Latest news with #ChrisDrury
Forbes
6 days ago
- Sport
- Forbes
Kaapo Kakko Continues Trend, Avoids NHL Arbitration With 3-Year Deal
Kaapo Kakko, 24, avoided salary arbitration by signing a new three-year contract with the Seattle ... More Kraken on Wednesday. (Photo by) With plenty of money in the system thanks to a rising salary cap, restricted free agents are coming to terms on new contracts with their teams rather than face potentially contentious NHL arbitration hearings. On July 5, 11 qualifying players filed for arbitration and one day later, the Buffalo Sabres filed for team-elected arbitration with defenseman Bowen Byram while the Utah Mammoth did the same with forward Jack McBain. By the time PuckPedia published its list of arbitration hearing dates on July 22, six of the 13 cases had been settled with new deals. Kaapo Kakko, who was up first on Friday, July 25, followed suit on Wednesday. One year away from potential unrestricted free agency, the second-overall pick from 2019 inked a new three-year deal with an average annual value of $4.525 million per season. That's up from $2.4 million on the one-year deal that he signed with the New York Rangers in June of 2024 — and is the kind of money that the cap-strapped Rangers would have had trouble fitting into their budget, which is a big part of the reason why GM Chris Drury dealt Kakko to the Seattle Kraken last December in exchange for defenseman Will Borgen and a pair of draft picks. Though he's seen as a bit of an underperformer for a player who was drafted second overall in 2019, Kakko is first in games played in his draft class (379), fifth in goals (71) and seventh in points (161). He's also trending up. Given more of an opportunity to contribute offensively in the top six, Kakko thrived in Seattle. He saw increases in ice time at even strength, on the power play and in overtime which led to 30 points in 49 games, the best rate of production in his NHL career, and he ended last season skating on the Kraken's top line with Matty Beniers and Jaden Schwartz. With the new contract, Kakko gets stability as well as a raise. New Kraken GM Jason Botterill locks him in with a deal that goes one year longer than what would have been available through arbitration. Gabriel Vilardi has inked a new six-year contract with the Winnipeg Jets. (Photo by Jonathan ... More Kozub/NHLI via Getty Images) The biggest contract to date for arbitration-eligible players was announced on July 18, when Gabriel Vilardi re-upped for six years with the Winnipeg Jets at an AAV of $7.5 million. That more than doubles his previous deal, which paid $3.6 million over the last two years, and the longer terms boosts the cap hit higher than AFP Analytics' projection of $6.8 million over four years. The Jets also ponied up a bit more than AFP Analytics' $1.56 million projection for arbitration-eligible forward Morgan Barron, locking him up for two yeas at $1.86 million. That leaves defenseman Dylan Samberg on the to-do list for GM Kevin Cheveldayoff, who's sitting comfortably with more than $10 million in cap space available. Samberg will likely pull in the largest AAV of the remaining arbitration-eligible players. His hearing is scheduled for July 30. Lukas Dostal is carving out a place among the NHL's elite goaltenders. (Photo by Ronald ...) Lukas Dostal also got a nice raise as he officially moves into the role of No. 1 goaltender for the Anaheim Ducks. The 25-year-old was barely making league minimum at $812,500 for the last two seasons but has now cashed in with a five-year deal at a cap hit of $6.5 million. That buys the Ducks three free-agent years from the rising star, and Dostal slides in just above his old partner on the goalie pay scale — $100,000 higher than the $6.4 million a year that John Gibson will make over the next two years with his new team, the Detroit Red Wings. On July 18, the Ducks also settled their other potential arbitration case by inking 24-year-old defender Drew Helleson to a two-year deal at $1.1 million. When teams elect to file for arbitration, they run the risk of allowing the player to choose a contract term that will take him straight to unrestricted free agency, where the team would lose the player for nothing. Jack McBain brings size to the center position for the Utah Mammoth. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/NHLI via ... More Getty Images) That did not turn out to be the case with the Utah Mammoth and Jack McBain. Though he was two years out from free agency, McBain elected to sign a five-year deal with the Mammoth at a cap hit of $4.25 million on July 8. That's a bump from just $1.6 million on the 25-year-old's last deal, and buys three years of free agency from the big center who is a valued member of the expansion squad. In Buffalo, however, Bowen Byram did elect to walk himself to free agency when he signed a two-year deal at a cap hit of $6.25 million. The 24-year-old is an important member of the Sabres' blue-line corps but has been the subject of frequent trade rumors. And while GM Kevyn Adams may have wanted to lock Byram in on a longer-term pact, he still has at least one more year of service coming in 2025-26 before he needs to look long and hard at whether he can extend Byram or if he'll need to be moved. If the Sabres can finally take that long-awaited step toward erasing their league-high playoff drought that's now at 14 years and counting, perhaps Byram can be convinced to stick around. As of July 23, Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Arvid Soderblom is now the first player up for an NHL arbitration hearing. His date is set for Monday, July 28.
