On the Jesper Fast trade rumblings

Over the past month, Chris Kreider has dominated the trade rumors. He’s the prized forward at this year’s deadline, and will probably fetch a decent amount. But he’s not the only pending UFA the Rangers have. Utility forward and do-everything guy Jesper Fast is coming to the end of his deal, and the bottom-six forward may have priced himself out of New York.

The Rangers have not had contract talks with Fast yet, per Pierre LeBrun, but they haven’t with Kreider yet either. Like Kreider, the Rangers are being coy about their position, stating only they’d like to keep him around. Playing consistently in the top-six for now, Fast has been a solid third wheel for the Ryan Strome/Artemi Panarin couple, doing a lot of the little things and driving play.  That said, Fast is what he is – a versatile 30-point guy with a high hockey IQ. He also just turned 28 years old.

Fast, an alternate captain for a few years now, is also a noted “locker room guy,” but he also plays the game the way you want it to be played. He’s a guy the kids can learn from, and he’s also one of those guys that as the skill prospects get more ice time, can slide down effectively in the lineup without hindering the bottom-six. He’s a great guy to have on the team, but he’s not really a necessity, and that’s where the rub is. In the end, it’s going to be about cost.

As a 30-point guy due a raise on his $1.85 million contract, he’s likely to get a decent raise. The Zack Kassian contract (four years, $3.2 million cap hit) in Edmonton didn’t do the Rangers any favors, and Kassian is more or less a full year older than Fast. I think that’s the high end of the comps, because it is, after all, Edmonton. Is a $3 million deal over that span worth it? These are the kinds of deals, along with the Kreider deal, that can derail a rebuild if you miss.

The cost is likely the reason why we are hearing all these trade rumblings. Fast is going to get himself paid, and there’s a solid chance it isn’t by the Rangers. There are rumors that as many as 7 teams have inquired about Fast, and letting him walk for nothing would be folly.