New York Rangers: Five possible replacements for Brendan Smith
Brendan Smith could very well end up away from the New York Rangers next season. Replacing him would definitely be a priority for the Rangers.
Brendan Smith’s short days as a member of the New York Rangers could be coming to an end.
There are two situations this summer where Smith could find himself packing his things.
Smith is a restricted free agent this summer. The Rangers hold his rights and can offer him a contract or match any offer that any other team makes.
However Smith was exposed by the Rangers for today’s NHL Expansion Draft. Meaning the Las Vegas Golden Knights could draft him and take the rights to his contract negotiations from the Rangers.
The Rangers would likely love to have Smith back next year. However, the road ahead is far from predictable. Here is a look at five possible replacements if the Rangers can’t resign Smith for next season.
Michael Stone
Michael Stone is an unrestricted free agent this summer who could serve as a great replacement to Smith.
Stone played last season for the Arizona Coyotes and Calgary Flames. He was acquired by the Flames at the trade deadline.
While with the Coyotes, he struggled due to the fact that his entire team struggled. His talent level showed in Calgary where he was able to excel. He had six points and was a +5 in 19 games. For scale, he had just nine points and was a -5 through 51 games as an Arizona Coyote.
Stone has lots of value amongst this summer’s fairly weak free agent pool. He shoots right handed which is always useful to have from a defenseman.
Smith was left handed but played the right side for the Rangers. Smith is better than Stone at puck control, but Stone really can do a lot more on the offensive end in the right system.
Stone had a full point more than Smith for point share last season. I am not a huge believer in that statistic, but it does show that the numbers suggest Stone had a better year than Smith last year.
At the very least it looks like Stone would make an adequate replacement for Smith.
Michael Del Zotto
Michael Del Zotto has spent some time with the New York Rangers and could be a good fit if Smith isn’t an option next season.
Del Zotto’s career began as a Ranger during the 2009-2010 season. He finished 12th in Norris trophy voting in 2011-2012. He was traded to the Nashville Predators during the 2013-2014 season.
Last season, Del Zotto played with the division rival Philadelphia Flyers. He played in 51 games and had 18 points.
Del Zotto shoots left handed like Smith but has had some experience on the right side like Smith too.
He is currently an unrestricted free agent and could come at a nice price for the Rangers. It’s unclear how he feels about the New York Rangers organization after trading him in 2013-2014. He is certainly worth inquiring about if Smith is gone.
Cody Franson
Cody Franson could make a great addition to the New York Rangers defense in absence of Smith.
Franson played last season with the Buffalo Sabres but has bounced around to a couple of places in his career. This year he tallied 19 points in 68 games and added a nice corsi for of 50.4%. Corsi measures what percentage of all shots taken were for Franson’s team when he was on the ice.
The Sabres were shopping Franson this year at the deadline as a rental because he is a free agent this summer. Some rumors even pinned the Rangers to Franson back in March.
Franson is a financially responsible option for replacing Smith. Last year his cap hit was just under $4.0 million per year but that will certainly be lower next year.
The Rangers wouldn’t be asking all that much of a guy like Franson. His numbers suggest he would be a great fit as a bottom four defenseman. Smith would play a similar role.
If the Rangers go on without Smith, they should certainly look to sign a guy like Franson in his place.
Dimitry Orlov
Replacing Brendan Smith with Dimitry Orlov may not be as easy as some of the other guys I suggested. But boy would he be a replacement.
Orlov is a restricted free agent. The Rangers could either trade for his negotiating rights and go from there, or take a risk and make an offer that the Capitals could match.
The Washington Capitals may have a tough time resigning Orlov given their cap restraints and Orlov has threatened to go to the KHL if he doesn’t get what he wants.
Here’s where the New York Rangers come in. There has been some speculation that Orlov would make a good fit for the Rangers, they would just need to work out the logistics of making it happen.
Orlov could be a perfect match. Acquiring him may not be perfect for the Rangers, but if they could make it work they will likely be happy with their return.
Tyson Barrie
The New York Rangers have been in trade talks with the Colorado Avalanche throughout the offseason. Nathan MacKinnon has been one of the big names in the running. Tyson Barrie has been mentioned too and he could be a great replacement to Brendan Smith.
Barrie has three years left on his contract with a $5.5 million cap hit. That’s exactly how much the Rangers were paying Girardi, so the cap space is certainly there.
He is just 25 years old and has seemingly gotten better over the years as everything else has gotten worse in Colorado. It would be best for him if he was moved, and even better for the Rangers.
Barrie plays the right side defensively which the Rangers could really use. He also tallied 38 points this year. For scale, Barrie was involved in roughly 23% of the Avalanche’s goals last year. If he was involved in 23% of the Rangers goals, he would have had roughly 59 points.
Next: Who do we want Vegas to take from the Rangers?
Now the transition won’t be that smooth. But if Barrie gets the right amount of ice team, he can easily expect to be around 50 points for the Rangers. Those numbers make Barrie a great replacement for Smith.