Dreger: Stepan “unlikely” to be in lineup opening day

Per Darren Dreger, grain of salt required, the Rangers and holdout center Derek Stepan are just $500k per year (over a two-year bridge deal) apart on contract negotiations. New York is taking a hardball approach,  sticking to $3 million per year over the two-year deal. Stepan wants $3.5 million. I believe $3.5 million is closer to market value, since Nazem Kadri and his one full year of NHL experience landed $2.9 million. That said, the Rangers are near the cap, and while they likely won’t exceed the $64.3 million cap, every little bit of room helps at the deadline.

Again, this should be taken with a grain of salt. Reports of dollar amounts demanded/offered are usually off.