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New York Rangers: Examining Brady Skjei’s potential contract extension

By George Ruggiero

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 30: Brady Skjei #76 of the New York Rangers celebrates his goal with teammates on the bench in the first period against the Tampa Bay Lightning on March 30, 2018 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 30: Brady Skjei #76 of the New York Rangers celebrates his goal with teammates on the bench in the first period against the Tampa Bay Lightning on March 30, 2018 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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The New York Rangers have a plethora of restricted free agents this offseason. One of the most important is Skjei, who is in his first round of contract negotiations.

The New York Rangers will have some very difficult decisions to make this offseason. The team has seven restricted free agents, all of whom are arbitration eligible, to deal with. Arguably the most important of the group is young defenseman Brady Skjei.

Skjei has emerged as one of the better young defensemen in the league over the last two seasons. This past season, Skjei played more minutes then any other Rangers’ defenseman and had the highest Corsi of any defenseman who played over 1000 minutes for the team this season. The 24-year-old is also coming off of his entry-level contract. To make an educated assessment, first we need to take a look at some comparable players.

Skjei Comparables

Jonas Brodin

This 24-year-old Swede was drafted by the Minnesota Wild in the first round in 2011, and has been a mainstay on their defense since 2012. The lefty plays a similar game to Skjei on a few different levels.  Following his entry-level contract, including a one-year slide, he was signed to a six-year, $25 million contract.

Brodin is known for his defensive ability and solid two-way play, much like Skjei. This past season, Brodin produced six goals and 15 assists in 73 games, with a 42.85 Corsi. These statistics are oddly similar to Skjei’s, who scored four goals and 21 assists with a 46.81 Corsi in 82 games.

Ryan Murray

After a brilliant 2015-2016 season in which he played all 82 games, injuries caught up to the number two overall pick in 2012. This past season, he only played in 44 games. The 2017-2018 season was the second of a two-year, $5.65 million bridge deal.

The Columbus Blue Jackets’ restricted free agent played well in his short time on the ice. He scored one goal and 11 assists for 12 points in his limited ice time. His possession stats are extremely similar to Skjei’s, even though Murray was drafted 26 picks earlier in the same draft.

Olli Maatta

Maatta is the largest reach of this group, as the Finn has played huge minutes in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ two most recent Stanley Cup victories. However, Maatta’s most productive regular season has been this past season.

Maatta had a great 2017-2018 season. He played in all 82 games, scored seven goals and 22 assists for 29 points, and carried a Corsi For percentage of 50.55, the only positive of this group. He is currently in the third season of a six-year, $24.5 million contract.

Next: New York Rangers: Why the Evander Kane contract is a warning

So, What Should Skjei Get?

Based on these three players and the Rangers’ current situation, I believe Skjei should get a contract with longer term for a lower cost. Skjei mostly resembles the case of Brodin, who currently carries a cap hit of $4.16 million/year. Skjei’s contract should be close to the five-year, $20 million mark, creating a cap hit of $4 million a season.

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