Why the Rangers should trade for a goalie

Photo Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

After the other night’s game the Pittsburgh Penguins are one step closer to their second consecutive Stanley Cup, which means we’re all one step closer to the end of the 2016-17 campaign. It was a long and grueling effort, and our dear Rangies did not make it out alive, but here we are. That also of course means it’s almost time for the offseason, and this one is shaping up to be a pivotal one for our beloved Blueshirts. Along those lines let’s take a look at a move that might, on its face, seem counterintuitive, but could actually be quite savvy: trading for a goalie.

Now of course I’m not just talking about any goalie. I’m talking about a top of the line, true starting goaltender, worth his salary and then some for his ability to carry a team deep into the post season. Just kidding, I’m talking about trading for one of the Dallas Stars’ goalies. You see, trading for one of Antti Niemi or Kari Lehtonen would be a wise move, because then the Rangers could buy whichever one of them they acquire out. OK fine, let’s back up a bit.

At this point, it should be plainly apparent that both Dan Girardi and Marc Staal are no longer worth their weight in terms of salary cap hit, and the Rangers’ lack of a strong transition offense left their otherwise deep forward corps hamstrung and unable to generate much offense. This means yes, the Rangers are going to have to go out and acquire more defensemen either via trade or free agency, but first they’re going to need to clear some room for those defensemen on the roster, in addition to the salary cap space needed to retain them. I’m personally of the opinion that Dan Girardi is going to be bought out this offseason, which leaves Marc Staal as the lone anchor weighing down the blueline and salary cap. The solution I say, can be found in Dallas.

You see Dallas also has two large, unwieldy contracts they’d like to get rid of in their goaltending tandem from heck, Antti Niemi and Kari Lehtonen. Together they take up more than $10 million on the salary cap, in addition to clogging up the roster should the Dallas coaching staff even desire to play someone else in net. Dallas is in win-now mode, because well, not making the playoffs when you’ve got both Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn on the squad can put a GM on a marginally warmer seat than he’s used to sitting. Suffice to say that Jim Nill needs to fix what’s ailing his team fast, and the most obvious two areas for improvement are goaltending and then defense.

This is where the Rangers come in. Marc Staal still has a somewhat solid reputation as a defenseman, and his contract is hindering the Rangers’ journey toward a Stanley Cup. In return for taking on one of their goalies, the Rangers could trade a package off Marc Staal plus a pick and/or prospect to sweeten the deal, and then immediately buyout whichever netminder they receive in the trade. A little look at the numbers helps illuminate which goalie would be best for the Rangers to trade for, and which one Dallas would likely push to trade.

First is Antti Niemi. His salary and cap hit for the 2017-18 season are both $4.5 million, with one year left on his contract. Buying him out would mean $3 million in savings, with a remaining cap hit of $1.5 million. This would be the ideal situation for the Rangers, but unfortunately, Dallas is probably going to want a little bit more relief than just $4.5 off the cap in return for taking on Marc Staal’s gargantuan contract. That brings us to Kari Lehtonen, whose salary is $5 million despite his cap hit being $5.9 million, also with one year left. A buyout here would net the Rangers $3.33 million in savings, with a remaining cap hit of $2.56 million. This is probably what Dallas would prefer, but depending on the adds to Marc Staal on the Rangers side of things, Dallas could either be persuaded to send us Niemi instead, or bring down the price and offer Lehtonen. Either way, it saves the Rangers some serious cash.

So there you have it, a not so crazy explanation for why the Rangers would do well to trade for a goalie this offseason. It actually makes sense: the Rangers aren’t going to buyout Marc  Staal because his contract is structured poorly but need to get rid of him anyways, Dallas needs some form of defensive structure in addition to cap relief and jettisoning a goaltender, and buyouts make it all worth while (Dallas could even use a compliance buyout after the next lockout on Marc Staal! It all works!). Dallas is desperate, and the Rangers have someone who appears to be savvy at the helm – make it happen Gorts.