A year ago it was about hitting fixed targets Scott Gomez and Chris Drury. This year, the free agent market that opens at noon today, is all about moving parts.
The Rangers want Mats Sundin and Jaromir Jagr. They want them on one-year over-35 contracts. Jagr, who arrived in New York last night on a flight from the Czech Republic, has yet to have a substantive conversation with GM Glen Sather regarding his future.
It is believed that Sundin will ultimately choose between the Red Wings and Rangers, though he is not expected to make a commitment today.
A meticulous man, Sundin essentially will decide whether he’d like to complete his career playing for hockey’s Swedish-North American franchise in Detroit – and the NHL’s model organization – or playing in America’s most glamorous city.
Sundin for weeks has been telling his friends in Sweden that he wants to live in New York. But the defending champion Red Wings clearly give the 37-year-old pivot his best chance to win the first Stanley Cup of what has been a distinguished 17-year career.
Would Jagr be more amenable to returning on a one-year contract if Sundin stands to be his pivot? Would the Rangers be a more desirable destination for Sundin if he knows he will play with No. 68? Are they interlocking parts? If so, can Sather pull it off?
Sean Avery, given permission to speak with other teams late last week, is believed to have offers in his asking-price neighborhood of four years, $16M from at least the Maple Leafs, Blackhawks and Canucks, with other suitors expected to emerge.
It’s unknown whether Sather will negotiate against those offers, or whether last week’s four-year, $12 bid indeed represented his final offer.
While the Rangers will check in on Marian Hossa, The Post has been told that the Bruins are preparing to present the 29-year-old winger with an offer in the neighborhood of $100M over 12 years. Hossa has previously rejected a six-year offer of $7.5M per from the Penguins.
The Bruins would be able to accommodate the contract by waiving Glen Murray and Manny Fernandez. While the 2008-09 cap is $56.7M, the summer cap is $63.37M. The Rangers, who will also check in on Brian Rolston, have approximately $24M to spend under next season’s cap, and $5.67M more if necessary prior to training camp cutbacks.
The Blueshirts have essentially targeted four free agent defensemen of whom they hope to sign two – their own Michal Rozsival, Ottawa’s Wade Redden, Pittsburgh’s Brooks Orpik and Montreal’s Mark Streit.
Sather, who has rejected Rozsival’s four-year, $20M proposal, is believed smitten with Redden, a smooth but sometimes shy 31-year-old puck mover who quarterbacks the power play.
Redden, likely to be chased by San Jose if, as expected, Brian Campbell fails to re-up, is likely to command a five-year deal in the neighborhood of $30M. The Blueshirts have no interest in meeting Campbell’s asking price of $7M per.
Orpik, the physical shut down defenseman the Rangers crave, had asked the Penguins for a six-year, $24M deal with a no-trade clause after rejecting Pittsburgh’s five-year offer at $3.5M. The Rangers would likely be in for a deal in the four-year, $16M range.
Streit is a power play specialist whose price will likely escalate into the $3-3.5M per range as the market evolves.