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AP Photo/Rick Scuteri

This past offseason the Rangers were forced into a difficult position, as the salary cap forced them to part with Carl Hagelin. Hagelin was a fan favorite, but at $4 million he was a luxury the Rangers could not afford. Such is life in a cap world.

This offseason, the Rangers may find themselves in a similar situation with Chris Kreider. Kreider is an arbitration eligible RFA coming off a deal that comes with a $2.475 million cap hit ($2.6 million in salary this season). He’s due for a pretty hefty raise, as noted by the Justin Abdelkader contract signed this year. His down year certainly works in the Rangers’ favor, but Kreider is still going to get around $4-$4.5 million for his next deal.

Kevin proposed a radical idea of pairing Kreider with one of Marc Staal or Dan Girardi to improve the Rangers. With the cap expected to rise to just $74.5 million next season, that may not be such a radical idea. The speedy left winger gives the opposition matchup issues, as his size, strength, and speed are hard to defend. However he lacks the hands to be a consistent force on offense. All told, Kreider is likely a 20-25 goal guy at his peak.

This is where cap flexibility comes to play. Jeff Gorton was left little wiggle room by Glen Sather, and the Rangers have what amounts to $11.2 million in dead cap space with Staal and Girardi. While Kreider certainly hasn’t endeared himself to fans with his play this year, he’s still a top-six forward with a unique skill set. He’s beyond the “luxury” that was Hagelin, who is now a $4 million third line player who kills penalties.

Much like with Hagelin, recognizing what you have in a player is the first step in determining if the market for that player is worth the price. Are the Rangers willing to give Kreider $4.5 million for peak 25 goals and 50 points?

Gorton is coming into his first real test as Rangers GM. Kreider is heading towards a big raise and the Rangers don’t have much cap space to support that raise. Given his current production and peak, Kreider may be the next cap casualty for the Rangers, unless other changes are made.

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