NHL free agency will begin tomorrow at noon, less than 48 hours after the 2020 NHL Draft ended. The Rangers are probably going to be active during the truncated offseason. That said, we expected them to be more active in the draft, so it’s all up in the air. Active doesn’t necessarily mean the NY Rangers will be active in free agency. There’s a lot on the table.

Where They Stand Today

The Rangers qualified all their major RFAs, including Ryan Strome. That’s the major piece of paperwork that had to be completed. The Rangers are also working on an $80.4 million cap ceiling, not an $81.5 million cap ceiling, due to potential ELC bonuses.

The Blueshirts also have $13 million in dead cap space due to buyouts. That leaves the Rangers operating with $67.4 million in effective cap space for this season. Certainly not an ideal scenario.

The Rangers currently have $58.4 million in committed cap space, but that does include the buyouts. That leaves them with $22 million in cap space to address their offseason needs.

Roster Holes

The big roster holes are on left defense and center. The Rangers need to basically overhaul the left defense, which is not going to happen overnight or in one offseason. On the UFA market, it’s really just Torey Krug. The UFA market on left defense is something the Rangers should avoid.

As for center, some interesting names got added to the list due to buyouts and/or non-qualified RFAs. That list doesn’t really have many players that can fill in a 2C role for cheaper than what Ryan Strome can give them on a short term contract.

Rangers Approach

This is the tricky piece. It’s clear filling their major holes via UFA isn’t the most cost effective approach. It never has been. With the limited cap space, the Rangers likely won’t be making a big splash here. That’s probably a blessing in disguise.

Jeff Gorton will likely look to the trade market to settle some of their larger needs. That would be a true top pair LD and potentially a 2C. We know Strome was being dangled, and it appears likely he will be traded. What that return will be is to be determined.

Unless the Rangers move Tony DeAngelo to the left side, something I’ve been advocating for for a year, then he’s likely going to be dangled as well. Return again is to be determined if they go that route.

If the Rangers trade Strome, then it is likely they give Filip Chytil a shot as 2C, meaning a middle-six option opens. There will be enough options there for cheap to fill that hole if it arises. This might also be a solid approach for a depth LD who can play bottom pair/7D minutes as needed. But aside from that, I don’t think the NY Rangers will be overly active in free agency this year.

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