Last season, the New York Rangers defense was among the worst in the NHL. This offseason, the goal must be to improve that group from detrimental to beneficial.
It doesn’t take a professional to see the biggest flaw of the 2017-18 New York Rangers. This is a team with a world class goaltender and a solid foundation of talent in the forward crop. Yet, once again the Rangers’ defensive group was subpar.
The rebuild is in full swing, but many believe the final product may be much closer than originally expected. The draft and free agency are looming after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup playoffs and revamping the defense will be a priority for GM Jeff Gorton.
Now, out from under the control of Alain Vigneault, players will receive opportunities to work through mistakes. Players like Anthony DeAngelo can allow his hockey creativity to flow without the threat of prolonged benchings. Similarly, potential franchise cornerstones such as Brady Skjei will attempt to seize leadership roles for their new look corps.
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Keep the prospects coming
During the Rangers’ trade deadline fire sale, one of Jeff Gorton’s clear objectives was to acquire defensive prospects. Ryan Lindgren, Libor Hajek, and Yegor Rykov are all fresh injections into a prospect group that lacks depth or high-end talent.
Next season, the Rangers have an opportunity to ice a majority group of youngsters on their blue line. Marc Staal, if he is retained, and Kevin Shattenkirk represent the eldest members of the defense. Meanwhile, Skjei is primed to lead the team into their next era as an upper-tier homegrown talent.
At this rate, the Rangers will have a fresh set of faces at both the NHL and AHL levels. The NHL team can only carry so many defensemen. As a result, the Hartford Wolfpack could see their roster flush with talent on the back-end. Lindgren, Hajek, Rykov, along with Sean Day, could all begin the season with the Rangers’ affiliate.
With a bevy of picks in the upcoming draft, it would be unsurprising to see the front office use at least a few picks to continue loading up the prospect pool. Not to mention a shot at a young Swedish prospect.
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Making a big splash
Of course, the biggest splash the Rangers could make would be landing the first overall pick in the draft. That pick would give the Rangers a potential generational talent in Rasmus Dahlin, the 18-year old defenseman for Frolunda in the Swedish Hockey League. If the Rangers are to fall below the first pick, they will still have names like Adam Boqvist, Quinn Hughes, and Ty Smith later in the round.
Outside of potential draft selections, Jeff Gorton could choose to use his resources in a trade. It is still early to speculate what players may become available between now and the draft. However, optimistic thinkers would be quick to include the likes of Dougie Hamilton from Calgary and Oscar Klefbom of the Edmonton Oilers.
The biggest name that could become available is another Swedish player, Erik Karlsson. Speaking to fans at the conclusion of their season, Ottawa general manager Pierre Dorion addressed this specific topic.
Given Karlsson’s pending free-agency and the purgatory of mediocrity that the Senators remain in, it would seem unwise to rule out all options. If and when Karlsson becomes available, the Rangers may have the firepower to make a competitive offer.
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This offseason will be crucial for the next decade of New York Rangers hockey. Each decision will help form the direction of the franchise in both the short and long term.The outlook will become much clearer in short order. Regardless, fixing the defense remains the top priority if the intention is to contend in either.