Spezza could be an option

Spezza could be an option

I think most of this fan base understood that Richards needed to be bought out. It was certainly something I pushed for last summer and I fully support the move. However, the obvious downside to this decision is now we have a major hole on our roster that needs to be filled.

Assuming the Rangers want to keep Stepan as a 1 or 2c and Brassard as a 2 or 3c, finding another secondary center appears to be the route we’re going to take. Unfortunately, there isn’t a whole lot available. At least no one that I’d consider an ideal candidate.

Here are the few options that will be available this summer and what they would likely cost us should we chose to pursue them.

Paul Stastny – Free Agent

As Dave pointed out last week, Stastny was a good puck possession player on a very bad puck possession team. He also drew most of the tough defensive assignments for Colorado and started the majority of his shifts (after a whistle) in the defensive zone. With more responsibilities on the offensive side of the puck, Stastny has the potential to be more than a 60-65 point player.

Of course, everyone else knows that too. Add to the fact that he’s only 28 years old and it’s safe to say that Paulie boy is about to get paid. Whether or not the Rangers throw their hat into the ring remains to be seen. However, the Avalanche do play a system (man-on-man) very similar to the Rangers, so getting him to adapt from an x’s and o’s perspective shouldn’t be too hard.

With limited alternative options available on the market, you can bet that Stastny could command a long-term contract in the $6-7M range. Unfortunately, if he weren’t to pan out, there aren’t any more buyouts or sneaky ways to bury guys in the minors. We’d be stuck. And knowing Sather’s free agent history, perhaps it would be better to avoid the FA market altogether.

Jason Spezza – Trade

Unfortunately for the Senators, Spezza made it public that he wants out of Ottawa and has forced their hand. This will undoubtedly reduce what they can get in return, as no GM wants to deal with the distraction of a publicly unhappy player. Still, plenty of teams would like to add the 30-year-old since he has only one year left on his contract.

Spezza has been a point-per-game player or close to it pretty much his entire career until this past season. In 2014, he posted his lowest output (0.88 pts per game) since 2004, his 2nd season in the NHL. Whether or not this is the start of a downward trend or just a byproduct of being mentally over Ottawa remains to be seen.

However, trading for him could be a low risk move depending on the assets required to obtain him. Murray reportedly wants a roster player, a first rounder, and a prospect. Though I’d be surprised if anyone makes that deal considering James Neal, a 26-year-old 40 goal scorer didn’t net that much and neither did Ryan Kesler. Both are younger than Spezza.

Murray has said the team needs left-wingers and would also be willing to part with some of their defensemen. Considering our defensive depth will take a hit if Stralman leaves, perhaps there’s a bigger trade opportunity here.

Ryan O’Reilly – Trade

There’s a lot to like about ROR. He can play both leftwing and center. He’s used in all situations. He’s a tenacious forechecker and works hard defensively. Most importantly, his points-per-game have increased every year he has been in the league and most recently put up 28 goals as a 22-year-old. Not bad.

The problem is he’s also not going to come cheap. The Avalanche will likely lose Stastny and can ill afford to give up ROR without getting a center in return. Considering this is our weakest position, there may not be a fit.

Other than these three, people have mentioned trading for Joe Thornton, signing Mikhail Grabovski, among others. Jumbo Joe is too old and always **** the bag when it counts. Grabovski is interesting because of his puck possession numbers; though I don’t know how many more diminutive players we’d want in our top 9.

Perhaps the best option would be to hand the reigns over to JT Miller or perhaps Lindberg will be ready. If the latter two options don’t work, maybe you make an in-season trade. Either way, this will be a tough hole to fill and our front office may have to get aggressive, if not creative.

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