The Rangers return home to face the Blue Jackets tonight. Fresh off three wins in a win - including a pair of overtime wins in Florida - New York is back at MSG, where they have spent much of the early part of the season. That stretch continues this week with home contests against Boston and Edmonton following tonight’s game.
The big news yesterday was the finally consummated trade by Colorado of Matt Duchene. Alsmost completed Saturday, GM Joe Sakic finally dealt Duchene and the return was interesting. In the deal, Duchene went to OTT. Kyle Turris to NASH, where he signs a six-year $6 mil per extension, while Colorado gets Samuel Girard, Valeri Kamenev, Shane Bowers, Andrew Hammond, a 1st (OTT), a 2nd (NASH) and a 3rd (OTT). Sakic didn’t get the true big name he wanted, such as Thomas Chabot, but he was able to extra a trio of solid prospects and three picks. My initial thought is that Ottawa sure must believe they are a Cup contender, seeing what they paid for Duchene and how large is the spread between him and Turris? I do like Duchene better and he fits the bill as a possible true #1 center while Turris is more suited as a #2, but the cost was relatively high for that migration up.
Nashville gets a great second center behind Ryan Johansen for a reasonable cost in terms of the deal itself. I am not in love with six years at $6 mil per, as I feel it’s a mild overpayment for a second center. But with Turris and Johansen, the Predators are set down the middle, in terms of a 1-2 combination, for several years. Nashville made a run to the Cup Finals last year, once Ryan Ellis returns from his injury, the team looks like a possible factors out west again. I did get into a twitter argument with someone arguing that if Marc Staal is making $5.7 mil, how is Turris an overpayment at $6mil per. My point on Turris has nothing to do with Staal. Plus, nowhere did I state that Staal was a bargain or fairly paid, at least as of now. At the time, we mostly liked the signing. My comment on Turris was also, will Nashville like that signing in three years with three more season to go at $6 mil per year.
What is the impact on New York? In the short-term, not much, but that Mika Zibanejad contract looks even better seeing what Turris got. The center free agent pool thins out by one with Turris off the board, possibly even further enhancing John Tavares’ value. New York now will need to scramble if they are looking for a top-center, but this deal may further entrench Kevin Hayes as the #2 and make GM Jeff Gorton look earlier to land a third line pivot. J.T. Miller has been red-hot lately, with his play on the wing hopefully locking him into that spot, avoiding another possible shift to center.
What it also has to call out is the return for Derek Stepan compared to Duchene. Clearly, differences exist. Gorton was working with a July 1 drop dead date because that's when the NMC kicked in and if NY wanted to move on, a deal had to be done by then. But this calls into question the prep work done by Gorton and if he was pursuing a deal throughout last season and early in the offseason or did one come together late and later than expected. Sakic waiter and waited and waited knowing Duchene was making reasonable money for a top center but also one that only had two years left on his deal when the season started and no looking no movement clause. But Sakic didn’t get the elite futures he wanted, instead, he got a package that he hopes in total outweighs the lack of an top prospect. For New York, it’s unclear what the goal was because they went in for the long term with the seventh pick and a combination of short and long-term in obtaining Tony DeAngelo. But, as of now, Gorton didn’t do particularly well, though we won’t know how the deal fully can be graded until we all see what Lias Andersson becomes.
For tonight’s game, don’t expect many lineup changes. Boo Nieves, who missed Saturday’s game with food poisoning, likely should be back in the lineup tonight. David Desharnais, originally slated to sit that game as a healthy scratch but replaced the ill Nieves, may sit so Paul Carey can remain in the lineup. If that happens, Nieves would be the third center and Carey the fourth. But I could see Desh staying in as the three with Boo the fourth.
On the blue line, Steven Kampfer has a pretty solid game Saturday while Nick Holden wasn’t bad as well. Coming off a pair of wins and knowing coach Alain Vigneault hates making changes off victories, those two could remain in the lineup. If that happens, Brendan Smith would sit for a third straight game. But it will be time pretty soon, regardless of game results, to re-insert Smith.
Brett Cyrgalis wrote the following in the NY Post today; “Listen, the odds of the Rangers winning the Stanley Cup this year are minimal. No one in the front office has to come out and say that for it to be understood. But an environment of perpetual losing and recurring mistakes is no place for a player like Filip Chytil or Tony DeAngelo to mature. That, essentially, is what made it plausible for Vigneault to be on the hot seat.… I don’t remember the thought process entering the year of let’s treat it purely like a transition year with no expectation of contending. By signing Kevin Shattenkirk, re-signing Smith and locking up Zib, the view may have been longer term but not at the expense of the here and now. The slow start may have changed the fanbase’s view, but it sure doesn’t like the organization felt the same.