LAS VEGAS — For the Rangers, the weekend was a calm before the storm.
1. With the expected Jacob Trouba trade to Detroit remaining on hold, wouldn’t it be ironic if sending No. 8 to the Red Wings influenced Patrick Kane to stay in place with a contract extension rather than hitting the free-agent market on Monday?
The ramifications of a Trouba trade can be addressed when it goes through, but if the captain does indeed go to Detroit, the Red Wings would miss the playoffs for a franchise-record eighth straight season and find themselves in a similar situation to the Rangers in 2019-20.
At the time, the Blueshirts had been without a playoff spot for two years due to the letter scandal, but they had acquired Trouba from the Jets as a key piece to jumpstart a rebuild that also included acquiring Artemi Panarin as a free agent and trading for the rights to Adam Fox.
2. The Post learned that Cain, who remains a standout for the Rangers after his anticipated cameo appearance in the 2023 season after the signing deadline, was in contract extension talks with Detroit general manager Steve Yzerman on Saturday.
Kane, who joined the Red Wings in late November after undergoing revision hip surgery over the summer, recorded 47 points (20 goals, 27 assists) in 50 games last season. The Wings could offer the winger, who turns 36 in mid-November, a longer contract than the Blueshirts are willing to give him.
A decision on whether to keep the winged wheels or launch them on the mass market is expected to be made soon.
3. As previously reported in this column, the Blueshirts would be interested in bringing Steven Stamkos to Broadway after talks fell apart with the Lightning, a team that is quickly changing with the departure of Mikhail Sergachev to Utah.
Stamkos, who has served as Tampa Bay’s captain since Martin St. Louis was traded to the Rangers at the 2014 deadline, had 40 goals and 41 assists last season and will likely fill the Mika Zibaginted-Chris Kreider duo.
But while Nashville is expected to go all-in on Stamkos, the Rangers will reportedly look at the 34-year-old in the short term, as he would not be eligible for a one-year, bonus-laden contract if the No. 91 accepts the offer.
4. If the Rangers move Trouba for his $2.5 million retention, they’ll have room in the 2024-25 slot with roughly $21.1 million to fill four positions on the front line and three on defense, including restricted free agents Ryan Lindgren and Braden Schneider.
But things come to a head in 2025-26, when Igor Shesterkin, Alexis Lafreniere and K’Andre Miller are due new contracts worth at least $26 million. For reference, the trio will owe a combined $11.9 million this season.
That’s a bit of a big bite don’t you think?
5. The surprise may be bigger than it seems, with the Post reporting that Shesterkin’s camp is seeking a deal that would see the goaltender start at 14 percent of the cap — a goaltender-record $12.9 million under a projected cap of $92 million for the 2025-26 season.
The cap hit will remain at $12.9 million over the life of the contract, though the percentage will decrease as the cap is expected to increase, but that figure likely won’t be sustainable on a deal that will be seven or eight years long and will take Shesterkin past the Vezina mark in 2021-22 and into the age of 36 or 37 after two very shaky regular seasons.
In fact, I don’t think it’s feasible for the Rangers, GM Chris Drury and higher-ups to go into the season with Shesterkin potentially becoming a free agent — something that needs to be done before the season — and if the goaltending camp can’t agree on that, the Rangers will have to explore trade opportunities.
They can’t allow Shesterkin to walk away as a free agent on July 1, 2026 with nothing in return. This summer needs to be a summer of decisions.
The worry is 2024-2025. That’s the focus. But the clock is running now for Shesterkin.
