The New York Rangers could lose two key players in the lineup to offer sheets if they don't have them locked down. The Athletic's Peter Baugh mentioned with the salary cap rising during the offseason, if they're not careful they could lose K'Andre Miller, and Will Cuylle to offer sheets from another team.
GM Doug Armstrong really set the league on fire when he sent offer sheets to Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg from the Edmonton Oilers last season.
Typically, offer sheets aren't used sincet GMs from the opposing team could retaliate in kind.
But with a salary cap that is set to rise this offseason, we could see them utilized more, and two Rangers players' names have popped up in the discussion.
This July, Peter Baugh thinks the Rangers could lose power-forward Will Cuylle to an offer, along with defenseman K'Andre Miller.
«Chicago, for example, is desperate to take strides and has tons of cap space and tons of draft capital. What if the Chicago Blackhawks offered Cuylle a $4.5 million deal? If the Rangers didn't match, it would net them only a second-round pick in exchange for one of their better forwards this season. If they did match, their cap flexibility would be even more limited,» Baugh added. «It's a potential roadblock the Rangers will have to keep an eye on. And, maybe it will lead to trying to get RFA contracts sorted earlier rather than later.»
The Blackhawks could utilize RFA's like Miller, and Cuylle to be pieces to finalize a rebuild that has been ongoing since 2022.
Cuylle could add some size and muscle to a lineup that lacks forwards other than Nick Foligno, who can play on both ends of the ice and has scoring capabilities.
While Miller could end up in a Blackhawks uniform, and find himself in a new place, and a fresh start.
Not the same kind of burden he faces in New York at the moment.
Even if the Rangers get a significant bump in their allotted salary cap, GM Chris Drury will have to prioritize the money on players that can help the team win.
As RFAs both Miller and Cuylle are due raises, and could potentially price them out of New York.
«Will Cuylle is also an RFA. He's going to get a big bump from his entry-level deal after this season as one of the Rangers' more effective forwards,» Baugh wrote.
«Miller is an RFA with arbitration rights. With the rising salary cap and the fact he's only 25, he will get a raise from his $3.872 million AAV deal,» Baugh added.
The Rangers are pushed to the cap ceiling at the moment, even after moving on from key pieces in the lineup, and Cuylle, and Miller could be the next cap casualties for the team.
