lias andersson

It’s mid-July, which in the hockey world means any news is good news. These past two days’ news, also happens to be actual, real, good news to boot: the Rangers signed both of their 2017 first round picks, Lias Andersson and Filip Chytil to 3-year entry level contracts.

This bodes well for a few reasons; at the very least it means that the two of them will be coming to North America eventually but I’d propose that there’s reason for further optimism here too. The Rangers’ “rebuild on the fly” may wind up bearing fruits earlier than expected.

Starting with Andersson, who was picked 7th overall and was something of a surprise at that, this means that the Rangers’ current issues at center shouldn’t last more than a couple of seasons, with an outside chance that it’ll all be resolved come training camp. That’s because Andersson has professed his strong desire to make the team out of camp, and given that the Swede’s work ethic and two-way game are considered his strong suit, there’s a non-zero possibility that it’s true.

Is it likely? Probably not, but at the very least he’ll get some serious time and experience playing in either the AHL or in Sweden, likely as the literal centerpiece of the revamped Hartford Wolfpack (or Frolunda). Give him a year or two down in the minors with maybe an occasional call up and we could see Andersson slotting into the lineup sooner rather than later.

Moving on to Chytil, the young Czech forward signing his ELC contract means that although he’s only 17, he’s ready to make some serious strides in his development as a future NHLer. Although he was picked 7th overall by the North Bay Battalion in the CHL Import Draft, it is near certain that, given his chance to play in a men’s league in the his home country or the AHL should he progress to that level, he won’t ever play a game for North Bay. This is good news. It means that Chytil is ahead of the curve in terms of growth and development and that eventually, the Rangers are going to have a very young, potential core player on their hands.

How long he’ll end up playing in either the Czech Republic or the AHL is beyond me, although I would guess given his age the Rangers would let him simmer in the minors a little bit longer than say Andersson. Still, even if he plays three years in the minors he’ll be just 20 years old when he makes it to the NHL. I’d be willing to bet however that he winds up playing less than that for either the Wolfpack or HC Zlin, his Czech team.

So what does this all mean? The Rangers will have a shot in the arm of young, high end talent down the middle much sooner rather than later, with returns on this year’s draft coming in as soon as this year if Andersson makes the team out of camp and at most maybe three years. Obviously these guys will still be rookies who’ll need additional time to develop at the NHL level (don’t expect them to score 50+ points in their rookie seasons) but the fact that they’ve already signed their first NHL contracts is certifiably good news.

The team obviously has faith enough in their abilities that they want them signed to ELCs now, which at the very least means the AHL or European equivalent is in their respective futures. At the top end is the idea, perhaps simply part of Andersson’s youthful bravado but perhaps and honest assement of his ability, that we begin seeing our first rounders in the NHL either this year or the next. The Rangers’ “rebuild on the fly” may begin bearing fruit sooner than expected, which can only be a good thing.

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