The NHL offseason continues on and the New York Rangers still have some work to do. After wrapping up their coaching search, the focus now turns to signing some of their biggest stars to contract extensions before next season. However, as the offseason carries on, contract negotiations have been cut off, leaving many fans to start to worry.
Henrik Lundqvist, Ryan Callahan and Dan Girardi are all due to become unrestricted free agents next summer. It seems safe to assume that the Rangers intend on bringing all three stars back, but are delaying negotiations for new contracts. The New York Post reports that negotiations have yet to really even start for the three franchise players and the longer they delay, the more likely the players are to go elsewhere after the season.
General manager Glen Sather insists that negotiations will in fact begin to happen, but the question is, when? It is common business to get franchise players signed to a new extension before the contract is actually up. Granted the Rangers technically have a full year before they actually risk losing the three players, not even starting to negotiate contracts is a bit worrisome.
The Rangers are not saving any money by delaying the talks for new contracts. If they each have an average season, they will earn the market value, but if they have a great season then they are in command to earn a lot more. Lunqvist is clearly the most essential player of the three. He is set to make $6.8 million in the final year and could earn upwards of $9.5 million with a new extension. Clearly one of the league's best goaltenders, the Rangers must pay him as such.
If negotiations with Callahan and Girardi sour, teams will be pining to pay both athletes top-dollar contracts. The Rangers do not have the depth to back up both players, leaving them little options other than to give them raises.
According to capgeek.com, the Rangers will potentially have plenty of cap space to work with next offseason. Sather could be waiting to see exactly what that number is before getting contract negotiations started. It is extremely highly unlikely that New York lets any of these three players walk away next summer. The Rangers will need to pay up and there is no sense in waiting.
