Rangers Free Agents: Stay or Go?

Photo courtesy of NBC Sports

The NHL season is over, the draft has come and gone, which means it's time for them to start looking at free agency. There are a lot of possible moves that Glen Sather, or, possibly Jeff Gorton can make with this team over the summer. Before looking to the outside to see what players from other teams can contribute to the Rangers next season and beyond, management has to look at the players who are already in New York to see how they can help the team in the future.

The cap situation isn't great. In fact, it's rather terrible. The Rangers will have quite a few tough decisions to make this offseason in order to build on the success of the last few seasons. Based on the new salary cap set at $71.4 million, the Rangers will have about $12 million to work with. That looks okay, but not when looking at the amount of free agents the management has to figure out whether or not to re-sign.

The team wants to keep the core of the roster together for years to come, so where does that leave these Ranger free agents?

Emerson Etem, RFA
The newest Ranger happens to be a restricted free agent, just like the guy Sather traded for him. Obviously, given the circumstances under which he was acquired, the Rangers expect to retain him for years to come. He's a former first round pick who never seemed to develop properly in Anaheim, but is still a pretty solid player. He's a very good addition to the third line.
Verdict: Stay

Jesper Fast, RFA
At only 23 years old, Fast solidified a spot for himself on this team with a great showing in 2014-15, restoring some dignity back to Brad Richards's old number 19. Throughout his career in Sweden and the minor leagues, he was known for playing good defense and skating well. He's never going to score too many points, but he continues to show an improving offensive game. The injury to Mats Zuccarello at the end of the first round, as well as the ineffectiveness of Martin St. Louis throughout the postseason forced Fast into a higher profile role with Chris Kreider and Derek Stepan on the second line, where he excelled. His forechecking is great, his speed not only fits his name (which, in case you didn't know, had an "h" at the end before he dropped it) but also New York's style of play, and he's young. That's probably the most important factor, and what makes re-signing him a no-brainer.
Verdict: Stay

Matt Hunwick, UFA
Hunwick carved out a role for himself in New York as a depth defenseman, whether it be providing energy out of the third defensive pairing when John Moore's play began to dip early in the year, or filling in when multiple defenders missed extended time with injury. I suspect that a lot of other GMs took notice of his performance, and are ready to hand him an enticing offer to join their third defensive pairing. He was nice for a season as he outplayed the pennies he was earning, but in the process, he priced himself out of the Rangers' plans. Not unlike Benoit Pouliot after the 2013-14 season, the Rangers just have to accept that he earned himself a bigger role in a different city.
Verdict: Go

J.T. Miller, RFA
Much like Jesper Fast, this young gun had himself a breakout season. After a couple of lackluster stints with the Rangers over the two previous seasons, Miller began to show why the Rangers took him with their first round pick in 2011. Whether it's playing on the third line, the fourth line, or even one of the top two scoring lines when called upon, Miller played very well. He's a big body who's capable of playing the center or the wing, and he uses his exceptional speed to simply blow by opponents at times. He's not totally polished just yet, but the talent is there, and he needs to stick around.
Verdict: Stay

James Sheppard, UFA
Simply put, Sheppard is like Wayne Gretzky compared to Tanner Glass, but Glass still has a year left on his contract, so Sheppard has to be on his way out, opening the door for Oscar Lindberg to claim the fourth line center spot.
Verdict: Go

Derek Stepan, RFA
This one is a no-brainer. Just look at how lost this team was without Stepan when he was injured at the beginning of the season. Considering his age, and his production, it's impossible to envision the Rangers moving forward without this star forward (I crack myself up). Surely, this is the most important move of the offseason.
Verdict: Stay

Martin St. Louis, UFA
After propelling the Rangers to competing for Lord Stanley's Cup in 2014, Martin St. Louis just finished up his final season in New York. He followed up his remarkable playoff run with an up and down season, and totally disappeared during the most recent postseason. He was ineffective throughout the playoffs, but his decline became more of an issue when the team lost Mats Zuccarello, forcing Alain Vigneault to trust some of the youngest players on the team in Kevin Hayes, Miller, and Fast, in much more important roles than originally anticipated. While those kids were all up to the task, a better performance out of Marty certainly would have helped, and maybe could have pushed the Rangers back into the Stanley Cup Finals. He aged very quickly, and while he's likely to keep playing and accept a smaller role than he's used to, there's no chance of that happening in New York. Farewell Marty, thanks for the memories. His '14 playoff performance will forever be etched in Rangers lore. Unfortunately for him, the same can be said about 2015, but for all the wrong reasons.
Verdict: Go

Chill.

Photo courtesy of ESPN

With the fourth pick in the 2015 NBA Draft...

*deep breath*

The New York Knicks select...

*deep breath*

Kristaps Porzingis.

