New York Rangers’ Adam Clendening Looking to Follow Stralman’s Footsteps
By David Bruce
The New York Rangers need help on defense more than ever, but have to find upgrades at cheap value. Is a potential hidden gem already on the team?
When the New York Rangers first signed Anton Stralman, his NHL career was nearly over. After being released from a tryout by the New Jersey Devils, he went unsigned until November 3rd, when the Rangers signed him to a one-year deal.
He quickly became a fan favorite as a young defenseman who could play tough, long minutes for a minimal cap hit. In today’s NHL, cap management is key, and having players like Stralman on the cheap is important for team building success.
The New York Rangers revived Stralman’s career, and with that, increased his value tremendously. When the Rangers couldn’t afford him, he moved on to Tampa Bay, and the Rangers have been looking for a similar situation ever since. At present, could the Rangers have another one of these on the roster?
They do, and his name is Adam Clendening.
Adam Clendening has been a very polarizing player this year. Many praise his puck movement and possession driving ability on the back end, while others believe his defensive zone play is questionable at best and his playmaking can be far too risky.
Clendening has always been an offensively capable defenseman at most levels of hockey. He was drafted out of the USA Hockey National Team Development Program, 36th overall by the Chicago Blackhawks. As a member of Boston University as well the AHL’s Rockford Ice Hogs, he was a leading scorer amongst defensemen for multiple years before he was flip-flopped around the NHL.
Between 2014 and 2016, Clendening played for the Chicago Blackhawks, the Vancouver Canucks, the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Edmonton Oilers. Similarly, Anton Stralman played for Toronto, Calgary (for which he never played a game), Columbus, and tried out with New Jersey over a span of before joining the Rangers.
His New Home
Clendening is now a New York Ranger, and in his limited time with the team, he has been their second or third best defensemen. He has recorded 8 points (1 goal, 7 assists) in 18 games, and brings a much-needed element to the Rangers defense: mobility.
He is the only right-handed defenseman on the team that can run the powerplay, carry the puck, drive possession and effectively make quick zone exits. What he lacks in defensive zone coverage, he makes up for in every other aspect of the game. He has easily outperformed every right side defenseman on the team this season.
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Most importantly, Clendening is performing his job as admirably as he is for a measly $600,000. If the Rangers can continue playing him to his strengths, and perhaps retain him next year at a similarly low salary, giving Clendening continual chances will pay dividends in the end.
Even if the New York Rangers manage to acquire a true top two defenseman for the right side like Kevin Shattenkirk, keeping Clendening can still prove very valuable for the Rangers if he can be had for under $1million again.
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Whether he can truly match the career trajectory of Anton Stralman is a mystery that can only be solved by more ice time. The Rangers need to continue giving him minutes even once the defense is fully healthy again. Taking that risk is something the coaching staff cannot be fearful of doing at any position, but in particular the defense, where the Rangers need cost effective help the most.