New York Rangers: Ranking young defense candidates for the third pair
By Josh Lipman
#5. Sean Day
Sean Day has a drool-worthy combination of skill, size, and skating ability. He spent most of last season with the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League and helped them win a Memorial Cup Championship. By all accounts, he took a huge step forward.
Day has a knack for getting the puck to the net. Though playing behind 2016 ninth overall pick Mikhail Sergachev limited his powerplay time, Day managed the tenth most shots on goal of any defender in the OHL last season. Furthermore, he might have done even better if not for playing on a low-scoring, defensive-minded squad.
On the other hand, much of what makes Day so appealing also means he needs more seasoning before seeing NHL action. He’s at least several years younger than everyone else on this list and has the least amount of experience playing against grown men.
Day’s immense ceiling and relative youth give the Rangers ample reason to handle him as carefully as possible. They can have him spend the whole season in Hartford or even send him back to juniors and not burn a year off his entry level contract.