New York Rangers rumors on Lundqvist, Strome, and Fast
Anthony Scultore
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The New York Rangers rumors train is starting to pick up. Jeff Gorton is coming off a promising season in which the team improved and got a taste of post season action. On top of that they won the Alexis Lafreniere lottery and now have a ton of options in front of them. Let’s check out the latest news on the Blueshirts.
New York Rangers rumors Henrik Lundqvist
“We’re coming back to NYC to start the school year there,” Hank told the NY Post yesterday. “Then we’ll go from there.” But what does that mean for the Rangers legendary net-minder? One thing for sure, it kills the rumor that he will retire to play one season with Frolunda.
I had a brief email exchange with Lundqvist’s agent and asked if there was any status update. In particular, I wanted to know who’s court the proverbial ball was in. “Any decision making by either side is simply between the parties,” Don Meehan told me.
So here we are and Lundqvist will be in town soon. A safe assumption would be both sides getting together and deciding the plan. Will it be a buyout as I believe, or a trade? Retirement is still on the table but is the least likely scenario now.
When it comes to trades, the recently eliminated Boston Bruins are popping up as a potential partner. If the Bruins still feel they have another year window, and are done with Tuukka Rask, Hank backstopping that Bruins defense could be dangerous.
New York Rangers rumors Ryan Strome
Jeff Gorton has four RFA’s to sign. One of them is his #2 center, Ryan Strome. There has also been talk of trading for an upgrade but that is easier said than done.
Yesterday, I reached out to Ryan’s agent who informed me that they are still in the “very early stages,” and that they are getting ready for the upcoming negotiations with the Rangers.
This is a good sign that the two sides see a future together, but what that is short term versus long term remains to be seen. The two sides will likely land on a one year deal per Strome’s request at around $5 to $5.5 million. This buys the Rangers time to decide on what to do at the 2C spot and allow Ryan to be a UFA at 28 years of age.
New York Rangers rumors Jesper Fast
The Rangers player’s player award winner is heading to the market. According to a source with knowledge of the situation, the Rangers have not had any substantial talks with Jesper Fast this offseason. Additionally I was told there will be plenty of teams that would love to have him. One of those teams could be the Nashville Predators for which he was linked to at the NHL trade deadline this past season.
New York is overloaded with talent on the right-side and Fast would not play on either of the top three lines. The depth chart currently has Pavel Buchnevich, Kaapo Kakko, Julien Gauthier, and possibly Vitali Kravtsov there now.