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Rangers sign goalie Alex Georgiev
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The Rangers have signed free agent Russian goalie Alex Georgiev, per Cap Friendly. While he was born in Russia, Georgiev didn’t play in the KHL. He played in the Finnish league (SM-liiga), posting a .923 SV% last season, his first full season as the starter. The 21-year-old will likely play in Hartford, who needs a goalie after the departure of Magnus Hellberg.
The contract is a standard three-year ELC, worth $792,500 per season. Josh was pretty jazzed about this signing, so sounds like another good one.
What a move to center means for JT Miller
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Photo: NHL.com
As currently constructed, the Rangers have a decently sized hole at center. It’s the one major flaw of the roster right now that can’t be ignored. There are no names in free agency that make sense. There are some trade targets, but anyone worth while is going to cost an arm and a leg to acquire. The fix, as of now, appears to be internal, and one of the major names thrown out there is JT Miller, and shifting him back to center.
Miller was drafted as a center and played the position until he came to the Rangers. It was then that Alain Vigneault moved him to wing. On the surface, it made sense. Miller isn’t sound defensively, and AV requires a lot of defensive play from his centers. Even Martin St. Louis, one of the game’s greats, had trouble making the shift to center for a short period. There’s a good reason for that too.
Sunday Rangers thoughts
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1. This offseason has been an interesting one for the Rangers. They addressed their defensive needs, to the point where they created a logjam on the bottom pair. Assuming Anthony DeAngelo is guaranteed a spot, then the Rangers are fine with Neal Pionk and Alexei Bereglazov starting in the AHL. That’s perfectly fine. But are they ok with Nick Holden or Marc Staal as the 7D? That’s a lot of money to have on the bench.
2. In addressing their defensive needs, the Rangers created a huge hole at center. Instead of letting Mika Zibanejad grow into the 1C role and Kevin Hayes into the 2C role, they are forcing each into those roles. It may work. It may not. But it’s still curious to say the least.
Rangers sign Filip Chytil to entry level contract
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The signing of the Rangers’ first round picks this year is complete. The Rangers inked 21st overall pick Filip Chytil to a three year entry level deal, likely similar in payment/bonuses to the deal signed by Lias Andersson the other day.
Chytil has a little bit of time before he hits the NHL, but this is a step in the right direction for a Rangers club that looks to get quicker and more skilled. Unlike Andersson, he doesn’t really have an outside chance of cracking the roster this year.
But hey, I’ve been wrong before.
Rangers ink Lias Andersson to entry level deal
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The “Lias Andersson may make the club out of camp” train just got a big push. The Rangers inked the 7th overall pick this year to a three year entry level deal. It’s expected that it will be around $925,000 salary with bonuses.
The Rangers have a pretty big hole at center that they have yet to fill. The trade market has some options, but the free agent market is completely bare. Andersson would certainly fill that hole, but if that’s the case, it forces Mika Zibanejad and Kevin Hayes into the 1C and 2C roles, respectively.
All eyes are going to be on the kid. No pressure.
Could St. Louis be a trade match for the Rangers?
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One of the last holes the Rangers need to fill is a top-six center, and with the free agent market bare, a trade is the next best option. As the offseason progresses, it becomes easier to identify trade partners for the Rangers to address this issue. Jeff Gorton also needs to address the logjam on the blue line, possibly leveraging the monster offensive season from Nick Holden.
Looking through the rosters, the St. Louis Blues seem to have the opposite problem. With 15 forwards –14 if you don’t include Klim Kostin, their first rounder this year)– and just five defensemen signed, there’s a potential match with the Rangers.
Does Lindy Ruff’s hire put pressure on Alain Vigneault?
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It’s been a bit of a wild offseason for the Rangers, but one of the less talked about moves was a change behind the bench. Jeff Beukeboom fell on the sword for the poor defensive play, and was replaced by Lindy Ruff. Ruff has been a head coach in the NHL since 1997, mostly with the Sabres before a stint with the Stars.
Ruff is an interesting hire. When he was in Dallas, he ran very similar systems to Alain Vigneault. Specifically, his Stars teams were big on a 1-2-2 forecheck with a hybrid zone/man defensive zone coverage. Special teams play isn’t all that unique anymore, but it’s worth noting that his penalty killing style was also aggressive, like AV.
Kevin Klein officially retires
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As broken last week, Kevin Klein was set to retire. His official retirement announcement came this morning. Klein retires after 12 seasons, three with the Rangers.
The Rangers acquired Klein in 2014 for Michael Del Zotto to help solidify the right side of the defense. Klein was somewhat of a marvel on Broadway, setting career highs in goals, assists, and points. Back injuries derailed Klein the last few seasons, which only exacerbated his skating issues.
Klein retires with a line of 38-116-154 in 627 games.
Mika ZIbanejad files for arbitration
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Mika Zibanejad has formally filed for salary arbitration, which comes as no surprise. I feel like I write this every year, but this is just a formal step in the process. The Rangers haven’t had a player actually go to arbitration since Nik Zherdev. Sean Avery also went to arbitration in 2007.
Zibanejad and the Rangers will likely hammer out a deal before the arbitration date. With Zibanejad filing for arbitration, the Rangers have a second buyout window open to them in August. They likely won’t use it, but it will be open. This also protects Zibanejad from an offer sheet.
Oddly enough, Jesper Fast also filed for arbitration. I’m assuming he just filed the paper work before the deal was announced. Just a formality.
Rangers, Fast agree to three year contract extension
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(Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke)
The Rangers and RFA Jesper Fast have agreed to terms on a three year contract extension worth $1.85 million per season. Fast has been one of the most versatile Rangers in recent memory, sliding up and down the lineup with relative ease.
The former 6th round pick will remain a Ranger through his age-28 season. The deal is certainly a little more than I had expected, but it’s worth it to keep Fast here. He’s one of those guys that does the little things very well.