The Rangers find themselves in quite a quandary, as they have positioned themselves over the salary cap with this week’s signing of winger Alexander Frolov. Unlike the Stanley Cup Champion Blackhawks, the Rangers weren’t a playoff team last season. They entered this offseason needing to improve an offense that finished the season ranked 16th in goals scored, and an even worse ranking of 21st in goals against.
Chicago was forced to shed salary of elite players to get under the salary cap as their promising young core progressed from their entry-level contracts to fair-market wages. The Blueshirts find themselves burdened with cumbersome contracts being paid to players who have proved unworthy of their wages. Making matters worse is the fact that the level of production for these players has made them virtually untradeable. Veterans Chris Drury, Wade Redden and Michal Roszival will eat up $18.55 million of the $59.4 million available to teams under the salary cap.
Chris Drury, 33, has two years left on a deal that counts $7.05 million against the cap per season. Drury, the captain of the team, is paid like a franchise center. His leadership and solid two-way play are definitely assets to this franchise, but there is no questioning the fact that he is grossly overpaid. Drury is an elite 3rd liner, an adequate 2nd liner, and a capable contributor on both the power play and penalty killing units.
I am a huge Chris Drury fan. He is a clutch player, and his presence is definitely a positive influence on the younger players on the team. Unfortunately, he is judged on his contract rather than the style of game he plays. GM Glen Sather grossly over-valued both Drury and center Scott Gomez in the summer of 2007. When he had to make moves to fit star forward Marian Gaborik under last season’s cap, he was only able to find a taker for the younger Gomez.
Michal Roszival, 31, is a puck moving defenseman that seems to forget he’s allowed to use his 6-2 frame to separate defenders from the puck and clear the crease in front of his all-world goalie. He is a decent puck mover, and can contribute on the second power play unit. At best, he’s an over-priced second pairing defenseman at $5 million per season charged against the salary cap this season and next. For that type of money, Roszival should be the anchor of the Rangers defense corps.
To Roszival’s credit, he isn’t the biggest albatross patrolling the blue line in Manhattan. That dubious distinction falls squarely on the shoulders of Wade Redden. Redden, 33, will be paid $8 million this season, $6.5 million of which will count against the salary cap. The 6-2, 212 pounder has shown the ability to run a power play, blast pucks from the point and lead a rush up the ice. Unfortunately, the last time he played up to his abilities was during the 2005-2006 season when he played for the Ottawa Senators.
Redden fell apart during the Senators run to the Stanley Cup Finals and has never been able to rediscover his once solid game. He shows flashes of brilliance, but nowhere near the consistency that is demanded when you consider his salary. Based on production, he has fallen to no better than the 4th best defenseman on this team behind Marc Staal, Dan Girardi and Michal Roszival. It doesn’t take an NHL GM to see that you can get a bigger bang for your buck than Redden is currently providing this team.
The Rangers have the money to bury Redden and his cap hit in the minors, which would immediately put them comfortably under the salary cap. The only question is whether Sather can bury his pride along with his defenseman and make the move. Youngsters Matt Gilroy, Ryan McDonagh, Michael Sauer or journeyman Steve Eminger are all available and talented enough to provide 10-15 minutes per game filling a spot from 4-6 on the depth chart. Combined, they earn less than Redden.
New York has one of the best goalies in the world in Henrik Lundqvist, yet they still finished 21st in goals against. Based on rankings, the defense appeared to be the bigger problem than an inconsistent forward group. The Rangers have prospects who deserve a chance to prove themselves more capable of the minutes dished out to Redden and Rosvival. They could use a winger capable of producing from the second or third line. They could use a physical defenseman who could protect the crease and their star goalie. And most importantly, they could use the cap space currently committed to Wade Redden to make this team a bonafide playoff contender.
The only question is whether GM Glen Sather can swallow his pride, admit he made a mistake, and convince his owners to eat the contract.
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