New York Post
21-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
Vladislav Gavrikov is the shutdown presence Rangers' blueline lacked last season
Access the Rangers beat like never before Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Mollie Walker about the inside buzz on the Rangers. tRY IT NOW The overhaul of the Rangers defense will be on full display this upcoming season, with only two blueliners remaining from the defensive core that reached the Eastern Conference final twice in three seasons from 2022 to 2024. It was an initiative that informally began around this time last summer, when president and general manager Chris Drury first attempted — and failed — to trade Jacob Trouba. Advertisement Drury then used the waiver wire as a 'threat,' according to the ex-captain, who ultimately approved a trade to Anaheim roughly two months into last season. In came Urho Vaakanainen.
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Is Shane van Gisbergen NASCAR's best-ever road course racer?
How Long Will It Take Chris Drury To Build Toward A Panthers-Type Team? If you had to guess what the sweetest dream for a citizen of Rangerville would be tonight, it certainly would be to have his Blueshirts as a reasonable facsimile of the Florida Panthers.
New York Times
10-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Inside the Rangers' big July 1 moves: How they pulled off signing Gavrikov, dealing Miller
NEW YORK — Noise and the New York Rangers seem to go together. It was a constant throughout their tumultuous 2024-25 season, so naturally it continued into the summer. Executives around the league wondered what would come next for the team that tumbled from the 2023-24 Presidents' Trophy champions to out of the playoffs. Advertisement President and general manager Chris Drury did not hesitate to make changes. First he fired coach Peter Laviolette early in the offseason, then hired Mike Sullivan in the hopes that the two-time Stanley Cup champion can bring stability behind the bench. In June, Drury traded away Chris Kreider, the Rangers' longest-tenured player and a link to the 2014 Eastern Conference championship team. The offseason bustle culminated on July 1, the first day of NHL free agency, with a pair of big splashes from Drury: signing Vladislav Gavrikov, arguably the best defenseman on the open market, and subsequently trading K'Andre Miller to the division rival Hurricanes. The result is a projected lineup that looks almost exactly the same as it did when the 2024-25 season ended. But the switch of blueliners — signing a more established one and shipping out a younger one — signaled to opponents that the Rangers intend on returning to contention sooner rather than later. Mika Zibanejad, J.T. Miller, Vincent Trocheck and Artemi Panarin will all be at least 32 years old by the time next season starts in October, and Drury seems set on maximizing the team's ceiling while they are still capable players. The day Drury signed Gavrikov and moved on from Miller could end up being one of the more consequential ones in his tenure. Here's how it all went down. The potential marriage of Gavrikov and the Rangers was one of the NHL's worst-kept secrets. Reports linking the team and player swirled in the week leading up to free agency, and other clubs around the league began assuming a deal would eventually get done on July 1. Indeed, Gavrikov, who started his career in Columbus before going to the Kings at the 2023 deadline, viewed New York as an ideal destination from early in the offseason until he eventually signed July 1, according to a league source. He and Panarin were teammates for Russia at the 2017 world championships, and then again when Gavrikov joined the Blue Jackets for the 2019 playoffs. The two are friends, and Panarin answered questions about playing in New York for Gavrikov before he agreed to a contract, according to a league source. Advertisement Drury, meanwhile, was shopping for a left-shot defenseman after deciding not to commit long-term to Ryan Lindgren, whom he traded to Colorado at the March trade deadline. The Rangers' front office made a wish list early in the offseason, and Gavrikov encapsulated what they were looking for after a defensively porous season: The 29-year-old was one of league's best shutdown defensemen with the Kings in 2024-25. The Rangers' front office has liked Gavrikov's game dating back to his Columbus days, Drury later explained on July 2. The Blue Jackets shopped him at the 2023 trade deadline, but New York did not have the salary cap space to pursue him. Two years later, the Rangers got another chance, this time with the flexibility they needed. Gavrikov wasn't opposed to rejoining the Kings, but they weren't his top choice. Along with the Rangers, he was also interested in the Panthers, according to a league source. Going to Florida would not have worked from a salary cap perspective, though, especially after the repeat Stanley Cup champions re-signed defenseman Aaron Ekblad. The Kings negotiated with Gavrikov's camp through June 30 but could not reach a deal. General manager Ken Holland pivoted to other defensemen on the market, signing Brian Dumoulin and Cody Ceci when free agency opened. 