The Rangers Tribune

Rangers Being Tied to Bobby Ryan Rumors (Update)

I'm not a big fan of rumors and you all know that. But it seems like everywhere I turn tonight, I'm seeing more and more connections between the New York Rangers and Anaheim Ducks forward Bobby Ryan. Ryan, 24, has gotten off to a rough start this season, only recording eleven points in 24 games, so it is rumored that he is a player the Ducks currently have on their trading block. 

On Tuesday, Larry Brooks tweeted the following in regards to the Rangers and Ryan:

Source: Rangers have had preliminary talks with Anaheim about Bobby Ryan, level of interest, ability to make deal unclear...

Brooks later tweeted a disclaimer saying that the talks between the Rangers and Ducks could've very well been tire-kicking and nothing more. 

Well, tonight John Boruk of CSN Philly tweeted that a Bobby Ryan trade is "imminent" and that the Rangers appear to be the front-runners...

A source close to the situation tells me a Bobby Ryan trade is imminent. Talks have been ongoing for weeks. I'll have a blog up soon.

Flyers not involved. Rangers appear to be front runners. A deal "could" be completed by the end of the week. TB showing interest.

You know how many of you have been saying that the Rangers are one additional scorer away from being a legitimate contender? Bobby Ryan could and would be that scorer if the Rangers were to acquire him, so it makes sense that they would be showing interest. After all, Ryan has scored 30+ goals in each of his past three seasons in the NHL. 

But a problem arises when it comes to who the Rangers are willing to give up for Ryan. I'll tell you right now, Ryan McDonagh and Derek Stepan are untouchables, and those are two players that the Ducks were rumored to have interest in. For obvious reasons, Sather doesn't have plans to move either of them.

Bobby Ryan has high stock, so if talks are as serious as the rumors say, then the Ducks are sure picking their way through the Blueshirts' lineup in search of talent. Brandon Dubinsky? Michael Del Zotto? Certainly names that are being brought up, and also names that I could see being traded away. 

This is something I will be following closely from this point on just because of the attention it has garnered. But for now, I just wanted to get it out there so that my readers are aware and have the opportunity to share their thoughts. 

UPDATE (8:54 p.m.): Here's the latest on the matter from Brooksie via Twitter...

My information is if Bobby Ryan is traded tonight he's not coming to New York.

Rumor: Dubinsky and Callahan Expected to Sign for Around $4.25M

In this morning's Ranger Reads I brought to your attention an article from the Boston Globe that quoted an unnamed NHL agent who speculated that restricted free agents Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Callahan will re-sign with the Blueshirts for around $4.25 million. There were mixed reactions, as expected, but if this rumor is true, I personally think that the price is perfect. 

Here's the quote from the Globe:

Dubinsky is coming off a two-year, $3.7 million contract, according to www.capgeek.com. Callahan finished a two-year, $4.6 million deal. One agent queried about the prices they could command guessed that both would sign contracts with $4.25 million annual cap hits. The same agent pegged Boyle for $1.75 million per year.

Just to clarify, those prices listed are what Dubinsky and Callahan actually received in the bank last year - not their annual cap hits. As far as cap hits go, Dubi's was marked at $1.85 million and Cally's at $2.3 million. Earlier in the year, I predicted that both player's cap hits would double if they continued consistent point production. Well, they did and if this agent's speculation is on the money (no pun intended), then their cap hits will do exactly that. 

Dubinsky and Callahan were undoubtedly the most productive offensive players for the Rangers last season, and if it were not for injury their final numbers would have been even higher. And as I continue to remind you, Dubinsky led the team in scoring in 2010-11. Both players are worth $4.25 million, especially if they take on captaincy and alternate captaincy roles in the near future. 

GM Glen Sather is not normally generous with his restricted free agents, and a $4.25 price-tag is not cheap nor generous - it's just right. Going into free agency I fully expected Dubinsky and Callahan, or "Duballahan" as we term them 'round here, to receive somewhere between 4 million and 4.5 million. 4.25 would be splitting the difference and would be a price that sits just fine with me. 

How about you? Submit your vote in the poll below asking whether or not Dubinsky and Callahan are worth $4.25 million, in your opinion....

 

Rumor: Sather Won't Enter a Bidding War for Richards

First we were told that the Rangers were willing to go "all out" in order to acquire free agent center Brad Richards today, but now it is being said that GM Glen Sather is not expected to enter a bidding war if need be.

The latest from Larry Brooks of the New York Post:

If Richards is going to make his choice purely on dollars, then the Rangers are extremely unlikely to become involved in a bidding war, let alone win one.

If that's not enough, however, it is unimaginable that the Garden will throw more (and more and more) at No. 91 to entice him to play Broadway.

If it's truly going to take an eight- or nine-year front-loaded deal worth between $55-60 million to sign Richards -- Buffalo is believed preparing an offer even larger in scope -- and if Richards is going to need a match to become a Ranger, Sather will hold on to his cash for a later day and another option.

At this point there is no telling what will happen until this afternoon, so you can choose to believe what you want. I, for one, will be very happy if Sather backs out of the Richards sweepstakes if the price becomes too steep. Quite honestly I think the Blueshirts would be better off standing pat than throwing away millions upon millions upon millions for Richards. 

