Rangers rebuild depth despite having little salary cap space

The New York Rangers spent Saturday rebuilding their depth despite having little salary cap space to do so.

It was quite the dip into the bargain bin to find potential gems for a team that believes it should be capable of winning the Stanley Cup this season.

All told the Rangers added forwards Blake Wheeler, Nick Bonino, Tyler Pitlick, Riley Nash and Alex Belzile, defenseman Erik Gustafsson, Connor Mackey and Nikolas Brouillard, and goalie Jonathan Quick for a shade over $7.1 million.

The key acquisitions, or the five that are all but locks to be on the opening night roster barring injuries, are Wheeler (one year, $800,000), Bonino (one year, $800,000), Pitlick (one year, $787,500), Gustafsson (one year, $825,000) and Quick (one year, $825,000).

That's five players, all on one-year contracts, for $4,037,500.

"Everyone in this business, agents and players alike, are aware of the limited cap space we do have and did have," Rangers general manager Chris Drury said. "They do their homework too. Certainly, I'm biased, it was my life's dream to be a Ranger, but I think it's a pretty special place to play. We're fortunate that the players that we did sign today all wanted to be here and believe in what we're trying to do. We're excited to have all of them on board."

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Wheeler should be a right wing in the top nine forward group that already features Mika Zibanejad, Artemi Panarin, Chris Kreider, Vincent Trocheck, Filip Chytil, Kaapo Kakko and Alexis Lafreniere. Jimmy Vesey could be a part of it too. Or perhaps 2021 first-round pick Brennan Othmann (No. 16) makes the team as a rookie.

Drury indicated Bonino will be the fourth line center, possibly with Barclay Goodrow and Pitlick on the wings.

Gustafsson will compete with Video: Blake Wheeler joins New York Rangers as the left side, third-pair defenseman.

Quick will be the experienced backup/mentor to Igor Shesterkin.

That's maximizing value out of the little cap space available and it might very well leave enough (approximately $6.1 million) for the Rangers to get Lafreniere and defenseman K'Andre Miller signed too. Both are restricted free agents and New York is not trading them.

Drury flat-out denied an unconfirmed report earlier Saturday that said League sources had him talking to general managers about trading Lafreniere.

"There could be nothing further from the truth than that," he said. "I have not talked to one GM about Alexis. He's a real good young player and we think his best days are certainly ahead of him. We're thrilled he's a part of our team and hope he's a Ranger for a long, long time. So, that's a completely false report."

Drury had a similar sentiment about Miller.

"I'm not going to get into contract stuff, but we think the world of K'Andre," he said. "He's extremely talented, a terrific young player. He's been with the organization since the draft and we hope he's here for a long, long time."

But Saturday was not about Lafreniere and Miller. It was about building out the Rangers depth and adding players that fit with the gritty, in-your-face style new coach Peter Laviolette talked about the Rangers needing at his introductory press conference last month.

"When you watch the playoff games right now, the final four and the final two, it's just a reminder that the compete inside the game is what makes teams great," Laviolette said. "It drives them to success. I don't think that's something you can just ask for. I think you have to practice that on a daily basis. It has to become habit. It has to become your identity, part of the DNA of who you are. It has to start in training camp and it has to be held to a level of accountability. When you have that and you have the skill, that's how teams push on and they compete for Stanley Cups, win Stanley Cups and become really good hockey teams."

Bonino won the Stanley Cup twice with the Pittsburgh Penguins (2016, 2017). Quick has won it three times, as a starter with the Los Angeles Kings (2012, 2014) and as the backup last season with the Vegas Golden Knights.

Wheeler has played in 65 games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, getting as far as the Western Conference Final with the Winnipeg Jets in 2018. Gustafsson went to the Stanley Cup Final with the Montreal Canadiens in 2021. Pitlick played 16 playoff games with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2020.

"I do think well before we even hired Peter in exit meetings and follow-up conversations and follow-up meetings the players want that too," Drury said of playing a harder brand of hockey and being more accountable to do so. "They want to be pushed. It seems to be a common theme around the rink and around the gym when I talk to players about having a chip on their shoulder this summer. It's probably not unlike what [Vegas GM] Kelly McCrimmon has said about their team last summer before this season. That's the kind of attitude and things we want for our players."

But one question: Are the Rangers fast enough to play the way Laviolette wants them to play?

Their team speed was already in question, and they didn't add to it Saturday. Wheeler is 36 and Bonino is 35. Gustafsson and Pitlick are both 31. None are burners.

"I think we have good team speed, I do," Drury said. "And I think we'll have a gameplan designed for the players we have, the routes and things we want to get accomplished on the ice will get setup by 'Lavy' for what we have. I think we'll be playing a lot faster."