'We were involved in negotiations (with Gavrikov) since I got here,' said Holland, who took over as Kings' general manager in May. 'Ultimately we couldn't find, obviously, anything that worked for both sides.' Forty-nine minutes after free agency opened July 1, The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun reported Gavrikov and the Rangers had reached a seven-year contract with a $7 million average annual value. Gavrikov could have made more from other teams, including some playoff clubs, according to a league source. Ivan Provorov, perhaps the most comparable free-agent defenseman to Gavrikov, got a seven-year, $8.5 million AAV contract to stay in Columbus. Advertisement With Gavrikov likely sacrificing on AAV, the Rangers frontloaded his contract: He gets an $8 million signing bonus each of the first two years of the deal on top of a $1 million annual base salary, so he will get $18 million of his $49 million total by July 1, 2027. For comparison, that's slightly more than Provorov ($17.5 million) in the first two years. The signing also had a domino effect on New York's roster. Drury had no interest in saying goodbye to restricted free agent Will Cuylle, who is coming off a promising 45-point season as a second-year player. That left a 25-year-old defenseman who skates well, can average nearly 22 minutes a night and can contribute offense as the odd man out. Like many young players at his position, K'Andre Miller struggled at points with consistency over his Rangers tenure. But while New York was not ready to commit to the restricted free agent with a long-term deal, Carolina was — and it knew New York was exploring trades for him in the months leading up to free agency. According to a league source, talks between the Hurricanes and Rangers picked up steam in the week leading up to the July 1 move. 'We'd been working on it for a while,' Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky told reporters in Raleigh that day. Multiple clubs had expressed interest in Miller, and the Rangers were in touch with his camp about teams with whom he'd want to play, according to a league source. Teams can also speak directly with restricted free agents starting at 7:01 p.m. Eastern Time on June 30, so Carolina was able to gauge his interest ahead of Noon on July 1, when free agents are allowed to start signing deals. The Hurricanes knowing they'd have a chance to extend Miller long-term potentially impacted how much they were willing to give up to acquire him. Sitting in Tulsky's office July 1, Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour told the room of staffers that Miller reminded him of former Carolina defenseman Brady Skjei, as shown in a video the Hurricanes posted on social media. Brind'Amour cited Miller's ability to skate and join the rush while making the Skjei comparison. Tulsky did not want to subtract a sizable piece from a Hurricanes team that reached the Eastern Conference final this season, so he gave up a 2025 first-round pick (the best of Carolina's or Dallas', assuming neither is in the lottery), a 2025 second-round pick and defenseman Scott Morrow to get Miller. As part of the deal, Miller signed an eight-year, $7.5 million-AAV extension. Advertisement 'The way you skate and close out is just going to fit the way we play,' Tulsky told the defenseman on the phone after acquiring him. Ian Pulver, Miller's agent, credited Drury for how the GM handled the situation. Speaking on the PuckPedia Hockey Show, he said the Rangers' general manager 'was completely aboveboard the whole time with the Miller situation and very professional.' Though there's risk with trading a promising young player in-division, the Rangers were happy with the trade. New York wanted Gavrikov more than Miller, and the deal with Carolina ended any threat of a team presenting Miller or Cuylle with an offer sheet. Drury knew that might've been possible otherwise, saying 'it's within the rules, so it's certainly not something you can ignore.' Had the Hurricanes signed Miller to an offer sheet with the same $7.5 million AAV as they ended up paying for an extension, they would have been forced to give first-, second- and third-round picks to the Rangers. By getting two picks and Morrow, a 22-year-old prospect, the Rangers believe they surpassed the value they would have gotten as offer sheet compensation. 'We just felt at this time it was best to allow him to explore another opportunity,' Drury said. 