Five Lower-Risk Free Agent Targets for the New York Rangers

It can’t be overstated: This summer is going to be an absolute whirlwind in the National Hockey League, specifically with regard to everything surrounding this year’s free agent class. With the sudden rise in the salary cap, team’s are likely to spend quite recklessly. On top of that, this year's free agent class as a whole is very thin, which means even some of the most mundane names are going to make generational wealth on the open market.

The Rangers cannot fall victim to this and need to spend whatever cap space they have wisely this summer. 

There are a number of things the Rangers must avoid at all costs this summer when looking at the free agent market. They should be extremely skeptical of signing anyone to anything long-term, unless it’s for an extremely team-friendly price and/or absolutely going to make them a better team through this next contention window. They also need to be very cautious with how, if at all, they offer anybody trade protection. It’s really beginning to feel like NHL general managers throw no-move clauses around as if they’re beads at Mardi Gras. Unless the Rangers can significantly talk down a big name free agent's cap hit with trade protection acting as the trade off, then there really isn’t any reason to consider it unless it’s a veteran on a one-year deal. That being said, the Rangers may need to do a bulk of their shopping in the bargain bin, and even that is going to be quite the challenge given the market.

Here are five potential players that could be a fit for the Rangers at the right price. 

James van Riemsdyk 

As much as we may all want to see the likes of Brennan Othmann and Brett Berard thrive in a Rangers uniform, they aren’t sure bets by any stretch of the imagination. Whether they continue to bounce back and forth between New York and Hartford or end up being used as trade chips, I can’t imagine their roster spots are guaranteed in the eyes of the Rangers front office. In the event the Rangers want a more established, reliable presence to play the left side of the third line, James van Riemsdyk could be a great bargain bin pick up at the right price.

Despite having just turned 36, JVR is coming off back-to-back 71-game seasons where he averaged 37 points. He may not be that top six goal scorer he once was, but there is still value to his game if used in the appropriate role. While there are some obvious concerns with someone of his age, there are two things that veterans tend to prioritize in the back nine of their career: chasing a Stanley Cup if they haven’t won one already, and less moving around.

If van Riemsdyk indeed hits the open market, as expected, wherever he signs will be his third home in the last three years. Other than Toronto, where he spent the second largest chunk of his career, JVR has only played for teams in the Metro area: Philadelphia, Boston (Atlantic Division, but you get the point), and, most recently, Columbus. New York would make sense for a number of reasons. It’s not a far move, he could join a team looking to get back in Cup contention immediately, and, of course, he has USA Hockey ties.