New York Rangers: Five thoughts following a huge weekend
The New York Rangers had a terrific weekend. What now?
Kevin Shattenkirk is now a member of the New York Rangers. After plenty of rumblings that the Rangers would not pay the native New Yorker, Shattenkirk essentially forced his way onto the Rangers roster. The addition of Shattenkirk provides New York with a bevy of options on defense.
Yes, you read that right. The New York Rangers possess plenty of options on defense. Again, Kevin Shattenkirk is a New York Ranger. Sorry, had to say it again. It’s fun to write.
Now that the most important move of the offseason is complete, Jeff Gorton has more work to do. The Rangers must look at this upcoming season as an opportunity to compete for the Stanley Cup. Anything less would be wasting the buyout of Dan Girardi and signing of Shattenkirk.
So what now? Let’s take a look at five thoughts I have following the Shattenkirk signing.
New York, New York
Make no mistake about it. Kevin Shattenkirk would not be a Ranger if they played anywhere other than New York. It’s a stroke of tremendous luck for the Rangers, one that I’m thrilled they took advantage of. I like to look at it as karma for Eric Staal being related to Marc Staal. Regardless, the Rangers benefited big time from their location.
Now, it’s up to the Rangers to make the signing worthwhile. Not many teams receive opportunities like this, and fewer teams possess top fours like the top four the Rangers own now.
Ryan McDonagh is one of the premier two-way defensemen in the game. Kevin Shattenkirk is a power-play quarterback who excels in all areas of the game. Brady Skjei finished third in 5v5 assists among NHL defensemen in his first full season in the NHL. Brendan Smith is the shutdown defenseman the Rangers always thought they had in Dan Girardi.
Kevin Shattenkirk turned the Rangers from pretenders to contenders, all because he loves New York. Sing it, Frank.
Alain Vigneault Can’t Mess This One Up
While Alain Vigneault managed to put Nick Holden and Marc Staal on the ice in absurd situations throughout the recent postseason, even he wouldn’t dare do the same in 2017-18. Between McDonagh, Shattenkirk, Skjei, and Smith, the Rangers boast far too many options for Vigneault to make his usual mistake.
At least one would think.
The way to ensure the usual mistake never happens again is to trade one of Holden or Staal. Considering the Rangers have Alexei Bereglazov, Anthony DeAngelo, Ryan Graves, and Neal Pionk either ready or close to ready to play in the NHL, moving one of the two is a no-brainer.
Once one of Holden or Staal is gone, Vigneault will be forced to play a pairing with at least one competent defenseman at all times. Thank you, Kevin Shattenkirk.
What About An Anthony DeAngelo Trade?
I previously wrote about Anthony DeAngelo being a strange acquisition for the New York Rangers here.
DeAngelo doesn’t fit into the mold Alain Vigneault likes to see in his defensemen, and it appears Jeff Gorton was intent on trading Derek Stepan. These factors and the Shattenkirk signing lead me to believe DeAngelo may end up an odd man out in the defensive rotation, a disastrous thought considering DeAngelo was one of the headliners in the Stepan deal.
However, either instead of or in addition to, New York could look to deal DeAngelo before he plays a game for the team. Knowing Vigneault likely won’t utilize him correctly, the Rangers could look to deal DeAngelo as one of the primary pieces in a trade for Derek Stepan’s replacement.
Though the perfect world include Anthony DeAngelo on the third pair and Marc Staal in Siberia, this world is far from perfect. The worst case scenario is keeping DeAngelo on board as a healthy scratch.
Speaking of Stepan’s Replacement….
While the Rangers are close to being legitimate top of the class cup contenders, they are missing a crucial piece. A piece much like Derek Stepan, who they just dealt away. New York badly needs a #1 center.
As previously stated, the Rangers could look to deal Anthony DeAngelo to get that top center. Outside of DeAngelo, New York does not boast many assets to work with. Jeff Gorton is not unaware of the concern, luckily:
New York could look to find a center similar to Mika Zibanejad last year, but they do not have a Derick Brassard-type to trade back. None of the free agent options make sense anymore, either.
Realistically, Gorton will have to surprise us with his solution for the top line center. Though signing Jussi Jokinen and letting Jokinen and J.T. Miller figure out who plays at center and who plays at the wing is an option, it’s not a particularly strong one.
Either the Rangers have another trick up their sleeve, or they will rely heavily on Mika Zibanejad and Kevin Hayes. Who plays top line center next season will determine how legitimate of contenders the Rangers really are.
What Else Is Left?
Though the Rangers made their biggest splash of the offseason on Saturday, there’s still plenty of work left to be done. The need for a top line center has been covered, but that won’t singularly solve New York’s weaknesses.
New York went into the offseason as an offensively deep team with a poor defense. At the moment, the Rangers are an offensively average team that’s deep on defense.
The Rangers must look to acquire at least two bottom six forwards. Mikhail Grigorenko, Jaromir Jagr, Jussi Jokinen, and Thomas Vanek look like strong secondary scoring options. Bringing any of them into the fold would allow the Rangers to move Michael Grabner into a more comfortable fourth line role.
New York could even look into re-acquiring Oscar Lindberg from the Las Vegas Golden Knights. The Golden Knights are stacked with depth centers, an area the Rangers are now weak in. Though the asking price will likely be too high, there’s no harm in trying.
Next: Who will replace Derek Stepan?
Most importantly, the Rangers must ensure they’re replacing Oscar Lindberg, not Tanner Glass. There is a great fear here that New York will bring in Chris Neil. Bringing in anyone similar to Glass or Neil will set the Rangers back big time. With the Shattenkirk signing, New York must focus their energy on getting Lundqvist a cup in the here and now. No steps back. No cavemen on the team.