'Another piece, obviously, is salary cap space and ice time and roster space, and we felt comfortable with being able to move him in a trade and essentially replace some of his ice in the free-agent market (with Gavrikov).' With Gavrikov signed and Miller traded away, the Rangers had the space to sign Cuylle to a two-year, $3.9 million AAV deal, ending any speculation he'd receive an offer sheet. They also added bottom-six winger Taylor Raddysh. After one day of free agency, Drury had accomplished most of his offseason business. His two biggest transactions — signing a top-pair defenseman and trading a potential one away — made that possible. Advertisement Sullivan could potentially pair Gavrikov with Adam Fox, a former Norris Trophy winner. With Gavrikov's defensive acumen and Fox's playmaking ability, the duo would likely immediately become one of the best pairings in the league. Sullivan could also choose to split them up, perhaps by using Gavrikov with Will Borgen to make a shutdown pairing that could go against other teams' top lines. Gavrikov can also play on the right side, so he has positional versatility. If he can replicate his most recent season, he'll provide an upgrade from how Miller played in 2024-25. Cuylle, 23, will have a chance to continue improving. He was one of the Rangers' bright spots in a difficult 2024-25, and his role could continue to grow as he ages. Raddysh will likely play on the third line. The 27-year-old has some offensive touch, having scored 20 goals on a bottom-feeder Chicago team in 2022-23, but has also shown he can contribute to a good team. He played 80 games last season for the Capitals, who had the best record in the East last year, then seven of the team's 10 playoff contests. Washington used him primarily on the fourth line. 'Not flashy but doesn't make a ton of mistakes,' said one scout who frequently saw Raddysh play with Washington. The changes don't solve all the problems on the roster. New York's bottom-six forward group remains shaky, and none of the defensemen aside from Fox and Gavrikov have ever averaged more than 18 minutes a game in a season. Still, Drury certainly improved the roster July 1. And with Gavrikov and January trade addition J.T. Miller in the fold, he's continued to put his stamp on it as his own. (Photos: Kirby Lee / Imagn Images and Jared Silber / NHLI via Getty Images)
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Rangers GM addresses flurry of roster changes: ‘big piece of it was salary cap'
One day after Chris Drury made a slew of big-time moves on the first day of NHL free agency, the New York Rangers reclusive general manager met with reporters for a rare Q&A session Wednesday. Drury discussed a variety of topics, including why the Rangers moved on from core players Chris Kreider and K'Andre Miller this offseason. He explained that a roster shakeup was necessary after the Rangers bottomed out and missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season for the first time in four years. Advertisement But there was more to it with Kreider and Miller. 'A big piece of it was salary cap. There's only so much to go around in trying to figure out the pieces that fit under the cap as we tried to rework the roster,' Drury explained. So, the Rangers traded Kreider to the Anaheim Ducks in June for prospect Carey Terrance and a swap of mid-round draft picks. That saved them $6.5 million in cap space each of the next two seasons. Miller was traded Tuesday to the Carolina Hurricanes for defenseman Scott Morrow and two premium picks in the loaded 2026 NHL Draft — a conditional first-rounder and a second-round selection. The Rangers couldn't afford to re-sign the 25-year-old defenseman, who was a restricted free agent looking for a big payday, especially because they had their sites set on the top defenseman available in free agency, Vladislav Gavrikov. When the Rangers landed Gavrikov with a seven-year, $49 million contract Tuesday, Miller was a goner. The Rangers had been shopping Miller for a while and weren't sold on him as a long-term, big-money player in the first place, but the Gavrikov signing sealed his fate. Advertisement There was only so much money to go around, especially because a top priority was to re-sign RFA forward Will Cuylle, after his 20-goal breakout season. They accomplished that Tuesday, as well, agreeing to a two-year, $7.8 million contract that carries a $3.9 million salary cap hit. 