The New York Rangers
head into the start of NHL free agency with approximately $13.14 million in salary cap space
, and without a resolution yet on restricted free agents K'Andre Miller and Will Cuylle
. This will hinder what the Rangers
will be able to accomplish once the free agency begins Tuesday at Noon ET, but you'd have to think they'll still be involved to some degree.
To assume the Rangers will run it back with the exact roster that didn't make the playoffs this past season doesn't seem like something team owner James Dolan would sign off on. Even minimal additions will have to be made perhaps without a resolution on some of the rest of the roster, cautiously of course. Teams are allowed to be 10 percent over the cap during the offseason.
Rome wasn't built in a day, and it's possible July 1 comes and goes without all their questions answered. But, let's dive into some realistic free agency targets for the Rangers.
Related: Zac Jones, Arthur Kaliyev don't receive qualifying offers from Rangers, become free agents July 1
The hulking 6-foot-3, 220-pound defensive defenseman has been linked to the Rangers all offseason. With the Rangers looking to be harder to play against on the back end, it would be difficult to find a better solution in the market.
The mutual interest and excellent fit are well and good. But Gavrikov won't come cheaply. Not after Ivan Provorov , the best Gavrikov comp as a top-four, left-shot defenseman, re-signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday for seven years at $8.5 million annually.
Ouch.
Still, Gavrikov appears to be the Rangers' top UFA target this summer. So, let's see what general manager Chris Drury might have up his sleeve to get this deal done.
Gavrikov is a stable, physical presence, and would greatly bolster a back end that lacks jam and physicality. The 29-year-old also had 30 points last season and played all 82 games, averaging 23+ minutes TOI.
He'd also be the most solid partner Adam Fox
has had. with the Rangers, no disrespect to Ryan Lindgren
.
Though the Rangers would likely prefer to add a third-line center at the level of Christian Dvorak
, the limited cap space makes this hard to imagine. Especially with other teams needing immediate center depth even more so than the Rangers, driving prices up. So, enter the bargain option that is 2018 Stanley Cup champion Lars Eller.
At 36 years old, Eller is still an above-average skater, per NHL Edge
. He has good size, is defensively responsible and committed to the forecheck, which would be a welcomed addition to what could be a very youthful third line no matter how you slice it. Add in that he's played previously under Rangers coach Mike Sullivan, and there's reason to believe Eller would be a solid bargain signing on a one-year deal.
This past season, he split time between Pittsburgh Penguins
and Washington Capitals
following an early season trade, finishing with 10 goals and 12 assists for 22 points in 80 games.
This center has been linked to the Rangers in the past and could also come at a discount after a down season with Utah. He's younger (32 years old) and bigger (6 foot-6) than Eller, though not nearly as consistent.
After scoring eight goals and totaling 19 points in 66 games this past season, Bjugstad may not have big market for his services. So, signing a one-year "prove it" deal makes sense here for both sides.
There is value in Bjugstad's all-around game. He scored 22 goals and 45 points for the Coyotes in 2023-24. He's bounced around the League, but he'd be affordable and motivated to land a richer contract next summer, in theory, if the Rangers signed him.
Talia Sprague-Imagn Images
Here's another center option for the Rangers. Veleno was bought out by the Seattle Kraken and is now an unrestricted free agent. He had only eight goals and 17 points last season, and has never lived up to being a first-round pick (No. 30 overall) by the Detroit Red Wings in 2018. Veleno has 38 goals and 81 points in 306 NHL games.
But the Rangers could use a youthful center with NHL experience, and Veleno is 25 years old. So, there's room for growth here if the Rangers believe in the player. He'd be an affordable option that could grow into a longer-term bottom-six option.
At one time, there was little doubt about Veleno, who a decade ago was granted exceptional status in the QMJHL at just 15 years old. Perhaps Veleno can be the next Morgan Geekie
, who wasn't qualified by the Kraken at 24 years old in 2022-23 before he signed with the aging Boston Bruins
. Since then, Geekie's scored 17 and 33 goals in two seasons. That could be a reach for Veleno, but it's worth taking a long look at him if you're the Rangers.
If the Rangers don't sign Gavrikov, they need a Plan B option. That could simply be re-signing Miller and keeping Carson Soucy as their to play the left side on the top two pairings.
Or the Rangers could pivot to a veteran stop-gap option. There are two who should be pretty affordable, each 33 years old, and a Stanley Cup champion.
Brian Dumoulin was very good splitting last season between the Anaheim Ducks and New Jersey Devils , especially in the playoffs when the Devils defense was decimated by injuries. He's not a star, but he is a stout defender that can still play on your second pair. He also played most of his career under Sullivan with the Penguins, including as a regular on two Cup- winning teams in 2016 and 2017.
Dmitry Orlov had 28 points and was plus-16, averaging 20 minutes TOI over 76 games with the Carolina Hurricanes last season. He was exposed in the Eastern Conference Final by the Florida Panthers , but can still play effectively on a second pairing
Neither is a sexy option. But each could be a decent short-term solution.
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