The New York Rangers’ exit interviews on Friday focused on the club’s abysmal season. In particular, head coach Mike Sullivan drilled down on what the organization needs to thrive in the near future.
As Rangers insider Vincent Mercogliano reported, one of the things the Blueshirts would like to focus on is focus on players who can finish and produce goals.
However, the free-agent market doesn’t seem to offer very many alternatives this season. The big-ticket free agents that were purportedly ready to hit the market won’t be doing so.
But there’s one under-the-radar free agent who might just be what the Rangers are looking for.
That’s Seattle Kraken forward Bobby McMann.
The former Toronto Maple Leafs winger was an NHL trade deadline acquisition by the Kraken. Seattle hoped to boost its playoff chances by adding a solid scoring winger.
And McMann delivered as promised. The 29-year-old had scored 19 goals in 60 games for the Maple Leafs. He then proceeded to light things up, notching 10 tallies in 18 games for the Kraken.
All told, McMann scored 29 goals to shatter all of his career highs this season. All of that came from a player carrying a $1.35 million cap hit. Of course, with McMann set to hit UFA status, his next contract won’t be so cost-effective.
Rangers Could Use a Scoring Winger Like McMann
McMann made a mark for himself this year by playing on both the Maple Leafs’ and Kraken’s top lines. He thrived in that role, thanks to his gritty, hard-nosed style. He’s a puck hound who wins battles and goes to the net. And players who go to the net will always find scoring chances.
That’s the sort of player the Rangers need moving forward. McMann could thrive in New York, giving the Rangers a complementary piece in their top six. In fact, it wouldn’t be a crazy idea to see McMann playing with an extraordinary playmaker like Vincent Trocheck. Such a combination could easily boost the Rangers’ scoring.
McMann has proven he’s a solid 20-goal scorer. He nearly hit 30 this season. So, one has to think that regular playing time with a high-end center like Trocheck or Mika Zibanejad could help McMann break through the 30-goal plateau.
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McMann Wouldn’t Be an Overly Expensive Signing
As for the cost to land McMann, the Rangers might be surprised to find he wouldn’t be that expensive. Leading up to the trade deadline, the chatter was that the Maple Leafs wanted to extend the undrafted forward.
Reports suggested that McMann wanted a deal similar to the one the San Jose Sharks gave Kiefer Sherwood. That would be a five-year deal, around $5 million per season. That price tag was too rich for the Maple Leafs’ blood, and so, they cashed in a valuable chip.
That said, the Rangers could do very well in signing McMann a deal along those lines. The savings from Artemi Panarin’s contract, plus the rising cap, would make such a contract highly palatable. In fact, it would be far more cost-effective to land McMann at that price tag than, say, go after someone like Alex Tuch. Tuch is believed to want a deal north of $10 million per season. Needless to say, that’s a much riskier proposition for the Rangers.
Ultimately, the Blueshirts’ purported retooling plans need to focus on players such as McMann. They may not be the sexiest names out there. But they’re the sort of cost-effective pieces that can make the difference between languishing in the cellar and making the postseason.
Rangers Need Scoring, and This Impending UFA Could Help