New York Rangers: Who should the Rangers add next?

(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
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(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

The New York Rangers completed their biggest signing already, agreeing to terms with Kevin Shattenkirk. Who’s next?

First it was Kevin Shattenkirk, then it was David Desharnais. Now, the New York Rangers need a few more pieces to complete their roster puzzle. Though few would argue the Rangers are a finished product, the particular pieces the Rangers need are up for debate.

Following the moving of Derek Stepan to the Arizona Coyotes, New York could use a top six center. Considering the loss of Oscar Lindberg to the Las Vegas Golden Knights, another vacancy is in the bottom six.

Despite his atrocious play, Tanner Glass’ departure still opens up a spot on the fourth line as well. New York could also consider moving Michael Grabner down to the fourth line and signing a third liner instead.

Regardless, more moves will be made. The Blue Line Station team got together for this roundtable to decide who New York should acquire next.

OTTAWA, ON – MAY 6: Kyle Turris
OTTAWA, ON – MAY 6: Kyle Turris /

Brandon Cohen- Kyle Turris

Kyle Turris was one of the crucial cogs in the well-oiled machine that defeated the Rangers in the 2017 NHL Playoffs. Now it’s time to bring him over to the dark side.

A year after acquiring Mika Zibanejad from the Ottawa Senators, the Rangers should look to acquire another Senators center. Kyle Turris has one year remaining on his contract, making him a prime candidate to join a win-now team.

Turris’ price tag should be high, but he would slot directly into Derek Stepan’s vacated role. He played at Wisconsin much like Stepan, Ryan McDonagh, and Brendan Smith, and he plays a terrific all around game.

New York could give Turris a trial run on Broadway for a year, then re-sign him if his time works out. Turris would be a terrific candidate to bring aboard as the next big move.

NASHVILLE, TN – JUNE 05: P.A. Parenteau
NASHVILLE, TN – JUNE 05: P.A. Parenteau /

Daniel Carrozzi- P.A. Parenteau

The New York Rangers should sign free agent P.A. Parenteau.

The majority of the free agent class has already been signed. Now, the team’s greatest weakness is at center. If this is the case, then why sign Parenteau, a winger?

The short answer is that teams can always use more depth. Whether as a contingency in case of injury, or the possibility of capturing lighting in a bottle, more legitimate options can only help.
Parenteau has come a long way since his short stint as a Ranger. Although his last season was one to forget, he is only one season removed from a 20 goal, 41 point season with the then floundering Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Rangers seem to like to sign several depth free agents to low risk contracts each offseason. Last season, Michael Grabner, Nathan Gerbe and Josh Jooris were given such offers. Jooris and Grabner made the team out of camp and the latter went on to score 27 goals.

The team has already made one such offer to David Desharnais and it would be a prudent move to make one to Parenteau. He is still unsigned after a lackluster regular season and postseason, therefore he will likely be fairly inexpensive.

If he doesn’t pan out, then no harm no foul. However if he does, like Michael Grabner did the season before, then that makes the Rangers that much more lethal.

SUNRISE, FL – MARCH 07: Jaromir Jagr
SUNRISE, FL – MARCH 07: Jaromir Jagr /

Justin Starr- Jaromir Jagr

It has been a summer filled with reunion tours for players returning to one of their former teams. One player that the New York Rangers should be going after is former captain, Jaromir Jagr. Yes, I understand that he is 45-years-old but the gut can still play hockey.

Jagr would slot in perfectly on the Rangers 3rd line, he can still contribute 40+ points per season. Not to mention that he can help out the Rangers power play woes as well. Jagr should be dropping his asking price at his age. He can be affordable for the Rangers to go out and sign to improve the roster.

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Jagr can come in and help mentor some of the younger guys in the locker room. He would be an excellent addition to the lineup for this upcoming season. What better way to end Jaromir Jagr’s hall of fame career than ending it back with the New York Rangers?

PHILADELPHIA, PA – MARCH 02: Thomas Vanek
PHILADELPHIA, PA – MARCH 02: Thomas Vanek /

Jack Milewski- Thomas Vanek

The Rangers have no doubt been winners this free agency period. They got their man in Kevin Shattenkirk, they re-signed Brendan Smith and they just added depth down the middle in David Desharnais. All in all it has been a successful month for Jeff Gorton and company, but the Rangers can still get better.

In recent years the Rangers have prided themselves on depth scoring without a superstar in the lineup. Based on roster moves it looks like they are trending towards that again in 2017-2018. With that in mind, why not add more depth scoring.

Thomas Vanek is someone the Rangers should look into this offseason. At 33 the left winger still has a few good years to go. He registered 48 points last year between the Red Wings and Panthers and in 12 NHL seasons has eclipsed 40 points in each.

At this point in Vanek’s career, the Rangers could get him for a year or two at a cap hit of a little over $2 million. For a skilled forward who can score at least 40 points, to have that luxury on your 3rd line would be tough to pass up.

He remains unsigned, which is a good sign for New York and further reinforces the fact that the price should be reasonable. The Rangers are going to be right back in the thick of the playoff fight next year, a skilled veteran in Vanek would be a key addition.

NEWARK, NJ – FEBRUARY 06: Cody Franson
NEWARK, NJ – FEBRUARY 06: Cody Franson /

John Cavanagh- Cody Franson

After the Rangers acquired Anthony DeAngelo from Arizona, re-signed Brendan Smith, and signed coveted free agent Kevin Shattenkirk, the team turned their defense from a weakness into a strength.

So, why would I suggest the Rangers sign defenseman Cody Franson? It’s simple. The Rangers still need a center to replace Stepan , and could flip newly acquired Anthony DeAngelo for one.

