New York Rangers: Who Should Be The Seventh Defenseman?

You can never have enough depth on defense.

Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

That is the old saying that so many hockey fans have come to know over the years. The New York Rangers brought back all of their top-six defenseman, but the seventh spot is completely up for grabs. Matt Hunwick was excellent last year as a seventh defenseman.

At some points, he was better than some of the options that were in the lineup. Hunwick is off to Toronto, so there are three candidates to take over his spot. Those three are Raphael Diaz, Dylan McIlrath, and Brady Skjei.

Diaz was signed as a free agent after spending last season with Calgary Flames. McIlrath, a former first-round pick, spent the majority of last season in the AHL with the Wolf Pack. Skjei, who was drafted in the first round in 2012, played collegiately for Minnesota last year before joining Hartford late into the season.

All three of these players are at different points in their careers, and should have an equal chance to grab the seventh defense spot.

Diaz has been a fringe top-six defenseman for the majority of his career. He has excellent puck moving skills, and can also help a team on the power play. Much like Hunwick, he can fill in on almost any pairing and produce. He is not going to show up in the box score a lot, but he is not a detriment to the team.

For McIlrath, this could be his last shot to make the team. He is 23-years old, and hasn’t developed at the rate the Rangers would have hoped. He is a big, physical defenseman, but he isn’t the best puck-mover. McIlrath’s most memorable moment so far has been being one of the traffic cones that Vladimir Tarasenko whisked by in November.

Skjei is by far the most intriguing of the three candidates.

New York Rangers /

New York Rangers

He is only 20-years old, and has the highest ceiling of any Rangers’ prospect. It only took a handful of games for him to be moved up to the top defense pairing. He is a smooth skater, but obviously will need seasoning at the NHL level before reaching his potential.

The Rangers already have three quality left-handed defenseman, but that shouldn’t matter. The best six defenseman should play regardless of their shot.

Diaz is the best bet to win this job out of camp, but Skjei should be the one taking over this job.

He is an excellent player, and should only get better with time in the NHL. Keeping him on the big club will give him a chance to watch and learn Ryan McDonagh, Marc Staal and Keith Yandle.

It seems like this is the end of the line for McIlrath as a Rangers, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he is traded at some point during the season.

Next: Who Will Light the Lamp First?

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