New York Rangers Need To Restock The Cupboard
The New York Rangers haven’t had a first-round draft pick since Brady Skjei in 2012.
In the Rangers’ last four first-round picks, only Michael Del Zotto has moved on to the NHL That being said, New York is very thin and will get thinner in the blue chip prospects pool the longer they go without a first round pick. New York has sorely lacked that later round draft pick that can make an impact, or in the Rangers case just make the team since Jesper Fast, a 2010 sixth-round pick and 157th overall. We all know that the game has changed, as speed is the number one asset in the NHL while size is becoming more and more a non-factor.
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Rangers’ Flawed Prospect Pool
Looking down the list of Rangers prospects, the team have constantly drafted players with size but without the speed and true hockey sense needed to make the jump to the NHL. The list of Ranger players that could possibly be a regular in a Rangers jersey is limited to handful, and unfortunately the solution to that problem is to trade existing Ranger players that have some market value to acquire a first-round pick or picks depending on who is willing to give one up. That also opens the proverbial can of worms with the Ranger faithful having a “win now” attitude and not settling for losing. But with an aging team it must be done or the older players of value will start to decline and there will be no one to replace them coming up through either the AHL or ECHL.
The Rangers are thin in goaltending prospects as well, but for the near future the Rangers faithful will be set with Raanta and Lundqvist and watching Brandon Halverson for the past 2 years he will be ready possibly in the next 3 to 4 years as his numbers this year were skewed by injury but showed his true value in the OHL playoffs. It is on defence that the Rangers are in trouble, both in prospects and aging slow veterans on the parent club and not having a pick in the upcoming NHL draft until the 80th spot will further compound things. Another possibility is using a compliance buyout to free up cap space and a roster spot and I fully expect both scenarios to come to fruition.
Next: New York Rangers: The Trade Window is Closed For Now
What is on the Horizon for the New York Rangers
The New York Ranger fan base is one of the most demanding in all of the NHL. Moving parts of a very solid team to ensure a bright future is a tough sell, but it must be done, and the time is now. Buying out the contracts or moving the likes of Dan Boyle, Dan Girardi, Tanner Glass and possibly Dominic Moore for nothing more that clearing cap space and adding much-needed draft picks will serve the Rangers well in the future. The much talked about trading of Rick Nash most likely won’t happen as the trading of top rated players is a rarity in the cap dominated world of the NHL. Giving a long and serious look to the likes of Nicklas Jensen, Brady Skjei, Calle Andersson, Adam Tambellini, Cristoval Nieves and Ryan Graves to fit into the bottom quarter roster spots with New York will give the Rangers brain trust a good feel of what they have to work with.