New York Rangers: Five possible replacements for Brendan Smith

Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports
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Apr 2, 2017; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Colorado Avalanche defenseman Tyson Barrie (4) passes in the first period against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 2, 2017; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Colorado Avalanche defenseman Tyson Barrie (4) passes in the first period against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

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.

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