New York Rangers: Ranking the Offseason Moves Thus Far
The New York Rangers have made some big moves since the end of the 2016-17 season.
The New York Rangers have been running a balancing act. From buying out team veterans and trading an offensive staple, to signing one of the most highly sought after free agents, the Rangers are making changes but there are still questions about what the final roster will look like.
Here we rank the choices GM Jeff Gorton has made and look into the questions that can be answered and what impact these choices will have on the future.
6. The Derek Stepan/Antti Raanta Trade
We start our countdown with this trade, as there are so many questions that this trade presents and we don’t quite have all the answers yet.
On June 23rd, the Rangers announced they had traded center Derek Stepan and backup goaltender Antti Raanta to the Arizona Coyotes for Anthony DeAngelo and the seventh overall pick in the 2017 Entry Draft.
The Rangers picked Lias Andersson, an 18-year-old Swedish center, a safe pick at number seven. Though he likely won’t play in the NHL this year, he will likely be able to step up to fill a position on the roster in 18-19.
More notably they picked up a solid young defenseman in Anthony DeAngelo who will not fit Alain Vigneault’s coaching style alongside a history with attitude issues on the ice. By making this trade, there is a huge hole on their top line as they no longer have a number one center.
The Rangers main focus this offseason had to be upgrading the defense. While moving Stepan and Raanta gave them much-needed cap space, it seems clear that the Rangers gave up much more in the short term.
5. Signing David Desharnais
The Expansion Draft was another aspect of the offseason that weakened the Rangers at center. The Las Vegas Golden Knights selected Oscar Lindberg from the Rangers. This, alongside the Stepan trade, left the Rangers with only two centers on their roster (Mika Zibanejad and Kevin Hayes).
The addition of free agent David Desharnais could help the Rangers fill the hole left by Lindberg on the fourth line. Desharnais has been in the league for nearly a decade and brings depth to the roster. He has averaged 31 points a season and boasts a career 50.4% faceoff win percentage, an area the Rangers have needed to improve for quite some time.
Additionally, the Rangers picked up Desharnais with a low price tag. They signed the 31-year-old for one year at just $1 million AVV — a steal compared to the $3.5 million per year he earned in his last three seasons.
This was one of the best moves the Rangers could have made. An experienced player who can add depth in the bottom six at a small price for a short amount of time is exactly what the Rangers need.
4. Re-signing Jesper Fast
On July 5th, the Rangers re-signed restricted free agent Jesper Fast to a three-year deal worth $1.85 million per year.
In the 2016-17 season, Fast posted six goals and 15 assists for 21 points. However, his numbers do not always reflect all he does on the ice.
Throughout his time with the Rangers, Fast has been one of the most reliable two-way forwards. He is a young player whose skill greatly benefits the impact of the bottom six.
His ability to skate and pass alongside his defensively geared style of play have always made the Rangers a better team. This is a great contract decision first and foremost because it is affordable. Due to the way Fast plays, it means that the Rangers will be able to maintain depth in their bottom six.
3. Re-Signing Brendan Smith
The choice the Rangers made to re-sign Brendan Smith is one of their best of the offseason. Smith joined the Rangers in March after being picked up at the trade deadline. He was one of the most successful defenseman in the playoffs.
While Smith only recorded three goals and six assists in his 51 between Detroit and New York during the regular season, he had four assists in the 12 games during the Rangers playoff run.
In addition, Smith was a great partner to young defenseman Brady Skjei — the pairing thrived due to their slight differences balanced by their many similarities.
The 27-year-old came in and fit the Rangers style of play perfectly. The decision to sign Smith for four years ensures that the Rangers get some of his prime years on the ice. Plus, the four year deal worth $4.35 million AVV is reasonably priced and ensures he will be able to step into a bigger role on the roster in 2017-18.
2. Buying out Dan Girardi
This was one of the earliest moves made by the Rangers this offseason. Dan Girardi had been a member of the team for 11 years. However, his play had diminished significantly since he re-signed his contract.
The Rangers had signed Girardi to a six-year deal and had $3 million annually tied up in his contract. The choice to part ways with Girardi alongside the choice to move Raanta opened up the space to sign Kevin Shattenkirk as a free agent.
Here is a HERO Statistics chart, which compares important on-ice statistics such as goals, first assists, shot generation and shot suppression. Here is a comparison between Girardi and Shattenkirk.
This allowed the Rangers room in the cap to overhaul and solidify aid in front of Henrik Lundqvist who has seemingly carried the defense for the last few seasons.
1. Signing Kevin Shattenkirk
The Rangers managed to lock down Kevin Shattenkirk during the free agent frenzy on July 1.
They signed the 28-year-old defenseman to a four-year deal worth $6.65 million AVV. Shattenkirk reportedly left money on the table to sign with the Rangers. Hailing from New Rochelle, New York, Shattenkirk managed to lock down a deal with his hometown team.
Shattenkirk played in 80 games last season between St. Louis and Washington and had 13 goals and 43 assists for 56 points.
This move has been most substantial from the Rangers this offseason thus far. The addition of an offensive defenseman like Shattenkirk will impact how the Rangers exit the zone and will help them generate dangerous opportunities.
Pairing him with Ryan McDonagh will solidify a top defensive pair that can score goals, but will also be reliable and responsible.
These two defensemen will be able to feed off of each other’s strengths. While McDonagh will thrive off of Shattenkirk’s offensively geared style, Shattenkirk can balance his offense with reliable defense.
Next: Kevin Shattenkirk’s impact on defensive prospects
This move is the one that makes the future brightest. It gives the Rangers a great opportunity to make Lundqvist’s job easier. More importantly, it gives them a shot at a Stanley Cup.