New York Rangers Summer Boot Camp: Defense Edition
The New York Rangers defense is a mess.
Ryan McDonagh has battled injuries and inconsistent play after breaking out in 2013-14; Keith Yandle is likely to leave for greener pastures; Dan Boyle is certainly going to retire; Brady Skjei and Dylan McIlrath are still young and raw; and Dan Girardi and Marc Staal have had steep declines in play while owning albatross contracts.
So, how can the Rangers fix their biggest problem?
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Get Younger
The Rangers defense is an old group. Outside of Skjei and McIlrath, the Rangers don’t have any defensive prospects that are expected to make an impact in the next couple of years. So in order for the Rangers to fix their defense, they have to get younger.
This year in particular, there are a ton of RFA defenseman that might get moved by teams due to cap constraints. The Anaheim Ducks boast a quartet of highly touted defenseman—Hampus Lindholm, Shea Theodore, Cam Fowler and Sami Vatanen—who are all due for significant raises in the next couple of years. Matt Dumba of the Minnesota Wild is another interesting name, as they are another team that is facing a cap-crunch.
There’s a precedent to seeing these trades happen. Last summer, we saw the Boston Bruins trade Dougie Hamilton, for 80 cents on the dollar, mind you, to the Calgary Flames because they were unsure about signing him long term. There will be an abundance of other names on the market, and the Rangers brass will need to be creative in trying to land one of them.
Acquire a Puck-Mover
Tyson Barrie is the name that comes to mind here. The Colorado Avalanche have already made it clear they don’t want to pay Barrie, and there are sure to be teams lining up to get the talented blue-liner. Heck, we’ve even had someone here at Blue Line Station suggest a trade scenario for Barrie.
Acquiring Barrie would ease the blow if the Rangers were to lose Keith Yandle. The Rangers were a possession disaster last year, ranking in the bottom third of CF% the entire season. The only time the Rangers were consistently hemming teams in their own end was when Yandle was on the ice. Outside of him, and possibly Brady Skjei, the Rangers don’t have a defenseman who can retrieve the puck and quickly move it up ice.
Getting Barrie would go a long way in re-shaping the identity of the Rangers defense. They haven’t had a right-handed puck-mover since Anton Stralman left, and they need to become a better possession team if they want to get back to being a cup contender.
Buy out Dan Girardi
To say this would be beating a dead horse would be an extreme understatement. Girardi, who is owed $5.5 million until 2020, is no longer the player he was. He’s lost a couple of steps, can’t make a pass, leak shots and is a possession anchor. He’s been a good soldier for a long time, but the Rangers can’t afford to keep him around if they expect to compete.
Next: New York Rangers Summer Boot Camp: Defense Edition
Conclusion
The Rangers need to overhaul their defense. McDonagh and Skjei should be the only untouchables on the back end. They need to get younger, hopefully targeting the RFA market to do so. They also need to acquire a puck-mover, especially if they lose Yandle, and Barrie would be an excellent fit for that. And, as sad as it is, they need to cut ties with Girardi, no matter what the cap casualties are.