I would absolutely be in favor of trading Christensen for a pick or a prospect. Heck, he's not even our first spare at the NHL level right now - as of today, we have 13 NHL tested forwards without him. And that's BEFORE you factor in Weise, Thomas, Hagelin, etc. (And also before you factor in a potential signing just before camp like Prospal.)
If it were 2010 and we were still that thin down the middle, I'd be more hesitant. But with Richards on board and Boyle's development (and AA and Stepan a year older), center is no longer a position of weakness. In fact, given that Dubi, Rupp and Avery can all play there in a pinch, we've got plenty of coverage - if we make a move, it should be to upgrade one of the wings.
Do you give him away for a 7th round pick in 2016? No. But if someone makes you an offer of a reasonable asset for your 2nd spare forward - especially when you've got depth in the minors - I say you take it.
EC' s cap hit as the 13th forward allows you to carry a cheap 7th D and leaves roughly 1 million in space for injury call-ups. Put MZA in his place and you lose the flexibility. That's without even taking into account that MZA is better off playing big minutes in Hartford than waiting in the press-box for someone to get nicked or get on Torts' bad side.
It's frustrating to carry a guy who does his best work in a skills competition but take away anyone of those points and it's Carolina who's in the play-offs. Wolski and MZA were the other two who could be counted on but neither is a lock to be on the team the whole season. Everyone else was putrid in the shoot-out. The East didn't get any easier.
There were stretches of games last year where 3 or 4 forwards were out in NY while the Pack itself was decimated by injuries. I'd much rather keep EC for depth than be scraping from Hartford's bottom of the barrel.
There is a scenario where moving EC would be beneficial. Prospal is healthy and wants to come back for a similar cap hit to EC (~1 million) as a depth forward. That would lead to some interesting line options and increase competetion. Without Prospal's return, no reason to move EC.
Mtl has a good glut of C and RW towards the backend of their propect list. I wouldn't mind getting a guy lik Brock Trotter or Ryan White even if it's just to help scoring in the AHL. Seriously a 6th or 7th or a simple AHL filler wth very limited chance at making the Rangers is fine to me for EC.
Christensen is a Debbie downer personality. Talented player. Inconsistent. Rangers should move him.
Wouldn't move him for nothing though. I really think a very good prospect or a 2nd is fair. He's an inconsistent non-physical forward who plays small and a bit of a dork besides but his uncanny shootout ability has been worth a handful of extra points the last couple seasons and as tight as playoff races have been in the East the last few years that's nothing to sneeze at. He has the occasional big night now and again as well and his cap hit is affordable.
If the Canadiens come up with the 2nd or someone like a Palushaj--sure but I wouldn't just give him away.
Wouldn't move him for nothing though. I really think a very good prospect or a 2nd is fair. He's an inconsistent non-physical forward who plays small and a bit of a dork besides but his uncanny shootout ability has been worth a handful of extra points the last couple seasons and as tight as playoff races have been in the East the last few years that's nothing to sneeze at. He has the occasional big night now and again as well and his cap hit is affordable.
If the Canadiens come up with the 2nd or someone like a Palushaj--sure but I wouldn't just give him away.
There's no way we'd get a 2nd for Christensen. I'd love to get Palushaj, but seriously doubt we'd get him either.
The cap space is getting tight and we'll need to do something.
CAPGEEK.COM CAP CALCULATOR
FORWARDS
Brandon Dubinsky ($4.200m) / Brad Richards ($6.666m) / Marian Gaborik ($7.500m)
Wojtek Wolski ($3.800m) / Artem Anisimov ($1.875m) / Ryan Callahan ($4.400m)
Ruslan Fedotenko ($1.400m) / Derek Stepan ($0.875m) / Mats Zuccarello-Aasen ($1.750m)
Michael Rupp ($1.500m) / Brian Boyle ($1.700m) / Brandon Prust ($0.800m)
Sean Avery ($1.937m) / Erik Christensen ($0.925m)
DEFENSEMEN
Marc Staal ($3.975m) / Daniel Girardi ($3.325m)
Tim Erixon ($1.750m) / Ryan McDonagh ($1.300m)
Mike Sauer ($1.250m) / Steve Eminger ($0.850m)
GOALTENDERS
Henrik Lundqvist ($6.875m) / Martin Biron ($0.875m)
BUYOUTS: Chris Drury ($3.716m)
CARRY-OVER BONUS PENALTY: $527,000
CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS (follow @capgeek on Twitter)
(these totals are compiled without the bonus cushion)
SALARY CAP: $64,300,000; CAP PAYROLL: $63,772,834; BONUSES: $2,125,000
CAP SPACE (22-man roster): $527,166
That's a 22 man roster, but odds are that we'll carry 7 dman (I think most everyone expects 2 of MDZ, Erixon and Vtank to make it, plus Eminger). That means that either one of the forwards will have to go (traded or sent down), or Wolski or Avery will have to get bought out and replaced by someone cheaper.
