The Hockey Rabbi

The Kaspar Quandry (VERY IMPORTANT UPDATE AT THE BOTTOM)

So Darius Kasparitis shows up at camp some 20 pounds lighter and ready to blaze a comeback trail to New York.  That would be great news if it weren't for that little thing called the salary cap!  With almost no room left under the all important cap the Rangers can ill afford to retain Kaspar and his nearly $3 million annual salary.  So what's a team to do?  Trade him?  Send him to Hartford? 

OPTION #1:  TRADE HIM:

The easiest thing for Slats to do would be to trade Kaspar.  Move him for whatever the team could get.  However, this option is probably unlikely: Kaspar missed all of last season.  He reportedly came to camp out of shape which apparently had something to do with personal issues he was dealing with at the time.  Given his age and his salary, it's unlikely an NHL club would be willing to take a risk on him.  In today's day and age, $3m is too much money to spend on an old d-man who missed a season due to personal problems.

OPTION #2:  SEND HIM TO HARTFORD:

Many observers are predicting that this scenario is likely to materialize.  I'm not so sure!  After struggling to read through the relevant parts of the C.B.A. (which is no easy task!) it appears as though section 50.9(g)(ii) sets forth that if a player like Kaspar is sent to the minors he must first clear waivers.  Any NHL club may then claim him off of waivers.  The claiming club would only be responsible for 1/2 of his salary while the Rangers would be responsible for the other 1/2 (and, of course, the 1/2 that the Rangers would be responsible for would count against the teams cap charge this season). 

At almost $3m per season, Kaspar's probably not worth the risk to many NHL clubs.  However, at just under $1.5m per season, Kaspar may very well be worth it.  Let's not forget that Kaspar is in the final year of his contract.  Therefore, a claiming club would only be taking a short term and relatively "cheap" risk. 

Then there's the Oiler$ factor:  Krazy Kevin Lowe targeted Dustin Penner in Anaheim in part because he knew the Ducks had cap issues.  If the Ducks matched the offer sheet, Lowe would have successfully financially handcuffed one of his rivals.  If the Ducks failed to match (which is what actually happened) the Oiler$ would have successfully obtained their desired player.  A no lose situation for The Krazy One.  Guess what folks, the Rangers have cap issues of their own.  They passed on Peca because they felt that the $1-1.5m he would have cost was not worth the risk.  Would anyone be shocked to see a rival club like the Icelanders claim Kaspar just to stick it to the Rangers?  How about the Devils who are surely still feeling the sting from the Scott Gomez defection.  A rival GM with cap room could certainly see the Kaspar situation as a no lose situation:  if Kaspar rebounds he's well worth the $1.5m for just one season, if he doesn't rebound...well....it was just $1.5m for one season a worthwhile investment considering that it contributed to the hated Ranger$' cap concerns. 

Surely, Slats & Co. are aware of this possibility.  That's why it wouldn't surprise me at all to see Malik or Mara get traded if Kaspar looks ready to rejoin the big club.   

**UPDATE** Thanks to dimanyr for pointing out that the 50% cap charge would only apply if a team claimed Kaspar off of re-entry waivers (i.e. if the Rangers tried recalling kaspar from Hartford to the big club).  I e-mailed John Dellapina to ask him to clarify this point and, as usual, John kindly responded almost immediately.  According to John, the Rangers would only be on the hook for 1/2 of Kaspar's salary if he was claimed off of re-entry waivers.  Sorry for the confusion and thanks to dimanyr and John Dellapina (Rangers' beat writer for the NY Daily News.  Check out the link to John's blog in my blogroll!).    

The Capologist

According to my calculations (based on salary numbers provided by nhlnumbers.com), the Rangers are currently sitting at $46,880,000.00 for this coming season.  This figure factors in only $2.5m for Shanny (his base salary).  It does not include Kasparitis' salary.  It does include Marc Staal and newly acquired Andrew Hutchinson and it also includes Al Montoya's salary of $1.834m.  Most importantly, this figure does not include the salaries of Sean Avery or Marcel Hossa.  Basically, the Rangers have just under $3.5m left of cap space.  Here are some thoughts:

1.  Cullen's trade was without question a salary dump.  Some speculated that Cullen was traded as a precursor to some other move.  Others speculated that the Cullen trade was a gamble because the Rangers didn't necessarily have to move him to create cap space.  If the numbers listed by nhlnumbers.com are accurate, Larry Brooks was wrong.  The Rangers did have to move him (or at least someone).  The Rangers did have to create cap space to make room for Avery.  You can question why they decided to dump Cullen instead of Malik or Mara, but you can't question the need to dump a salary in that ball park.  To me, the question of who to move really boiled down to Mara or Cullen.  Malik makes less money than the other two and the coaching staff (and Jagr) like him.  In a perfect world I would have preferred to see Mara dumped, but this isn't a perfect world! 

