Rangers should pursue Vadim Shipachyov

With the exciting news of Pavel Buchnevich finally signing with the Rangers there’s been some talk of finding a fellow Russian to help ease the transition to North America for the highly touted youngster. While this discussion has involved Alex Radulov, given the likelihood of the Rangers parting ways with Dominic Moore there might be another option the Rangers should look into pursuing: Vadim Shipachyov.

Shipachyov is a skilled centerman who put up 60 points in 54 games with SKA St Petersburg last year, surpassing the 54 points he put up in 49 games the previous year and 32 points in 52 games the year before that. His most notable asset is his vision, finding space and setting up high-quality scoring plays with ease, as seen in the two videos below, but our very own Josh Khalfin also notes that he’s defensively responsible and an intelligent player generally who will likely succeed at the NHL level.

Shipachyov also played with Buchnevich at both SKA and Severstal Cherepovets, making him an especially familiar face to the Rangers newest prospect. Although Shipachyov hasn’t played in North America before, he is 29 years old, making him an experienced player who could help mentor Buchnevich and ease the pains of playing thousands of miles away from home.

The bad news is this: almost every NHL team is reportedly pursuing Shipachyov, making him difficult to sign and driving up his salary. This isn’t exactly great news for the cap-strapped Rangers, given that Josh and others have projected that he’ll go for at least $3 million AAV, but they do perhaps have a slight advantage in that there would be a place for him on the team and a familiar teammate for him to play with in Buchnevich.

Given also that the Rangers last offensively gifted KHL signing, Mats Zuccarello, has now developed into a team mainstay Shipachyov may see a viable future for himself in New York. All of this is conjecture of course, but my point is that the Rangers may have a very slight edge in attempting to sign Shipachyov, should the money work out (which is a big if, again).

All of this isn’t to say that Shipachyov is the most crucial player for the Rangers to pursue this offseason, but rather that he would prove to be something of secret weapon in the event that the Rangers manage to sign him. It would help both him and Buchnevich to have each other stateside, it would add some serious offensive skill to the team, and it would supplement the Rangers already considerable center depth.