On the eve of MLB’s Opening Day, the New York Rangers turned the Big Apple’s attention to hockey with a splash.
In an unexpected development, the Broadway Blueshirts announced a four-year extension for young center Filip Chytil with an annual average value of $4.4375 million.
This new contract represents value for the Rangers and keeps the team’s championship window open longer beyond this season.
Chytil is coming off his second professional contract – a two-year bridge deal with a $2.3M AAV – and was on pace for a large raise. The 2017 first-round pick has set new career highs in goals, assists and points this season for the Rangers and is the center of New York’s energetic “Boys To Men” line with 2019 second-overall pick Kaapo Kakko and 2020 first-overall pick Alexis Lafreniere.
According to analytics published by The Athletic, based on his performance this season, Chytil is playing at a level that is worth $5.5M per year on the open market. With this new contract, if his play holds, Chytil will actually be saving the Rangers around $1M per year and that doesn’t take into account a continued rise in his play.
This extension for Chytil also affords the Rangers more cap flexibility in the offseason to keep this group together and playing for a Stanley Cup. Lafreniere and stud defenseman K’Andre Miller are both due to be restricted free agents this offseason and Kakko’s current deal sends him to RFA after next season.
All three players are developing and blooming into important pieces for New York, which was going to make it harder for the team to get them all signed. But now, with this Chytil extension for less than what many believed was market value, there is a chance.
In addition to Chytil setting the Rangers’ market for what he is worth, he has also set a precedent of taking less to stay with New York and pursue a Stanley Cup. It is going to be harder for any of those three aforementioned free agents to ask for much more now that Chytil is signed to his number. This will allow Rangers general manager Chris Drury to possibly get some bargains on these young stars and maintain this core for years to come.
