Should the Rangers target Finnish goalie Jussi Rynnas? (UPDATE)
by rmc235 on Apr 17, 2010 8:51 PM EDT
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PrintFor those of you who may not know, Jussi Rynnas is a goalie currently playing for Ässät in the Finnish Elite League SM-Liiga. You can think of Rynnas as a good goalie, playing for a bad team, as Ässät finished in the bottom portion of the league standings. Jussi Rynnas is what you call a "late bloomer". He is around 6-5, and 205 lbs. At 22 years old, he has been getting a lot of interest from numerous teams including Montreal, Philadelphia, Toronto, Anaheim, Dallas, Phoenix, and Minnesota. Rynnas has been drawing comparisons to last year's star overseas goaltending prospect Jonas Gustavsson. Should the Rangers target Jussi Rynnas?
Reports have come out stating Rynnas has returned from a North American tour in which he visited NHL teams. He is expected to make a decision in coming weeks.
Here are some sites offering analysis, including posts from broadstreethockey, and a recent post from pensionplanpuppets, two sites here on SBNation.
http://www.broadstreethockey.com/2010/3/17/1377270/the-goalie-carousel-continues-is
Rynnäs a rookie of the year candidate in SM-liiga, the top league in Finland. He plays for a poor Ässät club, where in 31 games he's compiled a 2.50 goals against average and a .929 save percentage. He's 6'4", 203 pounds.
http://www.pensionplanpuppets.com/2010/4/17/1428135/jussi-rynnas-not-coming-to-toronto
Jussi Rynnäs has ended his North American tour. The Pori resident who has attracted great interest among NHL teams was exploring 5 different organisation. During his eight day trip Rynnäs visited Dallas Stars, Philadelphia Flyers, Phoenix Coyotes, Minnesota Wild andMontreal Canadiens.
http://starsblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/03/jussi-rynnas-to-visit-thursday.html
Rynnas does not have the pedigree that Gustavsson did. He played for a team that did not make the playoffs (Gustavsson's team won the Swedish Elite League title) and he is not considered to be the best goalie in the Finnish Elite League at this time (posting a 14-13-1 record, a 2.50 GAA and a .929 save percentage). However, he is 6-5, he will turn 23 on May 22 and he can sign a contract like the one-year $900,000 deal that Gustavsson signed in the summer.
He would definitely be worth the risk.
http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=7634
Above is Rynnas' profile at eliteprospects.
The Rangers don't have a backup as of yet, and It seems like Rynnas could be worth a risk and he could play backup and get some experience. Who knows, if he develops quickly, he gives the Rangers a tradeable asset. What do you think?
UPDATE- As you probably know, I wrote this story based purely on speculation about the Rangers' chances to nab a goaltender other teams have been targeting. Well, as it turns out, the Rangers won't be getting Jussi Rynnas. I know most of you are in shock so I'll leave it to TSN for more information:
Finnish free agent goaltending prospect Jussi Rynnas, who attracted a lot of interest amongst NHL teams this season, has chosen Toronto as his destination.
The Maple Leafs are waiting to hear back from Rynnas' agent, Allain Roy, to finalize the deal, which is reportedly a two-year, two-way contract.
The 22-year-old Rynnas is slated to play in the Maple Leafs' minor league system next season.
''In situations like this, you tell them about the positives of your organization and you're honest with them and you let them decide,'' Dallas Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk told The Dallas Morning News. ''He decided Toronto was best for him.''
The Stars, Flyers, Canadiens, Coyotes and Leafs were all thought to be pursuing the young netminder.
So Toronto missed out on MZA, but finished on top in the competition for Rynnas. Provided his stay in the AHL is short, Rynnas can potentially compete for a starting position. That will be interesting to watch.
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The truth is that it almost doesn’t matter who the backup is, the coaches are going to give Henrik ~70 games, the nature of the team is they’re going to have to fight for a playoff spot year in and year out right now, and that dictates using Henrik a ton down the stretch.
That said, I just don’t see why they don’t just give Chad Johnson a legitimate chance.
Johnson’s GAA and SV% in limited action were comparable to Lundqvist’s, and he’s already signed for 2010-2011. Give him 5-6 games out of the first 20 or so next year, and see what the kid can do.
If you run into an issue with him, then you do what was done this year, go out and get a cheap backup that are almost always available on the scrap heap. They don’t need to tie up 1.5-2m in a backup, especially when Henrik already ties up a lion’s share of the cap space a team should use for goalies.
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i will agree and disagree. they dont need to tie up any significant money in a backup as auld could probably come back for 1 mil range. I would love to see Chad get a shot to be the backup but at the same time for his development just let him playing full time in hartford even though with the impending talent level in hartford that might not be so good for confidence.
by Michael Gleich on Apr 17, 2010 9:18 PM EDT up reply actions
Well, while I certainly agree that Chad needs to be developed in the best ways possible, with Henrik’s skill and contract, it’s quite unlikely that we will have a need for anything more than a backup.