Some fans want the Rangers to do exactly what head coach John Tortorella advised not to do: sign for the sake of signing. They just want their team to make a splash and bring in a big name. I'm sorry but that is extremely foolish. If the price is right, fine, but otherwise stick with what we have. This is a rebuilding team, remember. 

Rumor: Chris Drury May Accept Buyout

The Chris Drury saga has been one of several side stories following the team this offseason ever since it came out that the Rangers were planning to buy out the final year of the captain's $7.05 million contract. We then learned that Drury was going to elude the buyout by applying for a designation of being medically unable to play next season due to a degenerative condition in his left knee. The road leading to Drury's fate took another turn today, however, when Larry Brooks of the New York Post reported that Chris is beginning to lean towards accepting the Rangers' buyout after all. 

Personally, I have become a bit skeptical on this whole thing because I don't understand how Drury could change his mind from one decision to a completely opposite decision in just two weeks' time, but nonetheless, here's the report from Brooks....

For after Drury suggested a week ago that he was going to apply for a designation of being medically unable to play next season because of a degenerative condition in his left knee, the captain is now leaning toward accepting a buyout, according to individuals familiar with the situation.

The deadline for buyouts is Thursday, but procedure dictates a player must be placed on, and go through, unconditional waivers after official notification of the intent to buy out. The Rangers would have to place Drury on waivers no later than Tuesday in order to comply with procedures.

As a reminder, buying out Drury will present the Rangers with an additional $3.3 million in cap space. That, along with GM Glen Sather holding off on re-signing his restricted free agents, should give the Blueshirts plenty of money to go out and obtain their first line center in Brad Richards on Friday. But we shall not get ahead of ourselves. 

If Drury is placed on waivers between now and Tuesday, we will know that the buyout is going through. If not, you can expect the Rangers to put Chris on long-term injured reserve come September, or at least carry his salary until the next buyout period later in the summer. Obviously if Drury elects to accept the buyout it will save the Rangers from entering a very complex cap situation in the near future. 

I wouldn't get my hopes up too high, because like I've said, there have been conflicting reports on this situation and we really have no way of telling which are true and which aren't since the GM has chosen to keep mum through it all. If it does go through, though, I would count on the Rangers making a big splash once free agency opens up on Friday. 

Rumor: Rangers to Go "All-Out" to Get Brad Richards

The report coming from Jesse Spector in the Daily News is that the New York Rangers are leading the pack in the sweepstakes for Brad Richards and that they plan to go "all-out" in order to get the all-star center. Alarms are going off in my mind right now because that statement makes it seem like the Blueshirts are desperate to acquire Richards, which is not a good thing...

The Blueshirts are emerging as the favorite to land the top unrestricted free agent in this summer's class, All-Star center Brad Richards. The center, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the playoffs for the John Tortorella-coached 2004 Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning, has been the Rangers' top summer target for months, and they can sign him as soon as next Friday.

Sources have told the Daily News that the Rangers plan to go all-out to get their man, who had 28 goals and 49 assists for the Dallas Stars in the final season of a five-year, $39 million contract. Nobody seems to know what Plan B is for the Rangers, and one source indicated that the reason is that they are so confident they will land Richards, they don't need a fall-back option.

The Canadian network TSN reported Thursday night that Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk asked Richards to waive his no-movement clause to allow Dallas to get something back for the exclusive rights to negotiate with Richards until he becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1 - a request that was then rejected. It is believed that the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Rangers' chief rival in the Richards sweepstakes, were the team that struck a deal with the Stars, but Richards' agent, Pat Morris, told The News earlier this month that the 31-year-old had no intention of agreeing to a deal before reaching free agency.

Reading "Glen Sather" and "all-out" in the same story report me. It scares me a lot. The Rangers, by no means, should be desperate to land Richards. They have plenty of capable centers in the pipeline as well as already on the team and do not need to go "all-out" to acquire a 31-year-old who has a history with concussions. 

Look, I am all for landing Richards and bringing him to New York, but only under the correct terms. The rumor above suggests that the Rangers are willing to out-bid anyone in order to get their hands on this guy, which promises to end in a disastrous way. First off, Sather should not hand Richards anything more than 5 years, and even that could be considered a lot. As far as money, my limit for Richards is $7 million and it stops right there. Those terms I don't even think are ideal, but they are my maximums for signing Brad. 

However, Larry Brooks reports in the New York Post that the terms Richards has in mind are far beyond that...

Multiple sources have told The Post that the 31-year-old, 2004 Conn Smythe Trophy winner is seeking an eight-year contract in the range of $50M to $55M, a number that could escalate in a triangular bidding war between revenue powerhouses in Manhattan, Philadelphia and Toronto.

Rangers management is off its rocker if they are willing to offer anything near that. 8 years? Who exactly is guaranteeing that Richards is going to be playing until he is 39? No one, and very few players do make it to that age so in this case, I don't believe that the cliche "higher the risk, higher the reward" applies. As I keep saying, the Blueshirts do not need to put everything on the line because it will turn out to be nothing but a mistake. We've seen it happen far too many times before and shouldn't fall into this trap again. 

And what worries me more is that both Spector and Brooks suggest that tonight's draft is of little importance to the Ranger brass right now because their main focus is on Richards and Richards only. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this is exaggerated reporting, but if it's not, you have to wonder what in the world is going on over there.