Strome and Copp expected to hit free agency

Per Larry Brooks, it looks like the Andrew Copp and Ryan Strome free agency train will be leaving from New York this summer.

This was expected for both players, as the Rangers are tight on cap space beyond next season, and both players are likely in for some big contracts. Strome is projected to get $7 million over a long term deal, while Copp is cheaper, but not by enough to make it work with the Rangers.

Given the interest the Rangers have in Pierre-Luc Dubois, Mark Schiefele, and apparently Nazem Kadri –the numbers won’t work on Kadri– the news about Strome and Copp was pretty obvious.

In the end, the Rangers got nearly a point per game from Strome over 4 seasons in exchange for Ryan Spooner. This is one of Jeff Gorton’s best trades.