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My take on the knowledge Vince Mercogliano dropped Friday |
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Vince Mercogliano dropped some significant knowledge in a string of Friday afternoon tweets. See below for the string with my views underneath. The first three concerned center while the last two were on Kaapo Kakko and Vitali Kravtsov.
Centers:
GM Chris Drury should be doing his due diligence, lifting up every rock and stone as he looks for a center. Free agency, given the cap constraints New York is under, largely from their own doing, is unlikely to be the path the team takes. I am not criticizing the deals Jeff Gorton and Drury gave out, save for maybe the price point Jacob Trouba is at, but that has resulted in about $10 mil or so remaining to fill the holes in the lineup. Signing a second tier free agent most probably does not remediate your hole at the 2c....unless Filip Chytil is given a chance to slide into that spot with a third line pivot brought in.
This is where youth needs to come to the fore. But as Larry Brooks wrote, just because you have possible cost-effective options, doesn't mean that each is ready for prime time. Rushing Brennan Othmann or Will Cuylle foley due to their low cap hit would be inane and counter productive. Give them every chance to earn a spot, and if they prove deserving, by all means keep them up. But have options available in case they are not ready, especially with Julien Gautier, who signed a one-year, $800K contract Friday and will be an RFA with arb rights next season, to be traded and Frank Vatrano exploring the open market as a UFA.
Mercogliano goes through many of the known names. Andrew Copp and Ryan Strome, who will explore the market and might be fall back options if not signed immediately. Kirby Dach, mentioned broadly in the comments, and J.T. Miller, who would be a one-year rental, were also covered. Add in Pierre-Luc Dubois, the flavor of the month, and Mark Scheifele, spoken about previously and pricey if not salary is retained, and most of the big names were covered, save for Evgeni Malkin.
But Mercogliano discusses Radek Faksa, who is under contract for a manageable cap hit of $3.25 million for the next three seasons. If you believe Chytul could be your second line center, than Faksa, cost-controlled, makes some sense. Yanni Gourde, under contract for the next three seasons at an AAV of $5.167 million, is at the salary level that New York would pay Strome or Copp, and if they miss on both, expending that amount of cap room on Gourde seems foolish. I have no interest in Alex Wennberg, making $2.25 mil a year for each of the next two seasons.
In free agency, Nazem Kadri has been mentioned prominently lately. but how the team fits in at least $7 mil annually given their current cap room would appear to make him an unlikely choice. Paul Stastny is a favorite of many of the blog. He has no speed left but can win draws and might be a fall back option. Vincent Trocheck wants Strome/Copp money, and I prefer either or to spend less, though he too could be a secondary option.
Kakko/Kravstov:
The new glimmer twins. For Kakko, the question partially is for how long does he sign, as the two sides are reportedly close to a bridge deal. If it's one year, that likely paves the way for him to go as he may not be viewed as a future component of the year. Two years and might be an indication he remains, though the length of that deal makes trading him easier, especially if for a center. If no contract signed by the time free agency starts, well you can fill in the blank.
Kravtsov has to pass through waivers next October if New York wanted to send him down since his ELC expired. He's playing in the NHL either as a Ranger or other, if he is traded. Right now, based on the current lineup and presuming Alexis Lafreniere is the first line right wing, Kakko is the 2RW and Kravtsov the 3RW. He comes as a major potential discount, which is a huge need on this team.
You know my view on both. I have been a big proponent of having Kravtsov on the team. He has to win back over the team but he has skill and talent, two areas of need and two components that should never just be tossed to the side. Kakko still has room to grow and no way I am selling him for pennies on the dollar based on the Game 6 scratch. He has to put in the work and win over coach Gerard Gallant. But his work on the boards and below the hash marks was a key to the Kid Line. Have him work with Jessica Campbell to improve his skating and see if that uplift can take him to the next level.
New York Rangers Blogger • 
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