*???*

Hmm. 

Here I am again, as the voice of reason after the Knicks selected an international prospect, and the fans booed him mercilessly. Three years ago, I was forced to defend Kostas Papanikolaou after the Knicks selected him in the second round, and guess what? I was right. It took him a couple of trades to find an NBA home, but Papanikolau landed in Houston, and was a legitimate contributor off the bench for the Rockets, which is great return for the 48th pick in the draft. 

This time, it's under a different regime, and it's a totally different situation. Porzingis isn't a late second round stash pick, he's a highly touted first rounder who's going to be expected to carry the franchise for years to come, well after Carmelo Anthony is gone. 

Porzingis is a massive talent, and I'm not just talking about his seven foot plus frame. No, he was not the safest pick on the board at number four. Justise Winslow, Stanley Johnson, and Willie Cauley-Stein just to name a few probably have a higher floor than Porzingis, but the sky is the limit for the Latvian. He can shoot, has great footwork on the perimeter, and can finish at the rim despite his excessively lanky frame. He was able to improve his post game last season, but it's nothing to write home about. He has tools that could make him a good defender, but his length alone will do for now. 

Clearly, he's a project. He needs to put on some weight to be able to handle the more physical style of play he'll encounter in the NBA, but overall he has a lot of skills and can be a force a few years down the road. 

So, why all the hate, the angry hot takes, the boos, the tears, and general hopelessness in response to this selection?

He's European.

Photo courtesy of NBA.com

So is the dude on the right, and I think he's okay. 

No, seriously, European big men are risks. Look at Andrea Bargnani, Jan Vesely, Nikoloz Tskitishviligiojgtiohyuihyuigtkosaskoprasopkakopogfnjtuioty (often shortened to Tskitishvili), and Darko Milicic.

Okay, I hear you, voice in my head. And I ask you, what is the connection between these players other than the simple fact that they were born in the same continent and that they're large? Oh, nothing? If "the Europeans" were all such busts, NBA teams would have stopped scouting players there a long time ago. Porzingis wouldn't have been considered a top tier talent in this draft for the past year if simply his country of origin were cause for major concern. Maybe talk to me about his build, or his questionable rebounding, and I'll listen. But throwing out where he was born is not a legitimate argument. The Gasol brothers, they're pretty damn good. That Dirk dude pictured above, he's not too shabby himself. Not a big man, but Tony Parker may have been the best point guard in the game at his peak. His European descent isn't an automatic black mark against him. It may raise some eyebrows, but his talent should put those concerns to rest.

Also, read this. Any questions?

He wasn't playing against good enough talent. Anyone can look good against the scrubs in Spain.

Or maybe he was playing in the second best professional league in the world, against guys much better than the majority of players in the NCAA. Put his Sevilla team up against Duke, and watch what happens. 

He won't be ready for a few years.

No, he won't be. News flash: neither will the Knicks. No matter who they happen to sign in free agency this year, whether it's the absolute dream scenario of LaMarcus Aldridge and Goran Dragic (which leaves the Knicks with no money to fill out the rest of the roster, by the way), or a more realistic combination of Greg Monroe, David West, and Patrick Beverley (or players of a similar caliber), the Knicks were in no way going to win the title this season. It's hard to hear this, I know, but they weren't going to win a title next year either. In fact, they're probably never going to win another championship, but let's not go down that rabbit hole. Yes, Carmelo Anthony is getting older and about to exit his prime, if he hasn't already. Yes, the Knicks have a chance to make the postseason depending on how free agency goes, and had the potential to augment their chances in the present day by grabbing a guy like Winslow. But, when afforded the opportunity to pick fourth in the draft, why not go for the home run? If handled correctly, Porzingis can be the franchise cornerstone this team needs to carry the torch in the post-Anthony era. 

He's a seven footer who can shoot. While that may remind you of Andrea Bargnani, there's a chance Porzingis is actually good at shooting the basketball. In the "pace and space" generation that the NBA is trending towards, having a stretch four as the team's best player doesn't sound too terrible. If he turns out to be a bust, it happens. It's part of the trials and tribulations of drafting players. And when it's clear that he's a bust, you're allowed to look back at the moment that Adam Silver read his name, and cry, and boo, and hiss. Then you're allowed to yell "Why Phil, why?" You're allowed to throw things and question why God hates the Knicks and their fans. You're allowed to travel back in time and hand your 2015 self a lot of hard liquor, with the warning, "you're going to need this in a few years, thanks to that seven foot brick machine." Then and only then are you allowed to write off Porzingis. That time has yet to come, so let's not end this guy's career before it even begins. Give it time. 

I think Porzingis will be a star in New York. More elite GM's believe in his talent than any other player in this draft.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) June 26, 2015

Woj.

Has.

Spoken.