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New York Rangers: Defending the Klein-Del Zotto Trade

By John Williams

Dec 21, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Michael Del Zotto (15) skates with the puck past Washington Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov (92) during the first period at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Derik Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 21, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Michael Del Zotto (15) skates with the puck past Washington Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov (92) during the first period at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Derik Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /
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It has almost been three years since the New York Rangers traded away the Stouffville, Ontario native for the Predators defensive defenseman. Who won this trade? The answer is simple.

Ah, the infamous Michael Del Zotto for Kevin Klein trade. It seems like yesterday the New York Rangers traded their 23-year-old offensive defenseman for the savvy veteran Klein.

Del Zotto was a stud up-and-coming defender with the Rangers in his first few years with the organization. He started his professional career in the NHL in 2009-2010, tallying nine goals and 37 total points that year, a fantastic mark for a 19-year-old defenseman to reach. After an up-and-down sophomore season, Del Zotto put up even more impressive numbers his third year in the league.

In 2010-2011, Del Zotto achieved new career highs in goals (10), assists (31), points (41) and plus/minus (+20). He was looking like he fastly becoming one of the best offensive defensemen in the league.

Then the next two years happened.

Del Zotto had one of the biggest falls from grace in recent memory among young New York

Rangers. After a shortened season that only saw him score 3 goals and 18 assists with declined defensive play, Del Zotto lost all confidence by the middle of the 2013-2014 season. He had only scored 2 goals and 11 points through 42 games, while being a complete and total defensive liability in an Alain Vigneault system which was supposed to be a perfect fit for his style of play.

The bashing from the media and the fans of the youngsters game completely shattered any confidence he still had in his game. The only thing that made sense for both parties was to ship him off the roster. That’s when the Predators moved Klein to the Rangers. Del Zotto went on to struggle just as bad in Nashville, leading to the team not tendering him an offer in the offseason, which allowed him to become an unrestricted free agent.

Why Do We Care?

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Well, the easy answer is that the Rangers and Del Zotto’s current team, the Philadelphia Flyers are playing tonight, but that’s not the only reason this is being talked about. The Rangers and their fans are anxious to get the puck moving defenseman that the team needs, and they all need to be reminded that the Del Zotto trade was a necessary move.

Del Zotto was never going to figure it out in New York. His game completely fell apart, and for some people, the adversity that you can face in New York can be enough to cripple you.

Next: New York Rangers; Revisiting Traded Prospects

Without Klein, who knows if the Rangers could have made their run to the Stanley Cup Finals in 13-14? The Rangers got what they needed out of Klein–although I do think the Rangers should try to move him. While Del Zotto has had a bit of a resurgence, playing pretty solid minutes for Philadelphia in the three years he has been there, the Rangers and their fans would be best off if they forget that he was even on the roster.

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