School's out for summer, but that isn't stopping our John Filkowski from passing out his grades on the New York Rangers Free Agent acquisitions.
Blake Wheeler
Age: 36
Position: RW/C
Deal: 1 year, $800K, up to $1.1m after bonuses
2022-23: WPG – 72gp, 16g, 39a, 55p
Pros: The Rangers add a potential top-6 RW for an $800K AAV/base salary. Though Wheeler has lost a step, he should still be able to fit in the top-9 and has size and some snarl to his game. Primarily known as a playmaker, Wheeler does not pass up shots and has multiple seasons of 200+ shots taken in his career.
Cons: He’ll be 37 years old by opening night and has lost a step skating wise. There were locker room issues in Winnipeg, but Wheeler and Rangers captain Jacob Trouba have a good relationship and have already spoken. Can Wheeler be a 60+ point winger?
Grade: A+ This is an extremely low risk, very high reward signing, to get a RW that could slot in at 1-3RW. He also has experience at C. Respected leader in the locker room as well.
Jonathan Quick
Age: 37
Position: G
Deal: 1 year, $825K
2022-23: LAG/VGK - 41gp, 16-15-6, 2 SO, 3.41 GAA, .882 SV%
Pros: Drury goes out and gets Halak’s replacement for just over half of Halak’s AAV last year. The risk is low with the deal itself. He has a 10-team no trade list, but thankfully there’s no NMC. He’ll get 25 starts at most and has the goalie guru to help get himself back on track. He went 10-4-4 with a .910 SV% in Vegas after the trade.
Cons: He played 31 games last year for LA and was abysmal behind a team that had better defensive structure than the inconsistent Rangers. There are questions as to how much he has left in the tank. Vegas chose to go with Adin Hill in the playoffs over him.
Grade: D+ I’m very concerned about how much he has left, as he looked cooked last year, but a reduced schedule and a change of scenery may invigorate Quick, who was a Rangers fan growing up.
Nick Bonino
Age: 35
Position: C/LW
Deal: 1 year, $800K
2022-23: SJS/PIT – 62gp, 10g, 9a, 19p
Pros: Another very low risk signing at $800K and some roster flexibility to play either C or LW will help the Rangers’ bottom-6 and PK immensely. The Rangers need help in the faceoff circle and while Bonino has had seasons of over 50%, he’s a career 49.9% in the faceoff circle. Hopefully, newly-hired Rangers assistant coach Michael Peca can help fix that.
Cons: Bonino was never a burner and has lost a step speed-wise with his age. He should be able to give 10 goals and 20 points as a 4C, but he’s nowhere close to the PIT/NSH Nick Bonino that gave the Rangers fits.
Grade: A- I think Bonino will come in and be a good 4C and they didn’t break the bank to do so. If he ends up giving numbers closer to what he did in PIT and NSH, it’s a major bonus.
Tyler Pitlick
Age: 31
Position: RW
Deal: 1 year, $787.5K
2022-23: STL – 61gp, 7g, 9a, 16p
Pros: An experienced 4RW with size (6’2, 200lbs) brought in for just over the league minimum. Was on pace for 22 points last season with a brutal St. Louis team while playing just over 10 minutes per game. Started just under 56% of his shifts in the defensive zone, so he’ll draw defensive assignments while adding a little bit of offense.
Cons: Limited offensive player, but competent enough to be a complimentary player on a 4th line. Not a poor skater, but not a great one either. Is not a great penalty killing option.
Grade: C- Pitlick will be playing for a new deal and can produce in a 4RW role even with limited minutes. A cheap 4RW option with some size and snarl.
Erik Gustafsson
Age: 31
Position: LD
Deal: 1 year, $825K
2022-23: WSH/TOR – 70gp, 7g, 35a, 42p
Pros: A 42 point puck-moving defenseman at $825K to play 3LD minutes is a steal of a deal. Even if he falters, the Rangers have options to come up and play those minutes. If he succeeds, he’ll get PP time, likely as the PP2 QB, hopefully removing Jacob Trouba from PP2. Gustafsson has a good shot and can get it on net.
Cons: Not very good defensively. Depending on what new Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette does with the defensive pairings, a 3rd pairing of Gustafsson-Schneider could have some defensive zone issues unless Schneider takes another step forward in his defensive development.
Grade: B- This could be a sneaky good signing for the Rangers. If he wins that spot, it adds another legitimate puck mover and PP option.
Connor Mackey
Age: 26
Position: LD
Deal: 1 year, $775K
2022-23: CGY/ARI – 30gp, 3g, 4a, 7p
Pros: A cheap 6/7 LD with size (6’2, 200lbs). Can chip in here and there offensively, is ok at moving the puck out of his own zone. Won’t wow you, but won’t hurt you either. Played somewhat well when arriving in Arizona and got increased minutes, going from playing 10 minutes per game in Calgary to just under 16 minutes per game in Arizona.
Cons: Won’t give you much offensively and isn’t a premier shutdown defender. Can kill penalties, but was not one of Arizona’s top options last season despite not having a great defensive unit.
Grade: C- He’ll compete with Gustafsson and Jones for the 3LD, but is likely a 7th d-man. Could potentially surprise everyone though and win the spot.
Alex Belzile
Age: 31
Position: C/RW
Deal: 1 year, $775K
2022-23: MTL – 31gp, 6g, 8a, 14p
Pros: A 4C/RW that can produce with limited time. Despite playing about 12 minutes per game, with no PP time and starting 38.2% of his shifts in the defensive zone, Belzile put up 14 points in only 31 games played.
Cons: Is not a penalty killer, nor a great defensive player, although he won’t hurt you in the defensive zone.
Grade: C – This could be a very good under the radar signing. In his last 2 AHL seasons, he’s scored 24 goals and 48 points in 63 games. The Rangers 4th line has lacked scoring punch for some time now, Belzile could be a good option there.
Riley Nash
Age: 34
Position: C/RW
Deal: 2 years, $775K
2022-23: Charlotte (AHL) – 66gp, 24g, 35a, 59p
Pros: 5-6 years ago, Riley Nash was one of the better bottom-6 forwards in the NHL. Has always been known as a good penalty killer. Can play C or RW and can give offense. Had a big offensive year in the AHL this past season.
Cons: Did not play in the NHL last year and his last 2 NHL seasons were not good.
Grade: D – There’s no telling if Nash can bounce back and be a 4th line option. He’ll have some competition to deal with, which is good for the Rangers. Worst case scenario, he plays in the AHL.
Those are our thoughts! What are yours? Put them in the comments below!
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