'It's certainly been a busy and exciting few weeks for the Rangers organization with lots of moving parts,' Drury said in a true understatement. After all these moves, plus adding depth forwards Taylor Raddysh and Justin Dowling, the Rangers have approximately $778,000 in cap space, with a shadow roster of 23 players. So, yeah, there were plenty of financial considerations for Drury and Co. to navigate as they tried to improve the roster this summer. Advertisement Related: Get to know newest Rangers prospect Scott Morrow after trade with Hurricanes Takeaways from Chris Drury's media session to discuss big Rangers moves Peter Carr/The Journal News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Let's dive into other key topics from Drury's media session. It wasn't just about money for Rangers Though the salary cap played a major role in how the Rangers conducted their business this offseason, it wasn't just about money for Drury. The Rangers GM has been rebuilding the defense corps since last December, when the first domino fell with the trade of captain Jacob Trouba to the Ducks. Since then, Ryan Lindgren, Victor Mancini, Zac Jones, and now Miller were also jettisoned. Defensemen Will Borgen, Urho Vaakanainen, Calvin de Haan, Carson Soucy, Gavrikov, and Morrow were added to the mix. All but de Haan, an unrestricted free agent, are on the current roster. Advertisement Why all the changes to the defense corps? 'It starts in our D zone. D-zone coverage, defending, certainly defending in the high-danger areas, which we were, simply put, not good at last year,' Drury explained. 'We have to be better in our own zone. We have to be better in front of 'Shesty' and 'Quickie' (goalies Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick).' It was clear to Drury that not only did the Rangers need to shuffle their deck of defensemen, but that signing Gavrikov was they key to their entire offseasson plan. 'The size, the reach, the competitiveness, the way he defends, the way he's able to complement his partner, if that's [Adam] Fox or any other of our right-shot D that we have. That's what excited all of us [about Gavrikov],' he said. Chris Drury bestows high praise on 'Rangers legend' This was the first time Drury spoke with the media since the Kreider trade. It's no secret that Drury had been trying to move the 34-year-old forward since last November, when a trade memo to the other League GMs with Kreider's name on it was leaked publicly. Advertisement That certainly made for an uncomfortable situation, especially when Kreider battled numerous injuries, as well, and dipped to 30 points last season (though he scored 22 goals). Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports But Drury had high praise Wednesday for Kreider, who exited Broadway third all-time in franchise history with 326 goals and tied for first with 116 power-play goals. He called Kreider 'a true Rangers legend,' and praised No. 20 and his agent for their cooperation to get a deal done with the Ducks. Certainly, the Rangers GM handled this delicate situation better than his previous dealing with Kreider last season or the unpleasant drawn-out process with Trouba. Advertisement Have the Rangers started contract extension talks with Artemi Panarin? Drury is well known for playing things close to the vest and not sharing information publicly. Such was the case when asked if the Rangers started contract extension discussions yet with Artemi Panarin. Simply, Drury wouldn't say. Panarin is eligible for an extension, since he's entering the final season of his massive seven-year, $81.5 million contract. He can become an unrestricted free agent at the end of next season when he will be 34 years old. Panarin led the Rangers with 37 goals and 89 points last season. And just two years ago he had 120 points (49 goals, 71 assists), second most in franchise history. In 430 games with the Rangers, Panarin has 186 goals, 364 assists and 55o points. Advertisement Of course, it was revealed late last season that Panarin and the Rangers each paid a sexual assault settlement to a former Rangers employee. Whether that factors into the equation here, well, Drury's clearly not saying. Is Mika Zibanejad a center or wing next season? A really important piece to the Rangers puzzle next season is where Mika Zibanejad fits in the forward group. Is the long-time center going to stay in the middle, possibly leading to Vincent Trocheck or Zibanejad himself as the 3C? Or will the 32-year-old play right wing on a line centered by J.T. Miller, which is where he resuscitated his spiraling 2024-25 season, when he finished with a disappointing 62 points (20 goals, 42 assists)? 'We're in constant communication about a lot of different things within the organization, but I think one of the best parts about the forward group is there's a lot of versatility,' Drury answered without providing a direct answer. 'There's a lot of players that can play center and wing … I'm trying to give [the coaches] as many options as possible.' It should be Mike Sullivan's decision anyway. And it appears that's the case. Get back to usin September for more clarity. Advertisement Related Headlines
