Where Rangers roster is at with housecleaning now complete

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Before the calendar turned to August, Rangers general manager Jeff Gorton has quelled most of the big questions about what his roster might look like going into the competition of training camp in mid-September. For first-year coach David Quinn, set to make his NHL head-coaching debut, that also means he can start thinking about an actual lineup and what it might look like.

All of the internal house cleaning was finished when Gorton signed his remaining restricted free agent, forward Ryan Spooner, to a two-year, $8 million deal on Tuesday, the reasonable annual cap hit of $4 million avoiding the arbitration case set to be heard Saturday.

Spooner now also joins recently signed center Kevin Hayes, who wasn’t traded and then avoided his own arbitration hearing by inking a one-year, $5.125 million deal on Monday. The big-bodied Hayes, 26, was arguably the biggest trade chip Gorton had to play, and he was more attractive to bidders this offseason as a restricted free agent so the receiving team could sign him long term. By this coming deadline, he could again bring high interest as a rental.

But for now, Hayes falls back into line on a team that seemingly has an enviable glut at center. Depending on how things play out with some young pivots, Hayes could find himself once again playing a more defensive role — just as he did last season during the final year of coach Alain Vigneault.

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What seems clear is that Mika Zibanejad is going to slot in as the top center. After dealing with some injuries in his first two years on Broadway, a lot will still be asked of the 25-year-old, who still has four more years on his deal with an annual salary-cap hit of $5.35 million. Zibanejad spent most of last season skating with Chris Kreider on the left and Pavel Buchnevich on the right — the line dubbed “KZB.” And despite runs of brilliance, they couldn’t keep it going consistently, just like the rest of the team. It’s likely Quinn will want to at least take a look at them together again.

Who else will fill out the top six is up for competition, with the two first-round picks from 2017 — Lias Andersson (No. 7 overall) and Filip Chytil (No. 21) — both in the mix. Gorton has also seemed very optimistic about 22-year-old Ville Meskanen, the high-scoring winger he was able to sign out of the Finnish league. Michael Lindqvist, another European free agent signing from Sweden, could also have a chance on the flank. But it’s hard to imagine either would immediately take minutes away from Mats Zuccarello on the right side.

Quinn does have some flexibility with Spooner, who can play both wing and center. Same for Vladislav Namestnikov, who was a restricted free agent and got himself a hefty two-year, $8 million deal.

On the back end, things have solidified with 24-year-old lefty Brady Skjei getting the one long-term deal Gorton handed out — a six-year, $31.5 million contract that carries an annual cap hit of $5.25 million. Surely Quinn will be interested to see if he can create an offensively dynamic first pair with a healthy Kevin Shattenkirk on the right. The hope is Marc Staal can be a productive minutes-eater on the left side, and the same for new signee Fredrik Claesson.

Veteran Brendan Smith has not been forgotten after he spent so much of his first full year with the Rangers off Broadway, playing for AHL Hartford. He still has three years at $4.35 million per season left on his deal, and should come into camp with a fire in his belly. Promising 23-year-old Neal Pionk should supplement Shattenkirk on the right side, while youngsters John Gilmour, Libor Hajek and Ryan Lindgren could all push for roster spots.

With 36-year-old Henrik Lundqvist in nets, likely backed up by Alexandar Georgiev, the Rangers should open the season with somewhere between $4 million-$8 million in salary-cap space. Although they won’t be carrying a ton of external expectations, at least now there is a better idea of what to expect on paper come September.

Rangers Projected Lineup

Forwards

Chris Kreider-Mika Zibanejad-Pavel Buchnevich

Ryan Spooner-Filip Chytil-Mats Zuccarello

Vladislav Namestnikov-Lias Andersson-Ville Meskanen

Jimmy Vesey-Kevin Hayes-Jesper Fast

Extra: Cody McLeod

Defense

Brady Skjei-Kevin Shattenkirk

Marc Staal-Neal Pionk

Brendan Smith-Tony DeAngelo

Extra: Fredrik Claesson

Goalie

Henrik Lundqvist

Alexandar Georgeiv