NHL New York Rangers

Tanner Glass Signing Looking Even Worse For New York Rangers

Fresh Videos

By @bfitzsports

Tanner Glass Contract

Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

Every year during NHL free agency there are moves made by GMs that make you think, “How did they get this job?” New York Rangers GM Glen Sather is no stranger to these kind of deals, but over the last few years he has gotten better valuing the dollars he has to spend. Then, this summer, after buying out Brad Richards, Sather’s latest debacle of a signing, the 71 year old decided to give Tanner Glass a three-year contract with an average annual value of $1.45 million.

This signing looked horrible from the start and as the preseason has progressed, it is looking even worse for the Rangers.

For starters, the Rangers were already a cap constrained team heading into the summer. They lost three key contributors in their Stanley Cup run to free agency, and also lost Richards to a buyout. They also had to re-sign four of their own restricted free agents, and they didn’t have much money to do that. So signing Glass, a player who is a small step up from being a full on goon, for that kind of money makes very little sense.

Glass is always near the top of the league in hits. Some might look at this and think it is good for the Rangers to have a tough player like Glass on the team. To those people, re-evaluate your views on hockey. Today’s game is based on speed, creativity and puck possession. If Glass is leading the league in hits, do you think the Rangers have the puck a lot when he is on the ice? I’ll let you all answer that question yourself.

Statistically over the last few years, Glass has been one of the worst Corsi and Fenwick — puck possession stats — players. He is supposedly a good penalty killer, but the Rangers have some great penalty killers in Dominic Moore and Carl Hagelin; add to that the fact that coach Alain Vigneault uses more than just four penalty killing forwards when man down. He likes to use a bunch of forwards, including Rick Nash, Derek Stepan and, at some points, Mats Zuccarello.

As if all this wasn’t bad enough, the Rangers have a bunch of kids trying to make the team, like Anthony Duclair, Ryan Haggerty, Oscar Lindberg, Marek Hrivik, Kevin Hayes and Jesper Fast. All of these players have more skill than Glass, and they all have relatively cheap contracts right now. What is the point of having Glass on the roster if all he is going to do is fight? Fighting doesn’t fit with the Rangers anymore, as they have officially transitioned into a fast, skilled, puck possession team.

There is no place for Glass on this Rangers team. His contract is atrocious and he is going to take a roster spot that should go to one of the young kids in the organization. The signing was a bad move from the start, and it is looking more and more like a disaster waiting to happen.

Share Tweet
Trending Now on