I can't see Avery getting bought out due to his relationship with Richards. Wolski has far more upside than Christensen and he's pretty good in the shootout too. If we trade Christensen for a pick, then we can carry 13 forwards and 7 dmen and still have space for injury callups and deadline deals.
I suppose we could buyout Wolski and then re-sign Prospal for cheap, but can Prospal hold up for an entire season? Once Callahan's contract is done, we'll see what happens I guess.
Can someone explain to me why anyone would pay anything for Christensen when they could go out and sign someone like Prospal, Drury or Stillman for 1 season?
Aaron Palushaj(Pool-ya-shall). Montreal acquired him for Matt D'Agostini. Palushaj was a good player at Michigan. 57 points in 68 AHL games last season. Will be a 3rd year pro this season.
I don't get it. Unless we need cap space, another roster spot, or more room on our limit of 50 contracts, what's the point of moving him for pocket change?
There's no way we'd get a 2nd for Christensen. I'd love to get Palushaj, but seriously doubt we'd get him either.
The cap space is getting tight and we'll need to do something.
CAPGEEK.COM CAP CALCULATOR
FORWARDS
Brandon Dubinsky ($4.200m) / Brad Richards ($6.666m) / Marian Gaborik ($7.500m)
Wojtek Wolski ($3.800m) / Artem Anisimov ($1.875m) / Ryan Callahan ($4.400m)
Ruslan Fedotenko ($1.400m) / Derek Stepan ($0.875m) / Mats Zuccarello-Aasen ($1.750m)
Michael Rupp ($1.500m) / Brian Boyle ($1.700m) / Brandon Prust ($0.800m)
Sean Avery ($1.937m) / Erik Christensen ($0.925m)
DEFENSEMEN
Marc Staal ($3.975m) / Daniel Girardi ($3.325m)
Tim Erixon ($1.750m) / Ryan McDonagh ($1.300m)
Mike Sauer ($1.250m) / Steve Eminger ($0.850m)
GOALTENDERS
Henrik Lundqvist ($6.875m) / Martin Biron ($0.875m)
BUYOUTS: Chris Drury ($3.716m)
CARRY-OVER BONUS PENALTY: $527,000
CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS (follow @capgeek on Twitter)
(these totals are compiled without the bonus cushion)
SALARY CAP: $64,300,000; CAP PAYROLL: $63,772,834; BONUSES: $2,125,000
CAP SPACE (22-man roster): $527,166
That's a 22 man roster, but odds are that we'll carry 7 dman (I think most everyone expects 2 of MDZ, Erixon and Vtank to make it, plus Eminger). That means that either one of the forwards will have to go (traded or sent down), or Wolski or Avery will have to get bought out and replaced by someone cheaper.
I can't see Avery getting bought out due to his relationship with Richards. Wolski has far more upside than Christensen and he's pretty good in the shootout too. If we trade Christensen for a pick, then we can carry 13 forwards and 7 dmen and still have space for injury callups and deadline deals.
I suppose we could buyout Wolski and then re-sign Prospal for cheap, but can Prospal hold up for an entire season? Once Callahan's contract is done, we'll see what happens I guess.
I have to wonder what Montreal wants EC for in the first place. For the same reason as us?--a very affordable bottom 6 shootout specialist who you can spot throughout your lineup when a need arises.
We have other options than trading him. To me a $925 K Christensen is a better deal than a $3.8 mil Wolski. Cut Wolski and we lose a moderately better player but gain a lot of cap space. As well we're not sure how MZA fits into the picture. We could as well explore other teams than Montreal if they don't give us something worthwhile enough.
