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New York Rangers: Five non-tendered free agents that could be targeted

By John Williams

Oct 25, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues right wing Nail Yakupov (64) handles the puck against the Calgary Flames during the first period at Scottrade Center. The Flames won 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 25, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues right wing Nail Yakupov (64) handles the puck against the Calgary Flames during the first period at Scottrade Center. The Flames won 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jan 23, 2017; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Avalanche defenseman Patrick Wiercioch (28) controls the puck in the first period against the San Jose Sharks at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 23, 2017; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Avalanche defenseman Patrick Wiercioch (28) controls the puck in the first period against the San Jose Sharks at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /

Patrick Wiercioch

A lot of Rangers fans have been bullish on Wiercioch for a couple of seasons now. He seems to be nothing more than an average defender, but for the Rangers, that would be a huge improvement over what they currently have.

This is the second straight year that Wiercioch wasn’t tendered by his team. Last year it was the Ottawa Senators, this year the Colorado Avalanche.

One of the oldest RFAs not to be tendered, the 26-year-old Wiercioch had a much better season last year than he had in 15-16. In 16-17, he tallied four goals and eight assists in 57 games for the worst team in the league. On a team that was in the bottom half of the league in possession metrics, Wiercioch performed just as you would have expected him to in that department considering the circumstances.

Wiercioch is huge, standing in at 6-foot-5, 200lbs. He is a pretty smooth skater and has a big shot from the point, a shot which he needs to use a lot more often than he has in the past. He is a guy who can be rather inconsistent though.

Next: Top 5 trade destinations for Nick Holden

If you’re the Rangers, why not take a flier on the hulking defenseman? It’s never a bad thing to have too many defensemen, especially when your defense looked the way it did last year. If the Rangers enter camp with an all out battle for their third pair duties between a bunch of different defenseman of various ages and skill sets, that could be the best thing for them moving forward.

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