New York Rangers: Skjei’s current role could hurt his future development
Brady Skjei’s had an outstanding rookie season with the New York Rangers. Off to a slow start, we take a look at how much of an impact his new position on the team is having.
During the 2016-17 season, Skjei posted five goals and 34 assists for 39 points. This was the most by a Rangers rookie defenseman since Brian Leetch in 1988-89.
These 39 points led all NHL rookies in even strength assists and tied for fourth among all NHL defensemen in even strength assists (only bested by small name players like Duncan Keith, Erik Karlsson, and Brent Burns).
This season, however, Skjei has just five points (two goals, three assists) through 21 games.
Early in the season, his low numbers could be explained by inconsistent line pairings. Now he has landed on a line with Kevin Shattenkirk.
The numbers seen from Shattenkirk’s past linemates show that they often play a very specific role. And putting Skjei in this role means he can could see a continued offensive drought.
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Shattenkirk’s past pairings
Over the past five years, statistics show that players who spent the most time on ice with Kevin Shattenkirk seemed to bear more defensive responsibility based on the wide gap in point totals.
While Shattenkirk’s average point total from 2012-2017 was 42.4, his partner’s totals (per season played with Shattenkirk) averaged at 12.5 points.
However, this disparity proves just one thing: Shattenkirk is typically played with defensive defensemen.
In looking at the point totals of these players (specifically Barret Jackman, Carl Gunnarsson, Jay Bouwmeester and Brooks Orpik) none have had more than 27 points per season in their careers. This likely means that they rely on him in the defensive end more than they do in the offensive end.
This trend is likely to have occurred in the past because Shattenkirk’s offensive abilities are well known. Because of his ability to step up on the rush, he often needs support on the defensive end.
Since being moved onto a line with Brady Skjei, Shattenkirk’s offensive numbers have jumped. He has three goals and eight assists for 11 points with seven coming in the last 14 games.
But what will this mean for Skjei?
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Impact on Skjei
This move to force Skjei into a role where he is serving more as a defensive defenseman is dangerous.
This decision may stunt the continued development of Skjei’s game. He is so good when he has the ability to control the puck and step up on the rush. A pairing with Skattenkirk seems to have dissuaded him from doing so, since his veteran counterpart has so much offensive ability.
It is why pairing Shattenkirk on the top line with Ryan McDonagh may have better suited the Rangers. As a veteran who is known for his reliability on the defensive end and his knowledge about when it is safe to step up on the rush, McDonagh would be a perfect match for Shattenkirk.
Plus, pairing these two together would mean not risking hurting Skjei’s game. Skjei found his offensive game last season, and forcing him into a spot where he cannot do what comes naturally to him could completely change the focus of his game.
As long as he is on a defensive pair with Shattenkirk, I don’t think his offensive numbers will change much. The only way he will be able to see the success he saw last year is if he sees the same kind of support he saw last season.
Skjei is still in a position where he is learning and can be molded. And the Rangers need to proceed with caution when it comes to his placement on the roster.
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Because he is young and has shown offensive prowess, the Rangers need to make sure they put him in the place that will support his talent the most. Otherwise, they risk preventing him from fully developing the game he can play.