NHL Free Agent and Trade Rumors: What New York Rangers Should Do This Offseason

The New York Rangers were eliminated by the New Jersey Devils last Friday and now they will look towards the future. 

The Rangers exceeded expectations with their squad of youngsters and now Glen Sather should have a good sense of who should stay and who should go.

The Broadway Blueshirts have a number of unrestricted free agents and restricted free agents to make decisions on and they also have a few players they could chase in free agency.

With the Rangers set to have over $21 million dollars to play with, what should the Rangers do this offseason?

Restricted Free Agents

The New York Rangers have a three restricted free agents this summer. Here is a list of RFA's who will stay and a list of those who will go.

Stay:

Michael Del Zotto: Del Zotto had a solid bounce back season for the Rangers. In 77 games, Del Zotto posted a stat line of 10-31-41 with a plus-minus of plus 20. Del Zotto is coming of an entry-level contract so he is expected to get a sizable deal.

Go:

Mats Zuccarello: It is unlikely that the Rangers will tender a contract to Zuccarello. Zuccarello spoke to reporters during breakup day, and his words make it sound like he is headed out of town.

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"I know I don't want to do this next season the same way. I don't want to be a two-way player or be up and down," Zuccarello said, referring to his two-way contract. "I have to decide what I want to do." 

"Even the injury or not, I only played 10 games this season. That's not enough for me," Zuccarello said. "I want to play more and if that's not going to happen, I've got to figure something else out." (Katie Strang of ESPN NY)

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Anton Stralman: The Rangers would love to have Stralman back in New York next season but the future of Stralman and his family is unclear at this point. Stralman, according to Jeff Z. Klein of the New York Times, sounded like he wouldn't be back.

Unrestricted Free Agents

The New York Rangers have a total of eight unrestricted free agents that as of July 1, 2012, will be free to sign anywhere they choose. Who will stay and who will go?

Stay

Brandon Prust: The Rangers should have no problem re-signing fan favorite Brandon Prust to a three to four-year contract. Prust is a vital contributor to the Rangers' bottom six. Prust is an energy player who can kill penalties and stick up for his teammates.

Martin Biron: Martin Biron is a player who has been linked to a few teams for a starting role. However, Biron is a player who is close with Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers' franchise. Biron serves his role well and odds are he re-ups with the Blueshirts.

Ruslan Fedotenko: Fans call him "Feds", "Tats" and "Tank" and although he may be getting older and not as productive as he once was, Fedotenko is a character player for the Rangers.

If the Rangers don't plan on promoting any of their borderline players from the Connecticut Whale, Fedotenko should serve the team well in a fourth line role.

Go

John Mitchell: Mitchell was an average role player for the Rangers ever since he was acquired from Toronto but he was always the odd man out in John Tortorella's rotation. There is a slim chance he will be retained but odds are Mitchell is headed to free agency.

John Scott: Scott was the Rangers' only acquisition at the trade deadline and he has no chance cracking the lineup as a defenseman or forward. 

Jeff Woywitka: Woywitka was a waiver wire pickup for depth but never seemed to earn John Tortorella's trust. For that reason, he will not be back as the Rangers will seek to acquire quality depth defenseman.

Steve Eminger: Eminger was solid for the Blueshirts last season but like Woywitka, he never earned Tortorella's complete trust and he only had minimal ice time.

Stu Bickel: Most of the time he was in the lineup solely for his toughness because as a defenseman, Bickel was horrid. The Rangers' lack of solid defensive depth could be looked at as a major reason why the Rangers were eliminated against the Devils.

The Rangers had a glut of lower-end defenseman fill in the bottom pairing this season. With a few top name defenseman on the market and rookies in the system, the Rangers will have no problem purging themselves of their free agent defensemen.

Depth Chart

Here is what the Rangers' depth chart  would looks like.

Chris Kreider—Brad Richards—Marian Gaborik

Carl Hagelin—Derek Stepan—Ryan Callahan

Ruslan Fedotenko—Brian Boyle—Brandon Prust

Brandon Dubinsky—Artem Anisimov—Mike Rupp

Ryan McDonagh—Dan Girardi

Marc Staal—Michael Del Zotto

Tim Erixon—xxx

The Rangers would like to add defensive depth, a top-six scoring forward and some other role players.

If the Rangers could add a top-six scorer, a player like Carl Hagelin or Ryan Callahan would be knocked out of the top-six.

Free Agents the Rangers Should Target

The Rangers will have some significant cap space to play around with so here are players they should target in free agency.

Zach Parise:

If Parise hits free agency, NHL Insider Darren Dreger feels the Rangers are one team that will definitely have Parise on their radar.

Parise is a American speedy winger with a goal scorer's touch. Those three characteristics rank high on John Tortorella's checklist.

He likes having American players because often he has experience in being their coach on the international level. If Tortorella has coached a player, he has an idea on how that player will fit in his system.

This advantage combined with Parise's skill set makes him valuable to the Rangers. Adding Parise to the fold would really enhance the Blueshirts' offensive firepower.  

