Podcast Ombudsman Report for Blueshirt Bandwidth Ep. 75
The latest Ombudsman Report revisits J.T. Miller’s contract math, Lafrenière’s post-Panarin breakout, and a surprising stat that paints Urho Vaakanainen in a better light.
Welcome back to the Blueshirt Bandwidth Podcast Ombudsman Report. Each week, Charlie Vidal will listen to the latest episode of the podcast and correct the record on anything Joe and Eric get wrong. If you aren't already, you can listen and subscribe to the podcast here.
J.T. Miller Contract
It was asked, "What would getting out of the J.T. Miller contract look like?" Miller has four more seasons after this one left on his contract. His full no-movement clause extends for one more season, before becoming a 15-team no-trade list during the 2027 offseason. If you wanted to buy him out this offseason, you’d see significant savings for the next four seasons before four seasons of a $1.9m dead cap hit, during which time the cap would likely continue to increase.
Of course, considering that there isn’t anybody worth signing as a free agent this offseason, you might as well let him play out the next year of his contract and then make a decision in 2027 as to trade him to one of the 16 teams not on his no-trade list, or buy him out.
Miller's Contract:
Summer 2026 Buyout:
Summer 2027 Buyout:
Alexei Yashin Rookie Card
Eric mentioned having an Alexei Yashin rookie card worth $20 and being offered “a few bucks” for it. If Eric had sold said Yashin rookie card for $3 at the height of Yashinmania in 1994—following his Calder Trophy win and first all star selection —and then invested that money in the S&P 500, he would have about $78. The Yashin rookie card is available on eBay for $2.75:
Alexis Lafrenière
Joe said that, “We are seeing a completely different Lafrenière” since Panarin was shipped out to Los Angeles. In the 13 games since Panarin left the Rangers lineup, Lafrenière has nine goals and six assists for 15 points, including a hat trick against Calgary and a two point game against the Winnipeg Jets since Joe made this comment.
Moving Lafrenière for Shane Wright has been discussed quite a bit this season, as a sort of change of scenery swap of underwhelming high draft picks. Although Lafrenière is two years older than Wright, he’s had a significantly better season per EvolvingHockey and projects out better per JFresh:
Urho Vaakanainen
Urho Vaakanainen has become somewhat of a punching bag on this podcast and across the Rangers fan base this season, but he has actually performed as a solid defenseman, outperforming Will Borgen, Vincent Iorio, Scott Morrow, and Braden Schneider on an xGAR basis:
NBA Contract Lengths
In the discussion on player movement in the NHL, Eric and Joe credited part of the NBA’s increased movement of star players between teams on their shorter contract lengths. The NHL allows players to sign extensions of eight years with their current team and contracts of seven years as an unrestricted free agent. The NBA allows unrestricted free agents to sign four year contracts, and players with “Bird Rights” (have been on their team for parts of the three seasons prior to the expiration of their contract) to sign five year extensions.
Rangers vs. Flames
The podcast was recorded right before the Calgary Flames made their only visit to Madison Square Garden this year. Joe called this game a "must lose," and Eric said that Urho Vaakananen could score three goals. The Rangers did not lose, and while Urho Vaakananen did not score three goals, Alexis Lafrenière did. In what will likely be the only game that I attend at MSG this season, I forgot to pack my hat before leaving on my business trip.
Skating Coaches
Joe asked me to find information on New York Rangers skating coaches. Dawn Braid is listed as a the Rangers skating coach in the team directory, and her LinkedIn has her as a full-time skating consultant for both the Rangers and the Hartford Wolf Pack.
You might also remember the name Barbara Underhill as a Rangers skating coach. She worked with the Rangers in a contract role, notably helping Brian Boyle become a better skater, before being hired by the Tampa Bay Lightning as their full time skating coach in 2011.
Mika Extra Effort Award
With Sam Carrick being traded, it seems like Mika Zibanejad will run away with the Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award by default. While I don’t want to diminish what Zibanejad has done in his bounce back season, it does bring to mind this moment from a classic Simpsons episode:
