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New York Rangers center Andrew Copp. Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Exploring Andrew Copp's upcoming free agency

Originally posted on Pro Hockey Rumors | By Ethan Hetu | Last updated 5/29/22

Saturday night, the New York Rangers won a crucial game against the Carolina Hurricanes, keeping their season alive. Andrew Copp, who the Rangers acquired from the Winnipeg Jets at the trade deadline, has been a major reason for the team’s success in these playoffs. Given his status as a pending unrestricted free agent, it’s natural to believe that Copp has earned himself some money on his next deal with how he’s performed in New York.

On the 32 Thoughts segment of last night’s Sportsnet broadcast of the Rangers/Hurricanes game, Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek supported that line of thinking, reporting that it “sounds as if” Copp’s market is going to land between the deals signed by two recent comparable unrestricted free agents: Phillip Danault and Zach Hyman.

Danault signed his contract after helping lead the Canadiens to the 2021 Stanley Cup final, inking a six-year, $33M deal with the Los Angeles Kings. Hyman signed a seven-year, $38.5M deal with the Oilers after a season where he scored at a 63-point pace.

While Copp’s defensive game may not be quite at the level of Danault’s (who is a consistent down-ballot Selke candidate) and his offense may be slightly below where Hyman’s was in his platform year, Copp has proven to be an incredible fit with Artemi Panarin and Ryan Strome and is now producing better than he ever has as a professional.

As a Ranger, including the playoffs, Copp has 28 points in 29 games, showing that in the right fit, he can be a very strong offensive producer to go along with his defensive game. The Rangers also have Strome as a pending unrestricted free agent and could find themselves forced to choose one of the two to retain after this season, given the constraints of the salary cap. Strome may have a longer and more proven track record of chemistry with Panarin than Copp does, but Copp has outproduced him in these playoffs and offers more versatility, as well as a more well-regarded defensive game. The Rangers’ attempts to retain both or their choice between the two will be one of the Rangers’ top storylines this offseason, and recent reporting indicates that they will be aggressive in their pursuit of Copp.

Copp’s performance also still holds significance for his former team. As part of their trade with the Rangers, the second-round pick the Jets received for Copp was actually conditional, and is upgraded from a 2022 second-rounder to a 2022 first-rounder if the Rangers make it to the Eastern Conference Final (to be decided Monday) and Copp plays in at least 50% of the team’s playoff games. So while two fanbases will see their teams battle to remain alive in the chase for the Stanley Cup, there will be a third fanbase also likely to be deeply invested in the fate of Monday’s high-stakes seventh game.

This article first appeared on Pro Hockey Rumors and was syndicated with permission.

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