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Boomer Esiason, a die-hard Rangers fan, applauded the team Tuesday for signing Chris Kreider to a seven-year contract extension rather than trading the All-Star left wing.
"This is a very good deal for the Rangers, a very good deal for Chris Kreider," Esiason said on the "Boomer and Gio" show the morning after the NHL's trade deadline. "And I am happy that he is staying here and that he is going to be what I'd like to think is going to be a Ranger for life.
"He ended up settling for, I think, less money than he probably could have gotten on the open market this summer, but the fact that the average salary is 6.5 (million) over seven years, look, it is what it is. He wanted to be here. He wants to be a Ranger. And he's been a good Ranger, and now he has an opportunity to be a great Ranger. And he may end up being the captain -- who knows? -- one of these days. He certainly has all the attributes of all that. I would like to think that, that was a good thing for most Ranger fans.
"Then there has to be collateral damage. Somewhere along the line, they have to lop something off the salary cap, because it's a hard cap and really does impact futures. And in this case, it was Brady Skjei.
The Rangers traded Skjei to the Carolina Hurricanes for a 2020 first-round pick.
The first round pick the Rangers received for the defenseman "is great because now it continues to add to the assets, and you're trading from an area of strength, which is their defense," Boomer said. "They have a ton of young guys that are in the minors. They'll bring maybe one or two of them up, will take a look at those guys.
Vincent Carchietta/USA TODAY Images The Kreider extension, however, was overshadowed Monday by Rangers president John Davidson's announcement that rookie goalie Igor Shesterkin and winger Pavel Buchnevich were involved in a car accident Sunday night in Brooklyn. Shesterkin suffered a small rib fracture and will be reassessed in a couple of weeks, Davidson said. Buchnevich was shaken up but avoided any significant injuries. He is listed as day-to-day.
The Shesterkin injury is a significant blow to the Rangers. The 24-year-old Russian exploded on the scene this year, winning six of his first seven NHL starts while registering a .941 save percentage and 2.18 goals-against average.
"This is going to give (goaltender) Alexandar Georgiev an opportunity of a lifetime," Esiason said. "And it also puts Henrik Lundqvist back in the backup spot, where he's going to have to play here now, and he has a chance to ... help this team make it to the playoffs.
"I like what they did. I kind of like Brady Skjei, but for the money that they were paying him (owed $19.4 million over next four years after this season) and for the term that he was going to be here, I much rather have Tony DeAngelo, who has been a revelation for the Rangers, especially on the power play. Needs to tighten up a little bit on defense, but, man, he is a puck-moving defenseman, which we haven't had the likes of since Brian Leetch really was here."
To listen to the open from Tuesday's "Boomer and Gio" show, click on the audio player above.