Season Preview: NY Rangers
Major Additions: Scott Gomez, Chris Drury
Major Subtractions: Kevin Weekes, Karel Rachunek, Brad Isbister, Michael Nylander, Jed Ortmyer, Sandis Ozolinsh
Analysis
The Rangers were a busy team during the off-season, snagging two of the most highly sought after centers on opening day and then spending most of the remainder of their summer locking up returning pieces. Marcel Hossa, Sean Avery and most importantly Henrik Lundqvist all earned raises though all signed very short-term contracts.
Make no mistake about it - the Rangers goal is nothing short of a Stanley Cup this year. They have but two years left on Jaromir Jagr’s contract and there is no guarantee he will play in the NHL when that expires. We also know that Brendan Shanahan’s days in the NHL are also nearing their end. And here’s a fun fact: the top four defencemen on this team are all heading to unrestricted free agency at the end of this season. Of defencemen expected to play for the Big Apple this year, only Thomas Pock and Marc Staal are signed past next summer.
With all of that in mind, what on earth was Glen Sather thinking giving such lengthy contracts to Gomez and Drury? Are they really the replacements he wants when Shanahan and Jagr decide to retire?
Gomez’s best season came in 2005-06 when he managed 84 points in 82 games - very impressive and certainly first line material, if not superstar numbers. But beyond 05-06 he’s managed to hit 70 points only twice in his NHL career, with the first time coming all the way back in 1999-2000. He’s coming off a very pedestrian season in which he managed only 13 goals and 60 points. Now that’s not bad, and it is worth noting that he’s still a very young player. But how on earth did a 60 point season translate into 7 year, $7.3 million per season contract?
Drury is a more controversial addition, but one I will also attempt to address. Let me start by saying I have great respect for Chris Drury and I would select him on my team anytime, anyplace. With that being said, however, Drury has never broken the 70 point plateau in his NHL career. You cannot discount his heart or leadership, but how did Drury manage to turn a pair of 30+ goals, 65+ points seasons into a five year, $7+ million per season contract?
I believe that Sather fell into the trap of overpaying for these two because of the general lack of truly elite talent in the summer’s pool of UFA forwards. These two were undeniably two of the top three forwards available (Ryan Smyth being the third), but not one player available this summer is in the same mold as a Joe Thornton, Jarome Iginla, Vincent Lecavalier or Danny Heatley. But they were still paid as such!
I blogged previously about the uncertainty of the salary cap (the current CBA could expire as early as the summer preceding the 2009 season. This could be a very large problem for the Rangers, as they now have over $12 million is payroll locked up in these two players for at least the next five years. During that time, they will face re-signing Lundqvist, Marc Staal, Petr Prucha and likely even newer prospects like Alexei Cherepanov as they hit unrestricted free agency. The Rangers here are a perfect example of why I am against these long term (greater than 3-4 years) contracts. There is too much change over the course of half a decade to plan around any but a generational talent (i.e. the Penguins would be smart to sign Crosby to a 10 year extension, but that’s about it).
As far as this season goes, the Rangers have to be considered a Stanley Cup favourite, so long as Lundqvist remains healthy and one of Gomez or Drury can find some chemistry on the top line. The departure of Kevin Weekes, who played in only 14 games last season, could very well prove the undoing of this team, which now lacks an experienced goaltender behind sensational King Henrik. Should he become injured, don’t be surprised if the Rangers make a move to pick up a veteran goaltender from a team like Los Angeles or Phoenix (both currently loaded with experienced if not incredible tenders). Of course, Lundqvist has not proved injury prone so far in his young NHL career, so Ranger fans don’t need to start panicking just yet.
September 19th, 2007 at 8:27 pm
I agree with your comments about the long-term contracts, but not with your last paragraph. Nobody’s going to miss Weekes. There’s a reason why he only appeared in 14 games: he’s just not very good.
Looks to me like Gomez is really going to click with the team. I am looking forward to a great season.
September 19th, 2007 at 8:47 pm
It’s just a question of insurance. With the way Lundqvist has played the past two years (especially the second half of last year) he’s obviously the guy you ride. But you should have at least a plan B - if Lundqvist were seriously injured, the Rangers have no experienced goaltender to lean on.
In other words, it’s not Weekes’ himself that the Rangers will miss; it’s simply having an experienced keeper in the wings who can step in should the King have some bad luck. Even the Vancouver Canucks grabbed Curtis Sanford as some insurance should Luongo go down.