John Davidson and Jeff Gorton met with the media today via Zoom conference. While there were a lot of topics discussed, one in particular drew my attention… Jesper Fast.
Jeff Gorton on Jesper Fast
When asked about unrestricted free agent Jesper Fast, Gorton revealed that the two sides are talking. Of course, that doesn’t mean the 28 year-old player and coach’s favorite won’t hit the market.
“It’s getting closer and closer so, I couldn’t say for certain he is,” Gorton said. “I would say that we’ll continue to try to see if there’s something there to keep him here, but it’s certainly possible he does hit the open market.”
Lohud
On my reporting of Fast going to free agency
As loyal readers of this website know, on September 1st I reported that Jesper Fast was heading to free agency. Here are the key points from that article.
- It looks like the time for Jesper Fast as a member of the New York Rangers is coming to an end. As per a source with knowledge of the situation, the window has passed for the two sides to negotiate.
- According to the source, the Rangers have not had any substantial talks with Jesper Fast this offseason and there will be plenty of teams that would love to have him.
- The source did note that there is a chance for him to remain with the Rangers, but it would take some serious work to make it happen.
As you can see in point three, there was a possibility if the Rangers were willing to meet or come close to Jesper’s contract demands. Hard for me to take the “window has passed” remark as anything but heading to the market.
Circling back on Jesper Fast
Since the article ran, not only did the Rangers buyout Henrik Lundqvist, they also traded Marc Staal and freed cap space. Mind you, Jeff Gorton said that they will not spend to the cap because of the large amount of performance bonuses. He also added that the Rangers may look to trade or sign a veteran left defenseman. New York also has 5 RFA’s to get worked out and that may not leave room for Jesper Fast unless he lowers his ask.
All of this prompted me to circle back with my source on this to see if there was a change. The email response was brief and to the the point, “ask the Rangers.”
So regardless of how this turns out, I wanted to lay my cards out on the table. Forever Blueshirts strives to entertain and inform as best as possible. I try to bring you all the news out there, with my own original reporting to boot.
Time and context matters when reporting on these situations and I will continue to bring you all I can gather. Whether Fast stays or hits the UFA market, the information I wrote here was exactly as I heard it.
