Had to happen, one of Girardi or Staal had to go, but the buyout isn't this huge windfall of cap savings. Season Savings Cap Hit 2017-18 $2,888,889 $2,611,111 2018-19 $1,888,889 $3,611,111 2019-20 $1,888,889 $3,611,111 2020-21 $0 $1,111,111 2021-22 $0 $1,111,111 2022-23 $0 $1,111,111 Next season save basically 2.9 mill. The following two seasons save basically 1.9 mill. And then we get 3 dead seasons of 1.1 mill against the cap. So good, but obviously not ideal. With that said, with Klein retiring and Girardi bought out that is an extra 5.8 mill of cap space next season, so that is huge. Should be able to resign Smith for 1.5 or so more than what Klein was scheduled to make, and if we can sign Shatt for a Girardi or Staal type cap # of 5.5 to 5.7 we'd be in a real solid spot on D. He'd have to take a NY discount, but if he did I'd be okay with him. Anything more than 5.6 +/- and I pass. I know some don't love Shatt, but he is a # 2/3 dman, who is a R shot and a PP QB, he would be an upgrade and only costs money. And I'd say a top 4 D of McDonagh/Shatt and Skjei/Smith is darn solid, and a clear big upgrade from this past season with Shatt added/Smith here for a full season/Skjei going to improve. A 3rd pair of Staal/Holden/Russian kid/Kampfer is decent also. That is a solid D if it plays out that way. And even if it isn't Shatt and/or Smith you know our top 4 will have a very different look next season, and good dmen will be added, whomever they may be. So that is a good thing. As a side note, I don't care how he gets it done, Gorton needs to be 1000% sure Lindberg is off limits to LV. We cannot lose him. Be it Raanta, or Fast, or Grabner or Holden so be it, we cannot let Lindberg get away. That would be a huge F up by Gorton if it happens.
I think so also. He needs to be moved I think. That could be a deal for picks, or a different type of forward, or who knows maybe that is our 2nd dmen we'll add this summer (I think we add two for sure Smith/Shatt/other). Cannot let him get to July with that NTC kicking in. If he is not dealt, I may protect Lindberg over him and almost dare LV to take Stepan and his 6.5 mill cap hit and NTC. But I don't think it will come to that, and he will get dealt. And then we can protect Lindberg, and the dman we maybe get for Stepan since we no longer need to protect Girardi on D and have a 3rd spot open (unless we resign Smith prior to the expansion draft which wouldn't make sense). I will say right now...I 100% trust Gorton. I think we are in good hands.
Bob McKenzie tweets that Derek Stepan's name is "fairly prominent" in trade chatter around the NHL. McKenzie notes though that just because a player is being talked about doesn't mean he will get traded. Stepan has four-years left on his contract at $6.5 million but has a full No-Trade clause kick in on July 1. He had 17 goals and 38 assists in 81 games this season but only 2 goals and 4 assists in the playoffs. It was reported last summer that the Rangers were doing a lot of "listening" in regards to a potential trade of Stepan.
Wonder if they don't try and deal Stepan and Raanta as part of a deal for Trouba instead of signing Shatt.
Stepan is gone and rightly so. If he had half the heart of Zucc he would be a 70 point guy. This clown has dogged it a lot in his career and has shown no drive to get better on faceoffs. Hayes is our whipping boy at times but I give him mad props on his faceoff improvement. In the playoffs he was awesome on draws for him.
