Who Can the New York Rangers Replace Dan Boyle With?

The New York Rangers will have their work cut out for them this offseason with mostly all of their UFA’s leaving via free agency. With Boyle’s cap hit coming off the books, the team will need to sign another defenseman, but who?

There won’t be any replacing of Keith Yandle this year. His puck movement and vision were elite and will be sorely missed. His 42 assists were good for 8th amongst all defenseman last season. A team cannot replace that overnight. However, Dan Boyle and his $4.5 million cap hit are also off the books. He was a fairly useful right-handed defenseman (10 goals and 14 assists in 74 games) and the Rangers should look for another cheap right-handed defenseman to go along with the two other right-handers on the squad (Girardi and Klein) to match-up with the three lefties on the team (McDonagh, Skjei, and Staal). There are a few options on the free agent market that could fill in the back end of the Rangers defensive depth chart and not break the bank.

Jason Demers

Demers will likely garner the most suitors in free agency out of this bunch. His skill set is similar to Boyle’s, as he has good vision and passing ability. In 2013/2014 with the Sharks, he had 29 assists, a career high for him. In 62 games last year for the Stars, he had 16 assists. He can also shoot the puck from the point, so he could be an option to play right point on the power play, which is also something the Rangers will be missing with the departure of Boyle.

Demers is also a good skater and can join the rush, which is something the Rangers desperately need.

This video shows the willingness of Demers to join the rush up ice and put himself in a position to score goals.

And at 6′ 1″, he also has decent size, so if called upon, he could throw his body around and play physical as well. His cap hit over the last two seasons was $3.4 million, which is below what the Rangers were paying Boyle, who was also at the end of his career. Demers is 28, so he is still in the prime of his career. He would he a nice addition if the money is right.

Yannick Weber

Weber only played in 45 games last year and has yet to play a full season in the NHL. After a fairly promising 2014-2015 campaign, where he netted a career-high 11 goals, Weber had a dud of a season last year. In those 45 games, he had only 7 assists and posted a -17. Not great. Then again, neither were the Canucks.

He is similar to Boyle in size and possesses a big slap shot, so sticking him on the power play could be a possibility. He leaves a lot to be desired defensively, but the Rangers have enough defensive-minded defenseman, so letting him play to his skills could see better numbers across the board.

He will turn 28 in September, so he is not old, and was on a 1 year, $1.5 million contract last season, so he could be a low-risk player to plug on that third line.

Luke Schenn

In 72 games last season, Schenn recorded 4 goals and 12 assists. However, he has never been considered much of an offensive player. At 6′ 2″, he is a big, strong body who likes to hit people. With 234 hits last season, Schenn finished 5th in the league in total hits. On the flip side, he only got called for 22 total penalties and 15 minor penalties, so he might throw his body around, but he is smart with where he is putting it.

Schenn was getting paid $3.6 million a season, but that was part of a 5-year deal he signed with the Maple Leafs in 2011, where he was drafted as the 5th overall pick in 2008. So, the Leafs were trying to lock up a top pick to see how he would progress. They traded him a year later to the Flyers, who then traded him to the Kings last season. So, his stock is not very high if you ask me. Perhaps his game doesn’t mesh with what the Rangers are looking for, but he could be a reasonably priced defenseman. Alain Vigneault did not seem to play Dylan McIlrath much last season, so a player like Schenn might not be on the team’s radar, but cap space on the team is tight, so cheap options might eventually have to win out. He is still only 26 years old, so maybe some potential is still yet to be unlocked.

Next: Could The New York Rangers Go After Brian Campbell in Free Agency?

What do you think? Is a cheap, right-handed defenseman the smart move for the Rangers?