Justin Schultz:

Schultz has been touted as the third-biggest UFA on the market by TSN's Bob McKenzie. Schultz is currently a defensive prospect whose rights are owned by the Anaheim Ducks. 

The Ducks have until just before the draft to deal Schultz or he will become a UFA.

Schultz was a defenseman at the University of Wisconsin—same school that Derek Stepan and Ryan McDonagh attended— and Craig Button has touted Schultz as a Drew-Doughty like player.

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Next to Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, Schultz may be most sought after UFA this summer. Blue chip, Top 4 offensive defenceman prospect.

— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) May 25, 2012"

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@TSNBobMcKenzie. To add a little On Justin Schultz. NHL ready & a player I feel could be like Drew Doughty. Dynamic & controls game.

— Craig Button (@CraigJButton) May 25, 2012"

Ray Whitney:

Whitney is 40-years-old, but he would be a great fit for the Rangers. Why? If the Rangers miss out of Zach Parise, Whitney would be a solid complimentary player.

Whitney had 77 points this season and hasn't showed any sign of slowing down.

Whitney would add scoring, power-play experience and veteran leadership to a relatively young hockey club. Whitney was a vital part of the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006 when they won the Stanley Cup, and he could have a similar impact for the Rangers.

Jason Garrison:

Garrison has a booming point shot and would drastically improve the Rangers' power play. He scored 16 goals and assisted on 17 others for 33 points. Garrison would come at a reasonable cost and would round out the Rangers' defense core.

Other Players of Note

• David Jones

• Dustin Penner (Newsday)

• Paul Gaustad

• Jarret Stoll

Players They Should Consider Trading for

Sometimes shaking up the roster by sending some forwards out of town is the way to go.

The Rangers were heavily involved with Rick Nash trade discussions at the trade deadline but ultimately never gave into Scott Howson's demands. 

Nash no longer seems like a viable option because of his asking price and his cap hit. Here are two players the Rangers should consider trading for if they become available.

Jarome Iginla: 

If Iginla is on the market this summer, the New York Rangers would certainly show interest. Iginla is a veteran player who is the exact type of player who would transform the Rangers' top-six. Iginla is a physical winger who can score. He is a player who is hard on the puck and doesn't lie down for anyone. 

The Rangers need a player of his size and caliber to balance their top-six. Adding a forward like Iginla would be a smart move if the price is right. Iginla wants to win and New York would give him that opportunity. 

Shea Weber:

Weber is a restricted free agent this summer and odds are he will re-sign with the Nashville Predators for at least one year. If Weber ever was available, Glen Sather likely would show some serious interest in the All-star defenseman.

Weber has a booming point shot, is a physical player with edginess and a major minutes eater. This scenario is not likely under any circumstances but one to consider if Weber does hit unrestricted free agency next summer.

Rangers Should Consider Trading Brandon Dubinsky

The Rangers had a solid season but change is always necessary. The Rangers must continue to improve, so trading Brandon Dubinsky may be a move forward.

Dubinsky had a horrible season and playoffs. There is no sugar coating it as Dubinsky failed to live up to expectations. During the regular season he contributed a paltry 34 points. This was a 20 point dip for Dubinsky. 

While Dubinsky has redeeming defensive qualities, the Rangers need goal scoring and Dubinsky doesn't bring that. At $4.2 million a year, Dubinsky is making too much to contribute so little. It isn't just the numbers against Dubinsky.

You can only devote so much cap space to a penalty killer and defensive specialist and $4.2 million is too much money for too little production.

At numerous times during the season he looked uncomfortable with the puck, he showed hesitancy to shoot and just not like the Dubinsky the Rangers are accustomed to.

John Tortorella even called Dubinsky out for his lack of consistency and costly mental mistakes earlier this year.

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“We need Dubi but I’m not going to watch the same mistakes all the time. For us to get where we want to be, he needs to be part of this, I’ve said this from Day 1. But we need to see consistency in all parts of the game.” (Rangers Rants)

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Dubinsky was included in trade rumors with Rick Nash and Bobby Ryan earlier this season so it is quite clear that the Rangers would trade him in the right deal.

With emerging players like Chris Kreider and Carl Hagelin on the wings, Dubinsky could be on his way out of town this summer.

Summary

The Rangers will have approximately $21,116,666 in cap space according to Cap Geek.

They likely will re-sign the following.

• Michael Del Zotto

• Brandon Prust

• Martin Biron

• Ruslan Fedotenko.

After signing those four players, the Rangers could have between $15 million and $17 million in cap space.

The following players likely will be on the Rangers' radar.

• Zach Parise

• Justin Schultz

• Ray Whitney

• Jason Garrison

If the Rangers were to make a trade, these players—if available— would be benefit the Rangers.

• Shea Weber

• Jarome Iginla

Overall, it should be an interesting summer for the Blueshirts. The Rangers' loss in the conference finals may prove to be the ultimate motivator so look for the Blueshirts to make a huge splash this offseason.