New York Rangers: How different will next year’s team be?

Defense

The defense is going to be the most difficult thing to fix. It has been an abysmal year for the Rangers defense corps, which was already weak but proved to be even weaker than perhaps originally considered. In a perfect world, replacing all six defensemen and starting fresh on the back end would be ideal, but also borderline impossible. Brady Skjei just might be the only safe player on defense.

The first move will likely have to be a buyout of Marc Staal, Brendan Smith, or Kevin Shattenkirk, with Shattenkirk being the least necessary as his game has been passable outside of his lack of offense. Brendan Smith has played much of the season at forward and doesn’t have much of a role anymore, and is also the cheapest buyout option.

Neal Pionk is likely to stay, even if the numbers suggest he shouldn’t. His ice time leads one to believe Quinn likes him quite a bit, and his offensive tools are useful in some situations. Perhaps not as useful as Tony DeAngelo’s, who has been effective on ice but has proven to still have plenty of personality issues that could lead him to be abandoned by the third consecutive team.

Fortunately, the seasons for defensive prospects K’Andre Miller and Nils Lundkvist could not have gone much better than they did, and Tarmo Reunanen is having a real strong breakout year in Finland and emerging as a real potential NHL player. The jury is out on how long it’ll take for the trio to arrive in New York, but the future on defense looks bright. Libor Hajek also looked terrific in his short stint with the Rangers, quelling some (but not all) fear from his poor showing in Hartford.

The biggest change on defense will come from a potential Erik Karlsson signing. The Rangers have expressed interest in signing him should he reach free agency, and the 28-year old Karlsson would immediately be the Rangers best defenseman (and player, really, at any position.) The timing may not be right, with the Rangers not being a playoff team next year, but the 2019 free agent crop is much stronger than 2020, and signing Karlsson may just be a necessity while they can do it.

That being said, prepare for another difficult year defensively from the Rangers.

Goaltending

Goaltending will remain mostly the same, with Henrik Lundqvist starting at least 55 games. As he ages, he will play less, and will not be able to steal games as frequently as in years past, but he is still capable of some elite level play. However, as the defense goes, so will he. Stopping 35+ shots a game is hard for any goalie, especially one in his final years.

Alexandar Georgiev has settled in as the Rangers backup goalie, and has proven he can handle a decent load of games. He is inconsistent still, but is a solid, young and cheap option in goal. His problem: when he is good, he’s really good, and when he’s not, it can get ugly. Game to game consistency needs to improve just a bit more.

The wild card in goal: is Igor Shestyorkin going to sign, and will he be in the NHL immediately? If that is a requirement to sign him, a Georgiev trade may need to be in the books. Shestyorkin will probably have a European Out Clause, allowing him to return to the KHL if he is sent to the AHL . Buchnevich did work with the Rangers  who wanted him to play a few games in Hartford as a rookie, with the promise of NHL time, and could reach the same agreement with Shestyorkin.

The goaltending situation is not terribly complex; it will probably remain the same unless Shestyorkin makes his case. Georgiev is not going to return much in a trade, but Shestyorkin would be worth the loss of Georgiev if he plays to his potential. Otherwise, Henrik is the man, as he has been since 2006.

For his sake and the sake of the Rangers, though, the defense must improve drastically. The team will rise and fall with that alone. They have the scoring to be good enough, and the goaltending to win games, so long as the shots and chances against stay as low as possible.