Here's the problem for me--EC is an exasperating player but the last couple seasons his shootout ability and occasional brilliant game arguably have gained us a handful of points in the standings. As close as playoff races in the East have been--a point here, a point there can be the difference between being in the playoffs or not in the playoffs. A 3rd round pick is a longshot player usually who will need development over the course of several years and with no kind of guarantee. It is only really worth something as far as I'm concerned towards the end of June when you make a selection. No value as far as standing or playoff runs in the meantime. I don't think it's a good idea to help Montreal in the present so as to gamble on a player in the future. If they really want the player then they should give us a good return.
EC is good at shootouts, that's it. He's as useless as an ashtray on a motorbike. He has one good shift every 5 games, I'd trade him for a bag of dirty laundry
I don't get it. Unless we need cap space, another roster spot, or more room on our limit of 50 contracts, what's the point of moving him for pocket change?
We have 14 forwards. Out of that group, I think we can all agree that EC and Avery are the two most expendable (some would argue Wolski is as well). Nobody wants Avery, and I believe it has been reported that Wolski won't be bought out. So that makes EC the odd man out.
EC really has no defined role on the team. Too inconsistent to play in the top 6, and doesn't have the defensive prowess or physicality to play in the bottom 6. He's in no man's land.
The only thing he excels at is the shootout, but I hate the idea of him making the team or dressing over someone who can contribute more during the actual game. For example, if Hagelin is NHL-ready, I think he may bring more to the table than EC, especially in a bottom 6 role.
There's no way we'd get a 2nd for Christensen. I'd love to get Palushaj, but seriously doubt we'd get him either.
The cap space is getting tight and we'll need to do something.
CAPGEEK.COM CAP CALCULATOR
FORWARDS
Brandon Dubinsky ($4.200m) / Brad Richards ($6.666m) / Marian Gaborik ($7.500m)
Wojtek Wolski ($3.800m) / Artem Anisimov ($1.875m) / Ryan Callahan ($4.400m)
Ruslan Fedotenko ($1.400m) / Derek Stepan ($0.875m) / Mats Zuccarello-Aasen ($1.750m)
Michael Rupp ($1.500m) / Brian Boyle ($1.700m) / Brandon Prust ($0.800m)
Sean Avery ($1.937m) / Erik Christensen ($0.925m)
DEFENSEMEN
Marc Staal ($3.975m) / Daniel Girardi ($3.325m)
Tim Erixon ($1.750m) / Ryan McDonagh ($1.300m)
Mike Sauer ($1.250m) / Steve Eminger ($0.850m)
GOALTENDERS
Henrik Lundqvist ($6.875m) / Martin Biron ($0.875m)
BUYOUTS: Chris Drury ($3.716m)
CARRY-OVER BONUS PENALTY: $527,000
CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS (follow @capgeek on Twitter)
(these totals are compiled without the bonus cushion)
SALARY CAP: $64,300,000; CAP PAYROLL: $63,772,834; BONUSES: $2,125,000
CAP SPACE (22-man roster): $527,166
That's a 22 man roster, but odds are that we'll carry 7 dman (I think most everyone expects 2 of MDZ, Erixon and Vtank to make it, plus Eminger). That means that either one of the forwards will have to go (traded or sent down), or Wolski or Avery will have to get bought out and replaced by someone cheaper.
I can't see Avery getting bought out due to his relationship with Richards. Wolski has far more upside than Christensen and he's pretty good in the shootout too. If we trade Christensen for a pick, then we can carry 13 forwards and 7 dmen and still have space for injury callups and deadline deals.
I suppose we could buyout Wolski and then re-sign Prospal for cheap, but can Prospal hold up for an entire season? Once Callahan's contract is done, we'll see what happens I guess.
Perfect, everybody fits. Unless they need to sign Prospal under the summer cap, there is absolutely no reason to move/buy-out anybody until the end of training camp. At that point you get an idea of what the rookies look like, who's your best 20, are there any serious injuries.
If Wolski looks bad, you gain more cap space by sending him to the Pack than doing a buy-out.
If EC doesn't fit on the team and no one wants him at that point, send him down.
One thing I'll say about those projected lines with everyone healthy, a 2M Avery in the press box is a giant waste of cap space and probably not a very happy camper. I think it's far likelier he's on the 3rd line and the waiver-exempt MZA is in Hartford. Unless MZA absolutely kills it in TC it's the easiest, most logical move to make. Maintains organizational depth for future injuries and frees up a good chunk of cap space.
EC could be a scratch on most teams in the league. We got him off waivers and good some production out of him. No way we get a 2nd, any thing higher than a 5th is good value for him, and even a 6th/7th would be OK (if we're not playing him).
