New York Rangers: What pieces need to come from outside the pipeline?
Talent projection in any sport is not exactly rocket science, in every single draft class there will be busts. The New York Rangers have a nice group of prospects, however, they will need help to compete.
In terms of roster construction, the New York Ranger’s front office has taken apart a decent team. Last year’s team was not as awful as their finish, eighth in the Metropolitan division, would lead you to believe. The injury bug ravaged the team and made selling at the deadline a necessity. In tearing apart a veteran team, the front office has set up the team for the future.
The first tangible parts of the rebuild, Lias Andersson and Filip Chytil, project to at least get some time in the NHL this upcoming season. One will likely have to move to the wing in the future, but the Rangers shouldn’t count their chickens before they hatch. The ugly reality of player development is that not all players pan out. Some player that the front office spent an asset to acquire will not live up to expectations and flame out.
The key for the Ranger’s front office will be managing the players on entry level contracts. The replicable formula that is pervading throughout the salary cap sports is oriented around compiling key contributors on rookie contracts and adding established veterans with the cap space. This mentality is what has made tanking such a popular method across sports. There is no logic in finishing in the middle of the pack and getting a worse draft pick on a rookie deal when a team could get a franchise player on a rookie contract.
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As things currently sit, the Rangers still have holes at two major positions for the future. These will likely need to be fixes from outside the organization, barring a high lottery pick.
Number one defenseman
It is no secret that the Rangers defense was horrendous this past season. Even though he played a majority of the season injured, Ryan McDonagh still did what he could. Filling the void of one of the league’s best defenseman may prove to be the toughest part of the rebuild. There truly are only a handful of elite defenseman in the NHL, these are the players that drive play for the entire 200 feet of ice.
In limited action at the role last season, Brady Skjei seemed to be drowning. As a second pair defenseman, Skjei seemed over qualified and primed to make the jump. But, his struggles this past season could be cause for concern. The former Minnesota Golden Gopher is probably better suited for the second pair in the long term. If the Rangers can have two high quality defensive pairs, they will be in good shape.
But, the point remains that good teams have a defenseman capable of playing 28 minutes a night down the stretch in a playoff chase. It remains to be seen if any of Libor Hajek, K’Andre Miller, Nils Lundkvist or Ryan Lindgren will be capable of playing this role.
If, and this is a mighty big if, Erik Karlsson is an unrestricted free agent on July 1 of 2018, the Rangers need to back up the Brinks truck. The team should bite the bitter bullet on the back end of the deal for such a transcendent and elite player. Even if Karlsson isn’t available, the Rangers are still going to need a number one.
Kravtsov and who else?
On top of lacking any high end defensive prospects, the Rangers also desperately need some wingers that can score. Vitali Kravtsov is a nice start and projects to slide into the team’s top six for the foreseeable future. This upcoming season, Pavel Buchnevich is expected to have the training wheels taken off and be given every opportunity to make a jump.
Outside of the Russians, the Rangers will probably need one more top six winger to seriously compete. The team, for the first time in a long time, boasts considerable depth down the middle. But, that center depth is moot if there are not complimentary players on the wing. Vladislav Namestnikov failed to make much of an impact with Cody McLeod and Jimmy Vesey on his wing.
Finding a top six winger can come from either the draft or via a trade. The Rangers did pretty well for themselves when they traded for Rick Nash six years ago. There are plenty of talented players out there at the wing position, it’s just a matter of finding the right fit.
As for Chris Kreider, the Boston College alumni is no longer a young guy on the team. The forward will be 27 by the end of this season and has one more year on his contract. The type of game that Kreider plays is rather unique, but it may prove difficult to keep him in the fold. The former BC Eagle’s prime window probably does not match the Rangers window for contention.
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The Ranger’s front office is doing its job and giving the team ample prospects to work with. But, until they transition to the NHL level, they will need to keep stockpiling assets. Once the team has the right mix of entry level contracts, then the front office can pounce on veterans.