The 2024 off-season has felt long. There’s really no other way to put it. The conclusion of the Eastern Conference Finals is now a tiny dot in the rear view mirror, and a rather uneventful draft and free agency period, though it was somewhat expected, has felt downright tedious as anticipation builds for the upcoming season.
The New York Rangers front office had some important bullet points to cross off their list this Summer, and although the inevitable Igor Shesterkin mega-extension continues to loom with the net minder set to become a UFA next summer if terms aren’t agreed upon, just about everything else has been sorted out. A big domino fell today with the extension of Ryan Lindgren, who signed a one year ticket carrying a cap hit of $4.5m to avoid arbitration.
Lindgren’s stats were consistent with the previous four years of his career. He posted 3 goals and 14 assists in 76 regular season contests, a +22 rating, tacked on 3 playoff assists, and averaged 19:21 TOI per regular season game.
Also returning to the blue line on a shiny new contract is Braden Schneider. A two year deal carrying a $2.2m cap hit, the contract is mutually beneficial as the Rangers keep some much needed cap flexibility, and Schneider will have a chance to cash in on a big boy contract after just two more seasons, while bringing in over four million dollars in the meantime.
Schneider narrowly set a new career high in points with 19, and finished with a -1 rating while averaging 15:54 a night. In the playoffs, that increased to a 17:32 average, and he had just two assists and a neutral plus minus rating.
Kaapo Kakko, who once again found himself watching his team play in a Conference Final game from the press box as a healthy scratch, came to terms on a one year pact worth $2.4m, which can only be interpreted as one last “show me” contract before the organization gives up on him becoming the player they thought they selected with the 2019 second overall pick. It’s also entirely possible that Kakko doesn’t see this contract through as a New York Ranger, as his name, along with Captain Jacob Trouba, was heard in trade rumors earlier this summer.
Kakko’s regular season was a massive disappointment, playing in only 61 games which saw him tally 13 goals and a mere 6 assists. The season prior saw the young Finn play all 82 games and post a career high 40 points. Things somehow got worse in the playoffs, culminating in a healthy scratch in game two of the Conference Finals. Kakko had a goal and an assist in 15 games, played only 12:07 a night on average, and finished the postseason with a -4 rating. To put it bluntly, nothing at all went right in regard to Kakko’s season.
Without getting into the gritty details, Jacob Trouba had a less than ideal Summer. The captain was reported to be included in an imminent trade in order to remove his albatross contract from the books, but it was later revealed he would be staying put as a result of a no move clause in his contract, so Trouba, and his $8m cap hit, will remain in the Rangers lineup for at least one more year. There was personal reasoning behind Trouba’s decision, and significant outcry from fans online about not putting the team first. The ideal outcome here is a bounce back year from Trouba, and short term memory for outraged fans.
Trouba will need to bounce back in a big way and stay healthy if he wants to hear his name called to collect the Stanley Cup. The former 50 point rearguard mustered up 22 points in the regular season through 69 contests, saw an average of 21:15 a night, and finished with a -4 rating. Trouba added 7 more points through 16 playoff games, saw a slight decrease in average time on ice clocking 20:59 on average, and had a neutral plus minus. Worth noting is his 10 takeaways to 7 giveaways in the playoffs, in contrast to 13 takeaways and 33 giveaways in the regular season, but his playoff giveaways seemed to always come at the worst possible times.
The Rangers parted ways with trade deadline acquisitions Jack Roslovic and Alex Wennberg, as well as multi time playoff hero Barclay Goodrow by way of contract buyout. Goodrow had a very underwhelming regular season outside of a short goal scoring burst leading into the playoffs, but had an incredibly strong playoff on both ends of the ice, and will be greatly missed in the room for his playoff experience and leadership skills. He returns to where his career started, San Jose, to be a key veteran on a young and talented, but very inexperienced, Sharks team.
There is no doubt the handling of Trouba and Goodrow this offseason did not sit well with the room, but there also has to be an understanding of the cost of doing business, and once the puck drops on the 2024-2025 campaign, all focus will be on the road ahead.
Joining the Rangers forward core is Reilly Smith, brother of former Ranger Brendan Smith. Reilly was signed by Pittsburgh last season with hopes of becoming a lethal weapon for Penguins legend Evgeni Malkin. It didn’t end up being the fit they dreamed of, and the Rangers snagged up the veteran winger for two draft picks. Chris Drury and Peter Laviolette hope Smith can find the chemistry with Mika Zibanejad that he didn’t find with Malkin. They also hope he can bring some valuable playoff experience. Smith played 88 playoff games with the Vegas Golden Knights, culminating in a Stanley Cup win in 2023.
Smith had 40 points in 76 games on a struggling Penguins team last year, as they failed to qualify for the playoffs. The 33 year old will be focused on chasing another ring. When he got his first one, he had 14 points in 22 playoff games.
So what’s left to address for the Rangers? It’s time to sort out the organizational depth chart. Where does Zac Jones stand as a left handed puck moving defender that’s spent the last few years on the fringe of the NHL roster? Will forward prospects Brennan Othmann and Brett Berard get extended looks with the big club following their impressive AHL campaigns? Most importantly, can Igor Shesterkin be locked into an 8 year agreement without hamstringing the cap flexibility of the franchise for years to come? That’s the beauty of sports, the story is never over, we just continue to open new chapters.
The next Chapter kicks off October 9th in Pittsburgh, and the reigning presidents Trophy winners will begin their journey to rewrite history and bring the most famous trophy in sports back to the world’s most famous arena for the first time in 31 years. The team that will be steering the bus is mostly the same one that came just 6 wins away from the ultimate prize just 60 days ago. In just 71 days, that bus will be back on the road. Let’s take it to the top of the mountain.
Enjoy the rest of your summer, stay safe and healthy, and thanks for joining the Morning Skate for another season of NHL hockey.
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