Going into Wednesday afternoon, Chris Drury knew two things: 1. Andrew Copp was likely going to sign a multi-year deal with the Detroit Red Wings; and 2. Evgeni Malkin had agreed to a four year extension to remain with the Pittsburgh Penguins. The latter was significant because it meant that Drury's number one target in this year's free agent draft, Vincent Trocheck, was his for the taking, provided he could come to the table with an acceptable offer.
With only about $10 million in available cap space and knowing he still had to re-sign Kaapo Kakko and find a backup goaltender and a fourth-line center, the Rangers President and GM rolled up his sleeves and went to work. In the end, the two sides reached an agreement: $5.625 million x 7 years. While the term was longer than Drury would've preferred to go, it was necessary to keep the dollar amount manageable. Anything above $6 million and Drury would likely have walked away and gone with Filip Chytil as his 2C next season.
Does Trocheck make the Rangers a better team? In a word, yes. Unlike Ryan Strome and Copp, Trocheck is one of the better two-way centers in the league. He's good in all three zones, is quick on the puck, isn't afraid to park himself in front of the net and - this is crucial - wins face-offs; 52.1 percent over his career. The one knock on him is that he's not a particularly gifted scorer, but then he's never played with someone as talented as Artemi Panarin before.
It cannot be overstated the impact Panarin can have on a player's stats. For instance, before his arrival in New York, Ryan Strome averaged 35 points per season. Since he was paired with Panarin three years ago, his season average has gone up to 54 points, and one of those seasons (2020-21) was shortened by the pandemic. During his brief stint with the Blueshirts, Andrew Copp scored 18 points in 16 regular season games. Before that, he was a half a point per game player at best. Having a world-class playmaker on your line has its advantages. Now those advantages will be Trocheck's to enjoy.
But while the Trocheck signing was significant, Drury wasn't done, not by a long shot. He found someone to take Patrik Nemeth's contract off his hands. When the Rangers failed to exercise their option to buy out the defenseman the day before, the feeling was that maybe he could be sent to Hartford, thus giving the team a modicum of cap relief. Instead, Drury pawned Nemeth off on the Arizona Coyotes. The price? A 2025 second-rounder and a future conditional pick. He even managed to swindle the Yotes out of a prospect to complete the deal: Ty Emberson, K'Andre Miller's defense partner from his Wisconsin days.
Just like that, $2.5 million in cap space was freed up; cap space that Drury then used to sign backup goalie Jaroslav Halak ($1.5m x 1) and center Ryan Carpenter ($750k x 1). For shits and giggles he even signed Pens third-string goalie Louie Domingue - yeah, that Louis Domingue - to fill out the Hartford roster. Assuming Kakko re-ups for $2.3 million, and assuming the Rangers elect to go with only 21 players on their roster, they would have about $1.5 million in cap space when all is said and done. And that will be important should Drury wish to add a player at the trade deadline.
I will be compiling a list of winners and losers in this year's free agency class. Suffice to say, the Rangers, thanks to Chris Drury, will be among the winners.
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