DeAngelo has many character concerns, but his puck moving skills at just 21 years old would entice any team. After DeAngelo is traded for a center, the Rangers could really round out their team by signing Franson.

Franson is an ideal third pair defender, and won’t command too high a price.

He also possesses offensive instincts, and has 163 assists in his eight seasons in the NHL. Franson could prove to be a valuable addition to the second power play unit.

The Rangers have a lot of youth that can fill out the defense, but for a team that looks ready to contend for a cup, the 28 year old Franson may be a safer bet.

OTTAWA, ON – APRIL 15: Ryan Spooner
OTTAWA, ON – APRIL 15: Ryan Spooner /

Alexandra Russo- Ryan Spooner

The Rangers have a tricky situation on their hands in trying to figure out who to replace Stepan as their top line center, and Ryan Spooner is perfect for the job. Currently playing with the Boston Bruins, Spooner is only 25 years old. If the Rangers were to trade for him now, they would get him in his prime.

Last season, Spooner put up eleven goals and 28 assists for 39 points. Considering Stepan had put up 55 points last season, one might argue that the Rangers need a player that produces more points.

However, Spooner is more of a playmaker than a goal-scorer, and putting him on a line that would most likely feature Rick Nash and/or Mats Zuccarello would be one of the Rangers’ strongest lines. If the Rangers can figure out a way to acquire him before the end of this offseason, he would be a great addition to the “young and fast” system Alain Vigneault and the team are going for.

NEWARK, NJ – MARCH 28: Jacob Trouba
NEWARK, NJ – MARCH 28: Jacob Trouba /

Tim Haggerty- Jacob Trouba

The New York Rangers would be better off if they acquired a defenseman like Jacob Trouba via trade from the Winnipeg Jets.

The Rangers defense right now is already better than last year. However, adding Trouba could make it one of the best in the league. Just imagine:

McDonagh-Shattenkirk
Trouba-Skjei
Smith-DeAngelo

The move could send Nick Holden and a forward back to Winnipeg. As far as Marc Staal goes, the Rangers could buy him out. It wouldn’t be cheap, but having him off the books would be huge.

Trouba carries a $2.8M cap hit. He is due for an extension in two years so the Rangers will have a good sample size to see if Trouba fits.

He had 33 points in 60 games last season and added a +4 rating.

At the end of the day Trouba makes the Rangers so much better. If their defense can play at the level their offense did last season, the Eastern Conference should be shaking in their boots.

TORONTO, ON – MARCH 18: Brian Campbell
TORONTO, ON – MARCH 18: Brian Campbell /

Logan Clements- Brian Campbell

The New York Rangers have a phenomenal top four. It is likely one of the best in the league. However, their bottom defensive pairing is below average at best. It will likely feature two of Marc Staal, Nick Holden, and Anthony DeAngelo.

To fix this, the Rangers should sign Brian Campbell. Campbell has quietly been one of the better defensemen in the NHL for a while. He would provide tremendous value for the Rangers. He is known as an offensive defenseman, but he is quite skilled at suppressing shots and playing sound defense. Given that his partner would likely be Anthony DeAngelo, who is not particularly great at playing defense, Campbell can help him to grow and can cover for him.

The biggest concern about Campbell is his age (38 years old), but given that he is still playing like a top four defender, it should be a non-factor. Campbell’s age does, however, mean that he can be given performance bonuses instead of a larger contract.

Ultimately, Campbell would be a skilled defender who would be cheap, far better than having Staal or Holden playing on the bottom pairing, and could help shoulder DeAngelo’s defensive workload to help him grow into a top four defender someday.

WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 25: Daniel Winnik
WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 25: Daniel Winnik /

Josh Lipman- Daniel Winnik

The Rangers should take advantage of Washington’s tight cap situation by stealing one of their best defensive forwards. Free agent Daniel Winnik won’t chip in more than 20 to 30 points, but he still adds major value.

New York could direly use someone with Winnik’s talents after trading Derek Stepan and losing Oscar Lindberg to expansion. With Jesper Fast set to miss the first month of the season recovering from hip surgery, the roster needs some experienced penalty killers. Winnik played the second most shorthanded minutes of any Washington forward last season.

Furthermore, the Rangers’ penalty kill ranked only 19th last season. Grabbing a key member from Washington’s seventh ranked unit is a no-brainer.

Winnik’s defensive chops carry over to his even strength play. Of all NHL forwards to play at least 500 even strength minutes last year, Winnik yielded shot attempts at the 14th lowest rate in the league.

Though Winnik played mostly wing in recent seasons, he has center experience too. At 32, this veteran checking forward could wind up as a bargain. If so, he makes too much sense for the Rangers to pass him up.

NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 20: Jussi Jokinen
NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 20: Jussi Jokinen /

Tyler Kluepfel- Jussi Jokinen

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators proved center depth is critical to take good teams to the next step. Now of course it is unfair to compare any team’s centers to the likes of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

However, where the Rangers depth lies currently down the middle is not sufficient enough. There is hope Mika Zibanejad can turn into a first line center, but there are question marks about what Kevin Hayes and David Desharnais can do at center in big minutes.

A huge plus side for bringing in Jokinen is that he was one of Florida’s better defensive forwards. Trading Derek Stepan hurt the Rangers defensively up front.

Next: Predicting who will replace Derek Stepan

Adding Jokinen lessens the blow and has shown to produce offensively over the years, despite a down season in offense last year. Not to mention having Jokinen play for the Rangers would stop him from scoring against them for at least a season.

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