BLUE CHIP SKIP
Rangers happy with rookies, but contract concerns will limit games
Prioritizing the Rangers’ future over the present isn’t only about making moves leading into the trade deadline. It also means protecting the contract status of 2017 first-round draft selections Lias Andersson and Filip Chytil, as well.
“We are not going to burn the first year off any contracts,” general manager Jeff Gorton told The Post following practice Friday.
An entry level contract slides when a player plays fewer than 10 NHL games. In effect, a slide delays arbitration rights and free-agent eligibility by a year. The 19-year-old Andersson and 18-year-old Chytil are each on three-year deals in their respective first seasons in North America.
Andersson, who started the season in the Swedish league with Frolunda and was assigned to the AHL Wolf Pack following the World Junior tournament, has not yet made his NHL debut. Chytil played the first two games of the season with the Rangers before his assignment to Hartford.
Andersson, who was the No. 7 pick in the 2017 draft and has recorded eight points (two goals, six assists) in 10 AHL games, could play nine matches for the Rangers upon a postdeadline recall without affecting the status of his contract. Chytil, who was the 21st pick and has posted 11 points (5-6) in his past nine games and 26 (9-17) in 31 matches overall, could play up to seven games if recalled by the Blueshirts. Gorton said that he will monitor the AHL standings while deciding whether to promote either or both of the centers. The Wolf Pack are in a fourway battle with Bridgeport, Charlotte and Providence for the final two divisional playoff spots. “They’re both playing very well and we’re very happy with their progress, but it will be a day-byday decision depending on the situation with Hartford, too,” said the GM, whose Rangers face the Senators in Ottawa on Saturday afternoon before a Sunday matinee at the Garden against the Flyers. “We want to give Hartford a chance to make it.
The Rangers, of course, are committed to moving pending free agents Rick Nash and Michael Grabner (and Nick Holden and David Desharnais) prior to the Feb. 26 trade deadline. The door is open on talks regarding prospective 2019 free agents Ryan McDonagh and Mats Zuccarello. In fact, there are precious few players off-limits as management seeks to reconstruct the roster and revitalize the organization.
Gorton said he did not want to guess whether moves might be coming sooner rather than later.
“I wouldn’t say that there’s anything imminent, but at the same time, you never really know, so I wouldn’t want to give off any false signals,” he said. “If I say, ‘no,’ and something comes through on the next phone call, it would seem like I’m trying to mislead people.
“We have a lot of balls in the air. It’s hard to predict.”
The Post asked Gorton whether he had been approached by any of his players who were disappointed or angered by the organization’s Feb. 8 mission statement prioritizing a rebuild even if at the expense of a run for a playoff spot.
“No one has said anything to me,” the GM said. “But I’m sure there are guys who are thinking it.”