Chad’s already developed to the point where he looks like he can play at the level of an NHL backup.
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by George E. Ays on Apr 17, 2010 9:24 PM EDT up reply actions
Chad showed he was capable and ready in preseason and in his chances this year but that didnt stop the shuffle and jumping on Auld. so while what you said is true we know how it played out and I would add this was only his first season of professional hockey so let him get another and then Torts would have no excuse to not let him play 15 games…they still wont, but you know how that goes.
by Michael Gleich on Apr 17, 2010 9:27 PM EDT up reply actions
Well right, we’re talking the ideal world, the Rangers don’t have ideal management.
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by George E. Ays on Apr 17, 2010 9:32 PM EDT up reply actions
Can someone explain to me when non-North American players become free to sign with any NHL club without first being drafted? If the player is 21 or older, is he then fair game for any NHL team?
Also, if nobody signs this Rynnas guy before June 25th, I assume he would be draft-eligible?
any player NA or not if they go through 2 drafts where they were eligible and not selected is a free agent.
by Michael Gleich on Apr 17, 2010 11:04 PM EDT up reply actions
the bigger change has been that they made it the same for teams requiring them to sign Euro’s within two years of drafting them like NA players where it had been they could just hold their rights i believe until 31.
by Michael Gleich on Apr 17, 2010 11:12 PM EDT up reply actions
Knowing that the King is going to play around 72 games…….why isn’t Chad johnson an adequate backup? Cheap/young and not swiss cheese. Why are ppl freaking out and thinknig we need Turco. We are not getting a big name…..that takes cap and a guy who understands he is not going to play…..egos do get in the way.
They want Chad to play more than 10 games a year
and Auld could be had for basically the same price
by Ahmad Bradshaw on Apr 18, 2010 10:18 AM EDT up reply actions
A backup
it really does matter who the Rangers put in at backup.
God forbid Henrik get hurt.
We need to have someone capable back there.
[img]http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/0eTH2sm73rf3u/610x.jpg[/img]
Precisely
Chad Johnson needs a season to develop – and to see if he’s really got what it takes to handle the pressure over the long haul.
If Hank were to be injured – even for a minor injury, a 2 or 3 week stretch – you need a capable NHL level goalie to step in.
He played 44 games in Hartford last year and another 5 in the NHL, is another year really going to do much for his development? I mean, can he really be worse than the .904 and 2.78 that Auld has in his career?
The Rangers can’t sign (or at least shouldn’t) anyone worth more than $1m, so it’s not unlikely you’re getting anyone good enough to sustain any kind of injury to Hank.
You have options like Nittymaki, Brodeur (Mike), Dubielewicz, and Sanford that can be had for .7-.8m. But again, can Dos Nueve really be worse than them?
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by George E. Ays on Apr 18, 2010 1:55 PM EDT up reply actions
To me – it’s not a matter of “can he be better or worse” than some of the options.
He’s a year out of college – this past year probably did not help him developmentally in the least – except that he understands the difference in speed between each of the respective levels.
Sign a guy for under 1.5mm for one year who has NHL experience. If Hank gets hurt (heaven forbid) you’re not dumping a guy into the position not knowing whether or not he can handle it.
Give Chad a full year of ‘grinding’ through the AHL season – playing 60 games. That’s going to tell us if he’s ready for the NHL or not.
lets be realistic
if hank goes down, god-forbid, for any long stretch of time, we are toast anyhow bc we need a star goalkeep to be competitive as presently constituted. i say keep auld, hes cheap and capable enough with starter exp
lets put it this way. When Hank plays like a hockey God, we’re an average team. Anything less and we’re the oilers. Hank isn’t just our backbone, he’s our liver, spleen, brain, heart, lungs, and anything else that when you remove will cause massive hemorrhaging or death.
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by Scratch and Snif on Apr 19, 2010 6:58 PM EDT up reply actions
how about gustavson?
toronto has said they are in a market for a goalie and dont think the monster is a starting goalie. he is a free agent and might not get resigned he grew up admiring lundqvist and wouldnt it be great for lundqvist to teach the monster to become another king i say if he is up for grabs it would be a good idea ..
His cap hit for two years is 1.35. Spending $8.1 on your goalies is excessive, but doable I suppose.
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by George E. Ays on Apr 18, 2010 7:53 PM EDT up reply actions
Hanks contract is deserved, anything under 1.5 for the backup would be fine, so 8.1 isn’t really that excessive.
"Mes de un club"
"You're a pro or you're a noob. That's life"
by Scratch and Snif on Apr 19, 2010 6:59 PM EDT up reply actions
Actually, I could argue quite easily that the 6.875 cap hit Hank has is excessive, not to mention spending 15% of your cap.
