Regarding the Rangers following this Calm Before the Storm Weekend.
1. As the expected Jacob Trouba trade to Detroit remains on hold, it would be kind of ironic, wouldn’t it, if sending No. 8 to the Red Wings would have an influence on Patrick Kane, so that No. 88 remains in place with a contract extension rather than hitting the free-agent market on Monday?
We can deal with the ramifications of a Trouba trade when it is enacted, but if the captain does indeed go to Detroit, the Red Wings — out of the playoffs for a franchise record eight straight seasons — would be in a similar spot as the Rangers were in 2019-20.
That’s when the Blueshirts — out of the playoffs for two years in the wake of The Letter — acquired Trouba from the Jets as a key element of the accelerated rebuild that also featured signing Artemi Panarin as a free agent and trading for Adam Fox’s rights.
Jacob Trouba looks on after being the Rangers were beaten by the Florida Panthers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final
2. The Post has learned that Kane, who apparently remains the apple of the Rangers’ eye after the post-deadline 2023 cameo left folks wanting for more, was still in talks Saturday with Detroit GM Steve Yzerman regarding an extension.
The Red Wings, for whom Kane recorded 47 points (20 goals, 27 assists) in 50 games last season after joining the club in late November following his summer hip-resurfacing procedure, can probably offer a longer term deal than the Blueshirts might be comfortable awarding the winger, who will turn 36 in mid-November.
A decision whether to remain clad in the Winged Wheel or hit the open market is expected, well, soon.
Patrick Kane played last season with the Red Wings
3. As previously reported in this space, the Blueshirts would have interest in bringing Steven Stamkos to Broadway after talks broke down with a Lightning team that is changing its face rapidly, given the Mikhail Sergachev trade to Utah.
Stamkos, who has served as Tampa Bay captain since Martin St. Louis was dealt to the Rangers at the 2014 deadline, recorded 40 goals and 41 assists last season.
He would presumably fill out the Mika Zibanejad-Chris Kreider connection.
But we’re told that Nashville is expected to be all in on Stamkos while the Rangers would be looking short term on the 34-year-old who is not eligible for a one-year, bonus-laden deal, if No. 91 would accept that offer, anyway.
Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos moves the puck during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Los Angeles Kings
4. If the Rangers do move Trouba with a $2.5 million retention, they would be flush in 2024-25 space, with approximately $21.1M with which to fill four spots up front and three on defense, including impending restricted free agents Ryan Lindgren and Braden Schneider.
But the crunch is coming in 2025-26, when Igor Shesterkin, Alexis Lafreniere and K’Andre Miller are due new contracts that could amount to a sum of at least $26M.
For reference, the trio will eat a combined $11.9M this season.
Kind of a big gulp, don’t you think?
5. The gulp may be even larger than you imagine with The Post having been told that Shesterkin’s camp is aiming for a contract under which the goaltender would start with 14 percent of the cap, which would equate to a netminding record of $12.9M under an expected $92M cap for 2025-26.
The cap hit would remain at $12.9M through the contract while the percentage would decline as the cap is expected to increase.
But that number seems untenable on a deal that would likely be seven or eight years and take Shesterkin — who has had two very uneven regular seasons following his 2021-22 Vezina — to age 36 or 37.
In fact, I’d suggest it would be untenable for the Rangers, GM Chris Drury and the hierarchy to enter the season with Shesterkin as a pending free agent.
This is something that needs to get done before the season.
If the goaltender’s camp is not amenable to that, the Rangers will have to investigate trade opportunities.
They cannot — cannot — allow Shesterkin to walk out the door as a free agent on July 1, 2025, while getting nothing in return.
This needs to be the summer of decision.
There is 2024-25 to worry about.
That is the focus.
But the clock on Shesterkin is kind of starting to tick now.
