Rangers, free agent Stralman have not been in contact since February
One of the relatively unheralded heroes for the New York Rangers over the course of their run to the Stanley Cup Final was defenseman Anton Stralman. The 27-year-old is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, and Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News reports the two sides have not discussed a new deal since February.
The Rangers were haggling with Stralman’s camp over a $3 million annual price tag during the regular season, but Stralman is a righthanded, top-four defenseman coming off a career year, and lefthanded Andrew MacDonald set the market for defensemen by inking a six-year, $30 million extension with the Philadelphia Flyers. Stralman’s agent, Marc Levine, said Saturday that he and the Rangers have not been in contact since February.
A seventh round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2005, Stralman scored one goal and added 12 assists while averaging 19:25 on the Rangers' blue line during the regular season; in 25 playoff games, he recorded five assists while being called upon to play 21:03 per game.
While those offensive numbers may not blow you away, his possession stats paint a better picture; Stralman posted an impressive 56.6 Corsi for percentage at even strength, a number that dropped to 49.6 percent in the playoffs, albeit while playing against tougher competition.
Teammate Carl Hagelin had this to say about Stralman's game, via NHL.com:
I think this is obviously his best year since he came to New York. The coaches have a lot of confidence in him, and you can see how he's growing throughout the year. ... He's not going to be a flashy player but he's always finding ways to break the puck out pretty smoothly. He's a good skater. He's finding ways, even when the forecheck is hard on him. He will pivot off guys and find a way to break out.
Based on all of the above, Stralman appears to be in line for a significant increase of his $1.8-million salary from 2013-14 while possible finding a new home somewhere around the NHL.