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by George E. Ays on Apr 19, 2010 10:23 PM EDT up reply actions
its all relative
bc since hank is 90% of our team, he is a bargain! lol
So I’d guess that you’d really be happy with the just-shy-of-10mm that Calgary spent on Kiprusoff and Toskala this year?
Nabokov – coming of the last year of a 4 yr deal @ avg 5.375
Miller – In the 1st year of a 5 yr/6.25mm deal
Brodeur – 2 yrs left on a 6 year/5.2mm deal
Huet – 2 yrs left on a 4 year/5.625mm deal
Vokoun – 1 yr left on a 4 year/average 5.7mm deal
The only consistently winning team that has no “star” keeper is Detroit. They have a combination of factors – 1) they have superior defensive players and 2) they get lucky – Osgood had the year of a lifetime last year, as an example.
For the most part – Hank’s deal isn’t all that bad when compared to his peers.
Yes, Calgary is way worse.
But there’s a pretty hefty difference between a 6.875m hit for Hank and the 5.63m average cap hit between those 5 players. (just average hit, not balancing for years)
Look, Hank earned his contract with spectacular play, but it’s hard to deny that Sather overpaid for him when his cap hit is $0.575m bigger than any other goalie in the league.
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by George E. Ays on Apr 20, 2010 9:46 AM EDT up reply actions
Starting in 2010 – the most *cough*overpaid*cough* keeper is Roberto Luongo.
Just comparing apples to apples – for 2010 thru 2014:
Luongo – 30.148 salary – avg. 7.537mm
Hank – 26.625 salary – avg. 6.656mm
Over the life of the contract, Luongo’s 12 year deal averages a 5.3mm cap hit. Something tells me he won’t be playing in 2022. Just a guess.
Sather has avoided these “cap-buster” type deals – you could argue that he shouldn’t avoid them – but what’s done is done.
It's not a matter of "overpaid" persay.
The only thing that matters in this era is the cap hit.
These big ass front loaded deals keep happening for a reason, the players are demanding big money and the GMs have found a way to give it to them without killing their cap flexibility. If Hank made 26.625m and had a contract that knocked his cap hit to the 5.63m average above, the Rangers would be better off.
Sather hasn’t learned that lesson, and it’s at least a small fraction of why we struggle. (the large fraction being he gives these non-front loaded deals to guys like Redden)
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by George E. Ays on Apr 20, 2010 10:23 AM EDT up reply actions
We may be entering “The Semantic Zone” (cue eerie music)… ;-)
In reality – front or back-loaded, Redden’s (and to some extent Drury’s) deals are just absurd. They’d be less absurd if spread out – but absurd nonetheless. :-)
I understand your point on Hank’s deal – but I really don’t have a huge problem with it – as I suspect almost all Ranger fans don’t (except for one who was recently banned).
Oh, I don’t have a problem with Hank’s deal, as I said, he earned every penny, unlike certain other Ranger contracts.
My point here has been and still is merely to point out that because of it, the Rangers shouldn’t go out and spend excessive money for a backup, as you don’t want to tie up that much of your cap into the position.
When you add up the extra .5m that Henrik can be said to make, combine it with paying $1.5m for a backup rather than a reasonable 750k for a backup, suddenly there’s a $1.2m “wasted” that could have been used to either help pay Staal, sign a decent FA, etc…
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by George E. Ays on Apr 20, 2010 10:49 AM EDT up reply actions
Not saying I would argue
but I could make a case that $1mm ‘extra’ (as opposed to wasted) on Hank/quality backup combination might be well spent on a team with the defensive challenges that we’ve seen on Broadway this year. If you’re going to go “youth” at the blueline – then the keeper position becomes more important. If you should make the playoffs with a youthful defense (and one that has had problems clearing the crease), then you’d better have a capable (as in NHL quality) backup to carry on.
It was interesting that with the arrival of Shelley and Prust, and the increase in physical play of both Staal and Girardi at about the same time, the incidences of Hank being “bowled over” were significantly reduced.
I guess when it gets boiled down – I have mixed feelings on how much to spend on a backup goalie. We need someone of at the very least the caliber of Auld – who will play 20 or so games. You don’t want to write off those 20 games as losses.
Sort of a circular argument, one could argue that because that $1m is being used on goaltending, it’s limiting the amount of money that could be spent on upgrading the defense (or offense).
When it comes down to it, it’s just something people need to keep in mind as they throw out every name under the sun to try to bring in here, there are cap restraints even if you dump Redden, so you can’t and shouldn’t just spend it because you can get it.
Or as I like to call it, don’t be Sather.
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by George E. Ays on Apr 20, 2010 1:45 PM EDT up reply actions
So if you talk cap, Rynnas would take probably a 1 year $900,000 deal. Better to develop Johnson? Auld might not be here, and signing Rynnas would be a crapshoot with tremendous upside. I’d still go with Rynnas, even over Johnson.
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