New York Rangers: The team should explore DeAngelo at forward

After 32 games of the 2017-2018 NHL season, it is unclear what Anthony DeAngelo’s role with the team is. With a glut of defenseman on the New York Rangers, could the team move him to forward?

The raw skills of Anthony DeAngelo are obvious. Watching the defenseman whip around the puck on the man advantage is what will keep him in the NHL. However, DeAngelo being a first round pick during the 2014 draft indicates that he should be more than a power play specialist.

The biggest problem for the defenseman is his play in the defensive end. During his brief NHL stint last season, head coach Alain Vigneault struggled to find a consistent place for him in the lineup because he was such a liability in the defensive zone. In the coach’s mind, he’d rather have a non risk taking defenseman. This low risk oriented selection of players for the lineup was part of the team’s failure last season.

Now, with the Rangers in a state of flux and with no real timeline in place, the team has the opportunity to experiment. It is extremely unlikely that New York contends for a playoff spot next season, barring a big move. There are simply too many holes and not enough players available to fill them. In addition, the Rangers have too many of the same type of players.

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So, moving DeAngelo up from defenseman to forward would kill two birds with one stone. It finds a place in the lineup for a team controlled asset that needs ice time and fills a bottom six forward spot.

The model

Now, not to compare Brent Burns or Dustin Byfuglien to DeAngelo, but both defenseman had stints at forward. The profiles of Burns and Byfuglien could not be more different from DeAngelo, but there is a logical path to draw. Both all star defenseman were at one point liabilities in their own zone but possessed strong offensive skills.

During the both the 2013 and 2013-2014 season, Burns posted solid offensive numbers as a forward. During the lockout shortened 2013 season, the defenseman posted 20 points in 30 games at forward. It is also worth noting that Burns’ Corsi For Percentage, a stat that measures a player’s team’s percentage of shots in the game while the player on the ice, took a two percent jump following the move to forward. Of course, following the 2014 season, Burns was moved back to the blue line where he has excelled the past four seasons.

In the case of Byfuglien, he started his career in juniors as a forward. For the first two years of his career, Byfuglien was a forward for the Blackhawks. At the time he was used as a big body presence in front of the net. At 6’5 he was a menace in front of goaltenders and cleaned up in the crease. Once the defenseman was traded to the then Atlanta Thrashers, he was moved back to the blue line.  The now Winnipeg Jets have occasionally used him as a forward, but now he’s exclusively a defenseman.

Finding a niche

The fit is not exactly perfect. DeAngelo does not have the profile of either Byfuglien or Burns. The defenseman is not a large body that can be thrown up on the wing and used as a net front presence. At only 5’11, DeAngelo is going to be a finesse not a physical player. There is a very raw set of skills that occasionally show flashes of a talented player.

It is not impossible to imagine DeAngelo as a niche power play specialist. These type of players have longevity in the NHL because of the desperation to improve a power play. Players like Sam Gagner and Thomas Vanek are still in the league because of this need. Neither has the skills they once did when they first broke into the league, but are still useful in today’s league.

In the case of DeAngelo, it is about minimizing his risk on the ice. With the right deployment and a strong defensive partner, it would probably work. During his brief stint as Ryan McDonagh’s defensive partner, his possession numbers improved. Obviously, playing with an elite defenseman made DeAngelo play better. So, there is a way to make DeAngelo a serviceable NHL player on the blue line.

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The Rangers acquired DeAngelo with every intention of grooming him into a top four defenseman. After his first season with the team, that seems highly unlikely. Exploring a move to forward for DeAngelo is an important step in his development process. The Rangers would be doing themselves a disservice by not at least giving it a look.