Rangers GM: We won't burn 1st year off any contracts

Jeff Gorton isn't going to give any of his club's top prospects an extended look just yet, regardless of whether the New York Rangers follow through on their apparent plan to restructure the roster.

"We are not going to burn the first year off any contracts," the Rangers general manager told Larry Brooks of the New York Post on Friday.

That would indicate neither Lias Andersson nor Filip Chytil - the team's first-round picks last June - will hit the 10-NHL-game threshold that triggers the first season of entry-level deals.

Both players are impressing so far in the AHL with the Hartford Wolf Pack, albeit in limited sample sizes. Andersson has eight points in 10 games, while Chytil has produced nine goals and 26 points in 31 contests.

"They're both playing very well and we're very happy with their progress, but it will be a day-by-day decision depending on the situation with Hartford, too," Gorton said. "We want to give Hartford a chance to make (the playoffs)."

Andersson hasn't yet played an NHL game, while Chytil appeared in two back in early October.

The Wolf Pack sit in sixth place in the AHL's Atlantic Division with a record of 24-22-4-3, as of Friday afternoon.

Gorton and club president Glen Sather admitted the franchise could part with "some familiar faces" in a letter to fans that was released last Thursday.

Last year, the Rangers drafted Andersson seventh overall and then selected Chytil with the 21st overall pick.

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