2.  Kasparitis is not coming back.  Or is he?  There have been some reports that Kaspar has worked himself back into great shape and is focused on making it back to the big club.  Unfortunately for him, there doesn't seem to be any room for his salary on Broadway.  If the reports are true, it would be a bit of a shame:  the Rangers could use the snarl that Kaspar once brought to the blue line.  On the other hand, well.....:  if he's sent back down to Hartford he would presumably have to clear waivers.  If he is back in shape and some team decides to take a shot on him by claiming him (he is entering the last year of his contract), would the Rangers be forced to pick up half of his salary?  If so, would they be forced to take a cap hit for that?  If so, will that effect the Rangers' decision to send him back down? Do the Rangers want approximately $1.5m in dead cap charges this year in the event that he is claimed?  Would a rival GM with cap space claim Kaspar just to stick it to NY?   

3.  Who will be Lundqvist's back-up this season?  I haven't heard to much discussion on this issue, but to me this is a huge question.  The Rangers defense is clearly inadequate for a team that's looking to seriously compete for the cup.  The only way it can work is if the goaltending is solid enough to mask as many of the team's defensive deficiencies as possible.  If any team looses their #1 goalie they'd be in trouble.  How much more so for the Rangers!  Is Montoya ready for the job?  Probably.  The real question, however, is can the Rangers afford a cap charge of close to $2m annually for a rookie backup who doesn't have much of a future with the club (barring an unforeseen career threatening injury to Lundqvist)?  If, on the other hand, the Rangers send him back down to Hartford, who will be the team's backup goalie?    Valiquette is cheap ( a cap charge of just over $600,000.00), but do you trust him with the job?  I certainly do not.  Kevin Weekes signed with Jersey for under $700,000.00 per year, I hope we don't end up regretting that! 

I expect Montoya to be traded sooner rather than later.  The problem is how the Rangers will be able to fit the return under the cap?  There's a part of me that's happy about this problem because it almost insures that the Rangers will have to get young (read: "inexpensive") players in return for Montoya.  I don't mean bad players, I simply mean young players who are either still playing out their entry level contracts or who are still a few years off from unrestricted free agency and, therefore, don't have that leverage in negotiating new and expensive contracts.  I would hate to see the kid get moved for a guy like Jovanovski. 

4.  Here's an interesting question:  if not for Jagr, wouldn't you rather have seen Martin Straka's $3.3m salary dumped over that of Cullen?  Cullen filled an important role as the third line center who played a good high energy game that seemed to mesh very well with Prucha and Callahan.  Straka's role with the team, on the other hand, is limited primarily to his relationship with Jagr.  Straka could play on Jagr's left side, however, that causes some issues: (1) where do you put Hossa? and (2) Jagr is better off with a big player on his line, someone who can effectively work the corners so that Jagr doesn't have to.  Straka, theoretically could play center, but on which line?  Straka is certainly a better offensive player than Cullen.  However, Straka doesn't have a clearly defined role on this team.  Cullen did.  Chemistry, chemistry!

Check out the fan poll below and get me your comments!

   

            

News & Notes

Here are some recent Ranger related signings:

Michael Nylander signs with Washington for 4 years $19.5m.  The caps are crazy.  The man is about 35 years old.  Just to put it in perspective, Gomez will be younger than Nylander is now when his 7 year Contract with the Rangers expires.  Yes Nylander is a good player.  Yes he should help the Caps for 1-2 years.  NO HE IS NOT WORTH THIS CONTRACT. 

Todd Bertuzzi signs with the Ducks for 2 years $8m.  If he's healthy and regains even some of his touch, Anaheim will be an absolutely miserable opponent for each and every team in the league.  Especially if Neidermayer sticks around.  If he's not healthy or if he can't find his game, Brian Burke is going to regret wasting the cap space.  The saving grace is that it's only a 2 year contract. 

Zubrus signs with Jersey for 6 years $20.4.  Zubrus has never lived up to expectations.  He's got the skill and the size but the on ice product is somehow less than the sum of its parts.  To add insult to injury, he's injury prone (no pun intended!).  In today's UFA market, $3.4m per season doesn't seem like much.  However, when you've committed to paying it for 6 years it could turn out to be a lot if the guy fizzles.  I really don't get Lou.  His club is moving to a new arena.  They just lost their #1 centerman to the hated NY Rangers.   His fans are livid, and Lou goes out and signs Zubrus?!?!  Maybe he's got something bigger up his sleeve.

Karel Rachunek signs with Jersey for 1 year $1.5m.    Let's hope this wasn't the "something bigger up his sleeve"!  Listen, I kind of liked Rachunek, but Lou's got to get with the program.  Most of the time a G.M. has to make decisions based on hockey alone.  Sometimes, a franchise has to make an entertainment decision.  Fact: NJ doesn't consistently sell out at home even when they're legitimate contenders.  Fact:  The Devils are moving into a new arena this season.  Fact:  The Devils need to generate interest and excitement in their club in order to sell tickets and make some money so that they don't have to be out bid for their own players all the time.  Fact:  The Devils just lost their #1 center and their #1 defenseman.  Fact:  The Devils have (thus far) responded to those major losses by signing Danius Zubrus and Karel Rachunek.  You do the math.

Brad Stuart signs with L.A. for 1 year $3.5m. I must be missing something here, this actually seems like a great signing for......L.A.?!?!.  The salary is not outrageous and it's not a lifetime contract.  As a Ranger fan, this one hurts.  We could have used a guy like Stuart and his price was as reasonable as it comes.  Couldn't we have traded Malik for a bag of pucks to free up $2.5m and scrounged for the rest?

Good night and G-d bless.