Hartnett: Rangers Quietly Improved At Draft, Still Have Big Moves To Make
By Sean Hartnett
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While the Rangers did not make a big splash at draft weekend, they made the most of their six picks, which all came after the first and second rounds. General manager Jeff Gorton and the Blueshirts' scouting staff have done an excellent job identifying and drafting late-round steals in recent years.
That trend is likely to continue. Using their 81st overall pick, the Rangers selected 6-foot-2, 228-pound defenseman Sean Day. The 18-year-old fell to the third round because of questions about his conditioning and dedication, though he appears to be motivated to put such concerns in the rearview mirror. He has already shaved his body fat from 19 percent to 12 percent in the span of a year.
Day could turn out to be a major steal for the Rangers. He possesses a great deal of upside and is recognized by scouts as an excellent skater. Day's impressive size-speed combination makes him a genuinely exciting prospect. The Belgian-born Canadian collected 74 points in 178 games for the Mississauga Steelheads of the OHL.
He will take to the ice Monday with fellow 2016 draftees Gabriel Fontaine, Tim Gettinger, Tyler Wall and Ty Ronning when the Rangers begin their 2016 prospect development camp. The camp will run from Monday through Friday with a three-on-three tournament taking place on the final day.
The Rangers did not pull off a blockbuster trade at the draft, but they did acquire a cap-friendly defenseman from the Colorado Avalanche in form of 29-year-old Nick Holden in exchange for a 2017 fourth-round pick. Holden's $1.65 million cap hit means that it's very possible he will be a top-six defenseman for the Blueshirts in the upcoming 2016-17 season.
Holden collected 22 points (six goals, 16 assists) in 82 games during his final season in Colorado and has two years remaining on his current deal. The left-hander is a cost-effective solution for the Rangers and possesses a sizable 6-foot-4, 210-pound frame and good mobility. Head coach Alain Vigneault typically tends to deploy left-handed and right-handed defensemen on their natural sides, though he has used lefties Ryan McDonagh and Brady Skjei on the right side. Holden occasionally played on the right with the Avs.
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There is further salary shedding needed, and Gorton has a number of cap-saving options to mull over. The acquisition of Holden is an interesting one given the possibility of alternate captain Marc Staal ($5.7 million AAV) accepting a trade and waiving his no-movement clause. Advanced stats show that Holden performed well in shot generation and possession on an Avalanche team that struggled to possess the puck.
It remains to be seen whether the Rangers can clear enough cap space to enter the Steven Stamkos sweepstakes. General managers began officially reaching out to prospective free agents and their representatives when the free agent interview period began on Saturday. The interview period allows teams to express their interest in a pending restricted/unrestricted free agent and discuss the potential parameters of a future contract. Teams are not allowed to make binding offers or promises to a potential UFA or RFA during the interview window.
The Detroit Red Wings did an excellent job positioning themselves to make a run at Stamkos by moving Pavel Datsyuk's $7.5 million cap hit to the Arizona Coyotes on Friday night. Although Datsyuk announced his NHL retirement June 18 and will head to the KHL, the Red Wings would have been stuck with a burdensome cap hit had they not moved his contract. The Wings sent Datsyuk and the 16th overall pick to Arizona for the 20th overall pick, a second-round pick and forward Joe Vitale.
Both Datsyuk and Vitale have one year left on their contracts. The trade allowed Detroit to free up roughly $6.38 million in cap space given Vitale's $1,116,666 cap hit. Detroit, the Buffalo Sabres and the Toronto Maple Leafs are well-positioned to offer Stamkos a megadeal. His current employers, the Tampa Bay Lightning, are the only team able to offer him an eight-year term. Like the Rangers, Tampa Bay would need to shed salary to facilitate a Stamkos deal.
It's a genuine possibility that Stamkos receives $10 million AAV offers. Industry insiders insist the Rangers will be in the hunt for Stamkos when free agency opens on Friday. In all likelihood, the Blueshirts will not be able to offer him the most dollars and Florida's tax laws are favorable for the Lightning. If the Rangers can move enough salary to be able to make a competitive offer on July 1, Stamkos would weigh up the opportunity to play in a major market for a historic Original Six franchise and coming to New York would present him with lucrative off-ice endorsements.
The same can be said about the Leafs, though there is a tremendous pressure that would come with living up to a massive contract in Toronto given the city's thirst for a first Stanley Cup championship since 1967. Along with the Rangers, the Red Wings are renowned for treating their players first-class. The Leafs and Wings appear to be in more of a rebuilding mode compared to the Rangers who have not shifted from their win-now mentality. The Stamkos sweepstakes will capture the attention of the entire hockey world Friday.
Follow Sean on Twitter at @HartnettHockey
