In this part of our offseason series, we take a look at Brady Skjei. The young defenseman did not find the same success as in his rookie year, but still proved to be a valuable asset. The New York Rangers must decide how to handle his next contract.
Season in Review
Brady Skjei entered this season with a greater role following an impressive rookie campaign last season. But the 2017-18 season was somewhat of a “sophomore slump” for the young defenseman.
This does not necessarily mean Skjei had a bad season. He was still one of the Rangers best defenseman in a season where defense was a major weakness. He filled the number one role in place of an injured Ryan McDonagh and proved he could play those big minutes.
While it was a down year statistically for Skjei, this was also the case for many other Rangers players. He may not have totally proven his ability to be a top-line defenseman. However, he proved he can play well at the NHL level and is an important part of the Rangers’ defense.
Stats and Info
Age Entering Next Season: 24
Seasons with NYR: Two full seasons
Previous Cap Hit: $925,000
Games Played: 82
Goals: 4
Assists: 21
Points: 25
+/-: -27
Corsi: 47.2
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Projected Contract
6 years, $24 million ($4 million/year)
In recent years, many defensemen around the league have signed long-term contracts as RFAs following strong seasons.
I think Skjei will certainly look at comparable players and the contracts they received as a starting point for negotiations. He is also eligible for arbitration.
The Rangers have seven RFAs to sign, or trade, this summer. The goal will most likely be to re-sign players to reasonable contracts that are not detrimental to the remaining salary cap space. Therefore, there will most likely be compromise on both sides.
Term and money can change as a form of compromise. My projected number is a middle point among other other long-term extensions for young defensemen around the league.
For example, Brett Pesce of the Carolina Hurricanes signed this exact contract extension last August at age 22. Former Rangers captain Ryan McDonagh also received a similar extension after his entry-level contract expired.
What SHOULD Happen
Of the seven Rangers’ RFAs, I think Skjei should sign one of the longer extensions. With the losses taken on the defense this season due to trade and injuries, Skjei was a bright spot.
The rebuild is on. Therefore the Rangers need a strong foundation to add new, young players to. Skjei can be a part of that foundation on defense.
I think the negotiation process will be long, especially with all of the other contracts that need to be signed. But the Rangers should invest in the future of their defense and lock Skjei up long term.
What WILL Happen
Along with a longer extension, there is always the possibility that the Rangers work with Skjei on a shorter “bridge” deal.
He showed promise these past two seasons. But some argue he did not prove yet that he is at the same level as other defensemen that signed to those big extensions. This means he does not deserve that long-term deal yet.
The least likely option is trading Skjei, but no one except Henrik Lundqvist was deemed untradeable.
Next: New York Rangers: What happens if Lundqvist falls off?
Ultimately, Skjei will most likely sign an extension and I think it will be a long one.