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New York Rangers: Should Keith Yandle be re-signed?

By Connor Orchard |

Since joining the New York Rangers back in March, Keith Yandle has helped the Rangers offense significantly. So should he be re-signed?

Keith Yandle joined the New York Rangers back in March from the Arizona Coyotes, in a trade that saw elite-prospect Anthony Duclair, defenseman John Moore, and a 2016th conditional 1st round pick (if the Rangers miss the playoffs in 2016, then the pick moves to 2017).

At first, Yandle didn’t produce numbers very fast, and didn’t gain his first point until two weeks after being traded to the Rangers. His first point was a goal that came in a 2-0 win against the Buffalo Sabres. In the regular season, Yandle totaled 11 points in 21 games, with a +/- of 6.

Just like many of the other Rangers defensemen, Yandle got injured in the playoffs. He sprained the AC joint in his shoulder, and it was a hit by Blake Comeau in Game 2 against the Pittsburgh Penguins that caused it. But as the playoffs progressed, Yandle’s injury got better, and with that, his performance improved. He finished the playoffs with 11 points in 19 games, with a +/- of 7. He definitely played his best hockey of the season in the Eastern Conference Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning, in which he got two goals and five assists, which add up to 7 of his total 11 playoff points.

New York Rangers
New York Rangers /

New York Rangers

Now, as Yandle comes to the end of his contract with the Rangers, at this point it would be within the Rangers best interests to get him signed for a long term deal, especially as they are only paying half of his $5.25 million cap hit, which is approximately $2.625 million, and with how tight the Rangers cap-space is, their options are certainly limited.

When you think about the fact that Yandle didn’t even play a full season, and only joined the Rangers with just under three months remaining in the season, and still managed to settle in really quickly and tally up some good numbers, it’s definitely likely that he could put up some even greater numbers if he had a more time under his belt.

In conclusion, the trade was good and bad, depending on which perspective you look at it from. If you’re looking at it in a good way, the Rangers got an elite puck-moving defenseman, without having to lose any of the players from the current roster, and are only paying half of his full salary.

But if you’re looking at it in a bad way, the Rangers did pay heavily for him, as they gave up their best prospect in Duclair, as well as John Moore, and a 1st rounder in 16/17. And while it looks like Duclair may turn into a superstar one day, that is only potential, and by no means does it mean that he will turn into that, and he is also still learning the game from the bottom up.

So what do you think? Do you think the Rangers should re-sign Yandle? Or do you think he should be moved elsewhere?

Next: New York Rangers: Who To Trade?

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