After a strong rookie season, New York Rangers defenseman Brady Skjei is being forced into a sophomore slump by inconsistent defensive pairs and playing a more defensive role.
Brady Skjei recently played in his 100th NHL game against the Las Vegas Golden Knights on October 31st. While he had an impressive 2016-2017 campaign, totaling 39 points in the regular season and five in the playoffs, he has yet to make a similar impact on the ice as last year.
This could be because he simply isn’t playing as well as last season. It is more likely due to the inconsistency of the Rangers defensive pairings and Skjei’s shift to more of a defensive role.
2016-2017 Season
Skjei was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team for his performance during the 2016-2017 season. He led all NHL rookies in even strength assists and tied for fourth among all NHL defensemen in that category. With an average time-on-ice of 17:28 and 0.49 points per game, it is clear that Skjei was an important part of the Rangers’ success.
Skjei was able to find chemistry with defense partner Brendan Smith. They were arguably the Rangers’ best defensive pairing in the playoffs, where Skjei also led the team offensively with four goals.
Skjei and Smith have similar styles of play, yet they complement each other in their differences. Smith plays with physicality and more of a defensive style. This worked well with Skjei’s ability to read plays and move in offensively. People expected the pair to remain together going into the 2017-2018 season, but so far that is not the case.
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2017-2018 Struggles
The pairing of Skjei-Smith remained intact during the preseason, but separated for the regular season. The Rangers’ defensive pairings so far this season are inconsistent.
Skjei spent a few games this season paired with Nick Holden, an apparent favorite of coach Alain Vigneault. When playing with Holden, Skjei had below-average ice time and did not play the way that makes him so productive.
Recently, Skjei is playing with Kevin Shattenkirk. While this has proven to be a better match, there is still room for improvement. Skjei’s average time-on-ice is nearly two minutes higher than last season (18:57), but his points-per-game is about half of last season and he has yet to record a primary assist.
He has also not seen any powerplay time, even though he recorded seven powerplay points last season.
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It is clear that when Skjei has success on the ice, the Rangers team succeeds as a whole. In three out of the five Rangers wins so far this season, Skjei has recorded a point.
With a struggling defense, it is even more imperative that Skjei does not have a sophomore slump. But the lineup decisions are holding him back. He is one of the pieces that make up the Rangers’ future, and he should be placed in more situations where he can prove that.