It hasn’t been a great start so far for the New York Rangers’ talented rookie defenseman. Can the emergence of some other young defenders so far in camp keep him from making the opening night roster?
Going into training camp, everybody around the New York Rangers organization expected defensive prospect Brady Skjei to be a lock to make the team. This is for good reason. Skjei played extremely well with the Rangers in the postseason, and when the team lost veterans Dan Boyle and Keith Yandle to retirement and free agency respectively, simple math would indicate that there was an open spot for Skjei on the back end.
More from Editorials
- Rangers’ Playoff Redemption Recipe: Grit and Fresh Hopes
- Rangers’ Roster Chatter: Who’s Making the Cut and Who’s in the Penalty Box?
- These Rangers must learn Peter Laviolette’s ropes before they can fly
- Filip Chytil Could Take Major Steps in the 2023-24 Season
- Looking forward to the upcoming season for Artemi Panarin
Fast forward to about a week and a half after the start of training camp and Skjei may be playing for his training camp life the next time he steps on the ice.
Brady Skjei had a really shaky first game this preseason against the Islanders. He looked very jumpy and uncomfortable out there, which led to errant passes and bad defensive mistakes. His second game of the preseason against New Jersey wasn’t bad, but he didn’t exactly stand out, either.
When asked about the defense after Saturday night’s game, Alain Vigneault didn’t seem too pleased with Skjei. “Brady to a certain extent would be a work in progress but Brady is a young player going through the process,” said Vigneault at his post-game press conference. He was a little bit better than he was in the first game but I still think there needs to be improvement there also.”
More Competition for Skjei?
Another block in the road for Skjei’s roster hopes is the slew of other defensemen that are competing with him for a spot on the roster. Ryan McDongah, Dan Girardi, Kevin Klein, Marc Staal and Nick Holden (who is being paid like a top-six defender) are locks to make the team, leaving one starting spot and one or two other bench spots open on the Rangers’ roster.
Skjei is a name that has been thrown around in the discussion that sixth slot, but now there are other players emerging. Dylan McIlrath has played well so far and has seemed to impress AV a little bit. Adam Clendening has looked like a natural fit on the powerplay. With the loss of Yandle and Boyle, the Rangers may want a guy like that in their top six. Even John Gilmour has looked good, scoring two goals in two preseason games.
I think AV and his staff expected Skjei to take this opportunity and run with it, which he hasn’t done. Now they may be considering keeping two of those other 3 defensemen up at this level.
I feel as though Skjei is either going to make the team as a 6th defenseman or be sent down to Hartford. Since he is still very young and on his entry-level deal, the team may feel as though it is best for his development if he is down playing top two defenseman minutes in Hartford, rather than ride the pine on Broadway.
The Verdict
I think this may be the best case scenario for Skjei and the Rangers alike. Start out Skjei in the minors, help him gain some more confidence in the minors and then call him up for an injury. There is no point in putting a young defender out in the NHL with no confidence to have him be bewildered. Remember Michael Del Zotto? Enough said.
Next: Brady Skjei can help pave the way
I agree that Skjei has the most upside of any of the New York Rangers blueline prospects. I don’t think that is up for debate. What I do think is this; the Rangers need to win now, so their is no point in rushing Skjei if they have other guys who are stepping in and playing extremely well.