Chris Drury will have to navigate a precarious salary-cap situation if he wants to keep the core of his team.
With eight players set to become unrestricted or restricted free agents, it will be nearly impossible for Drury to assemble his entire team again while staying under the projected $87.7 million cap next season.
The Rangers already have $75.88 million committed for next season, and their three big names among upcoming free agents — Ryan Lindgren, Kaapo Kakko and Braden Schneider — are all restricted.
Lindgren, in particular, is a key player for the Rangers, and several factors will need to be adjusted in order to keep him.
This summer should be a payday for the 26-year-old, who has arbitration rights and knows his importance to the team, and he will likely seek a raise from his current average annual salary of $3 million.
The stalwart defenceman is a heart and soul player for the Rangers and Adam Fox’s spiritual partner, but to keep him, Drury would likely have to cut some wages elsewhere in the squad.
A potential contract extension with Igor Shesterkin is the Rangers’ most important deal of the offseason, but retaining Lindgren will be the toughest.
With Lindegren being a restricted free agent, Drury will be in a somewhat favorable position going into negotiations.
The Rangers would have equal rights to any team that signs Lindegren to an offer sheet, but even getting to that point is extremely rare in the NHL.
If negotiations don’t work out, Drury could have the option to trade Lindegren’s RFA rights, which would likely yield a big return, but such a move would likely be a last resort given how important Lindegren has been to the Rangers’ success.
While Lindegren’s situation is complicated, Schneider’s is fairly simple.
Schneider was outstanding in the playoffs and is expected to move to the top four outright next season, likely on a bridge deal worth around $3 million per year after completing his entry-level contract.
Kako, a former No. 2 overall pick, is another complicated case.
After being suspended for medical reasons for Game 3 of the conference finals – only the second time a Finn has been suspended for the playoffs and the second as a coach – and struggling to crack the top six all season, there are legitimate questions as to whether remaining with the Rangers is in the best interest of the team, or the player.
Certainly the 23-year-old still has potential, but whether he can make it happen on Broadway is another matter.
And with the Rangers likely looking for ways to retool their roster while hopefully saving money, trading Kako’s RFA rights would be an obvious move.
It wouldn’t be a surprise if Rangers unrestricted free agents Jack Roslovic, Alexander Wennberg, Blake Wheeler, Erik Gustafsson and Chad Ruhwedel all end up either going to other teams or, like Wheeler, retiring.
Roslovic and Wennberg were on loan, while Wheeler, Gustafsson and Ruhwedel were all acquired on short-term deals last offseason.
However, if Rangers brass like his playoff performance and are willing to re-sign him to a short-term deal, Gustafsson is a player the Rangers could potentially keep.
But the focus this offseason will be on three restricted free agents.
