Gagner

Gagner

There are a lot of dynamics involving our New York Rangers thus far. On one hand it is extremely exciting when beat writers are suggesting buyouts and moves for players such as Kevin Shattenkirk and Tyson Barrie. You start feeling a bit anxious that a move can be coming any day. When there are constantly rumors about players who are viewed as important members of the team being traded, fans get excited, for better or for worse.

When your team signs its brightest prospect, fans can’t help but feeling that a youth movement may be approaching, especially when your other top prospect showed his value in the playoffs against a pretty dynamic Penguins team. All of these different factors make it so difficult to predict what this team will look like in a couple of months, but that is what makes this summer feel so much more exciting than the previous summers.

I will be covering the draft starting in a few weeks, so right now I just want to mention the move that almost seems way too familiar to overlook: The Reclamation Project. From Brian Boyle to Anton Stralman to Benoit Pouliot to Viktor Stalberg on the positive side to Ryan Malone, Matt Lombardi, and Jeff Woywitka on the negative, we as fans have learned that the New York Rangers will always try their luck with these types of players.

For the sake of discussion, lets pretend Stalberg won’t be back due to price, the Rangers will to fill his spot. Couple this with the stark reality that Oscar Lindberg will be out for the first few months of the season, and the Rangers must find a way to fill these roles, and for cheap.

Even if you don’t have Lindberg pegged as a center on your armchair roster, the club will need to fill his center spot. Dominic Moore’s potential departure also complicates matters. The free agency pickings are slim too. I originally wanted someone like Kyle Chipchura, who is the definition of a shutdown center (suppresses shots but doesn’t exactly generate them himself). Given the penalty kill struggles, the Rangers could kick the tires, and he’d be cheap too.

Another possible target is Riley Nash of the Carolina Hurricanes. Nash is younger than Chipchura, suppresses shots, but he also generates scoring chances himself. Personally this is someone that can really fit the team, but would likely come at a richer price than what Chipchura gets.

Neither of these guys are reclamation projects though. But one that fits the bill that gets brought up a lot in the comments catches my eye: Sam Gagner. He checks all the boxes for the Rangers and their 2016-2017 Reclamation Project PlayerTM. Former first rounder? Check. Flashes of brilliance on a bad team? Check. In a tough situation, including trips to the AHL? Check.  Absolutely terrible contract that just expired? And we have ourselves a winner.

Gagner has a lot of baggage with him, but this is what makes analytics so great. We can push that all aside for a few minutes and just look at the raw numbers, if to only play Devil’s Advocate. Gagner is still a talented offensive player with a quick wrist shot and accurate passing. But in the recent years, he has also become more adept at defense, suppressing shot attempts.

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Although he is by no means the tough checking center some may want, his versatility and offensive potential add value to a possible signing. Gagner is also a right handed shot, something that can possibly help on the power play and does add another level of depth to this roster. The best thing is is that given his massive contract that just expired (was paid $5 million in actual salary this season), and he might be another guy who takes less to stay in the NHL, something the Rangers show they are willing to do for some players.

Going in the other direction, as some of you may be hoping for someone with size and defensive prowess, Rob Klinkhammer it another potential bargain bin signing that checks those boxes. At 6’3, 214 lbs, Klinkhammer has made his temporary home on most teams’ fourth line as that buzzsaw forechecker who tries to knock opponents off pucks. He can also defend well enough to be considered a fine but not permanent fourth line option. A nice 13th forward that fans may not mind stepping in if/when needed.

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Theoretically speaking, the Rangers may go after his former line mate in Boyd Gordon because of his reputation as a shut down guy. But at this point he is in my opinion absolutely done and not worth the risk.

To keep the comment session as war torn as possible so we can do something on a Wednesday instead of real work,

  1. What fourth line center would you like the Rangers to consider, with injuries and Moore’s potential departure looming?
  2. Do you want Stalberg back? If so what is your ideal/realistic contract?
  3. Is there a player outside of the “star” free agents that you think would be an awesome Ranger?
  4. What do you think of Nicklas Jensen (Let’s attempt to steer away from recency bias if possible)?

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