Adam who?
OK, OK, just joking. The New York Rangers of course can’t wait to get all-world defenseman Adam Fox back in the lineup, hoping he can return from the lower-body injury that landed him on Long Term Injured Reserve through at least Nov. 28 as soon as his required 24-day stint ends.
However, while no one doubts Fox’s long-term importance to the Rangers’ hopes of lifting the Stanley Cup this season, one of general manager Chris Drury’s unheralded offseason signings has amazingly made Fox’s short-term absence more than tolerable.
That magician is none other that Erik Gustafsson, the nearly 32-year-old journeyman who has picked now to become positively Fox-like in helping the Blueshirts to a 3-0-1 record without the 2021 Norris Trophy winner – all of those games played without star goaltender Igor Shesterkin and center Filip Chytil, who are also sidelined due to injury.
In the four games without Fox, Gustafsson has recorded one goal and five assists with a plus-2 rating and a 56.2 Corsi for percentage. Confidently moving up to the second defense pair, Gustafsson has provided dynamic play in seamlessly slipping into Fox’s role at the point on the first power-play unit. The Rangers subsequently haven’t missed a beat with the man advantage, going 3 for 8 in the past four games.
Gustafsson Has Picked Up Where He Left Off Last Season
Gustafsson was inked to a one-year, $825,000 contract July 1 to man the the left side of the Blueshirts’ third defense pair next to Braden Schneider. Drury’s primary motivators for the signing? Gustafsson played for new coach Peter Laviolette with the Washington Capitals last season, so he knew Laviolette’s system and expectations, and he worked for cheap – making him just one of the GM’s flurry of expedient, low-cost fliers he took on the first day of free agency.
“I think he’s played well since he’s been here. I thought his training camp was really good,” Laviolette said. “I thought the start of the season was really strong for him. It seems, no matter who he plays with, they can drive the play in the right direction.
“I think he’s done a really good job. Of course I have history and knowledge, it doesn’t surprise me that he’s able to step in and play that way. He did it for me last year on a different team, and he’s doing the exact same thing right now. But he’s playing really well.”
General managers in all sports can usually only wish to hit on value acquisitions like this. Gustafsson was apparently a well-kept secret to Laviolette, and as such he might deserve some credit along with Drury for the end result.
Gustafsson has hardly come out of nowhere to save the Rangers’ defense with Fox down – he’s been playing like this throughout the early season. He and the Blueshirts have been a match made in hockey heaven, with Gustafsson recording a 55.9 Corsi for, 54.2 expected goals for and three goals and seven assists in 14 games. The Rangers have outscored opponents 12-7 at 5-on-5 and hold a 101-70 advantage in scoring chances when he’s been on the ice.
Gustafsson’s play with Fox down, however, seems even more effective. At times he appears to be everywhere, keeping pucks in the zone, pushing play up ice with pace and nearly winning the game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Nov. 12 with a hard wrist shot that rang off the crossbar on a break-in during overtime. The Rangers went on to win 4-3 in a shootout for their third straight victory.
Rangers Have Little Chance of Affording Gustafsson Next Season
Perhaps Laviolette appreciated what Gustafsson could do in a way hardly anyone else did. Selected by the Edmonton Oilers in the fourth round of the 2012 draft, he never suited up for them, instead bouncing around the league and now on his seventh team in eight NHL seasons. He’s been traded in mid-season three times.
Despite a 17-goal, 43-assist performance for the Chicago Blackhawks in 2018-19, it’s possible Gustafsson finally found the perfect coach to get the most out of his overlooked talents last season.
“Knowing the coach and his system has made it more comfortable for me,” Gustafsson said during an impressive preseason in which he easily beat out Zac Jones for the third-pair spot. “Last year, when I came into Washington with a brand new team, system and coach, it took me awhile to get the process of how he wants the D to work.
“But this camp, I feel a lot more confident. It’s a system I know how to play, and it fits me with the way the coach likes the defense to get up on the rush.” (From ‘How Erik Gustafsson’s Familiarity With Peter Laviolette Positioned Him To Win Rangers’ Blue-Line Duel’, New York Post, 10/3/23)
Unfortunately for the Rangers, the advantage of that snug fit in Laviolette’s system almost certainly won’t benefit them next season. Gustafsson is sure to be on the move again, this time as an in-demand player who can expect more lucrative multi-year offers if he continues to play at his current level in 2023-24.
A significant contractual commitment is something the Rangers likely can’t offer. The salary-cap math simply doesn’t work: With about $15 million of space for next season and Schneider, Ryan Lindgren and Kaapo Kakko set to be restricted free agents next summer, the Blueshirts will be hard-pressed to sign those three young players, let alone give Gustafsson the kind of contract he’s proven he deserves.
Related: Rangers Have a Filip Chytil Injury Problem
No, it’s more likely that Drury, who faces more major cap challenges in the next few offseasons, will do everything possible to keep those three ostensible core players, while allowing the left side of the third defense pair to go back to being a revolving door of minimum-salaried pickups. He won’t get Gustafsson back for $825,000.
Drury Likely to Hit the Bargain Bin Again for Gustafsson’s Replacement
Married with three young daughters, Gustafsson should have the opportunity to earn some financial security and locational certainty this offseason. No matter how much he likes playing for Laviolette, it’s nearly impossible to envision Gustafsson in a Rangers sweater next season.
Blueshirts fans will probably have to settle for what Gustafsson can do for them in 2023-24, as this steal of signing tries to help the club win the Stanley Cup. With he and Fox driving play from the blue line, the Rangers’ 11-2-1 start has them in the conversation of championship contenders. If the Rangers were able to capture an elusive title, Gustafsson would certainly rank among the best low-cost, high-impact signings in the history of New York sports.
As for Drury, he’s probably kicking himself for not offering Gustafsson a two-year deal, given Gustafsson’s previous success playing for Laviolette and the GM’s annual need to fill out his roster with bargain-bin pieces due to the Rangers’ tight cap situation.
Gustafsson has ended up being anything but a roster filler, and the chances of Drury duplicating such a signing next summer seem remote. If this one helps the GM’s team end its Stanley Cup drought, however, it won’t be nearly as hard to watch Gustafsson go elsewhere.