than both Michalek and Volchenkov.

Rangers Close to Signing Mats Zuccarello-Aasen

According to Larry Brooks, the Rangers are close to announcing the signing of Mats Zuccarello-Aasen at the conclusion of the World Championship tournament. The Rangers and MZA will be agreeing to a two-year deal that will pay the Swiss Norwegian forward the entry-level deal maximum salary of $900,000. While $900,000 is the maximum base salary a player with an entry-level deal can make, bonuses are not included in that number. It is unknown whether MZA’s deal will include bonuses.