New York Rangers: Time for Brady Skjei to become elite

How do you solve a problem like Brady Skjei? The New York Rangers need to work out the answer to that conundrum sooner rather than later.

Since being selected 28th overall by the New York Rangers in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, hopes were high that Skjei would morph into a franchise defenseman.

That dream hasn’t quite turned into reality just yet, although it is important to note that time is still very much on the 25-year-old’s side.

After a sensational rookie year – he put up 39 points (five goals, 34 assists) in 80 games and finished tenth in voting for the Calder Memorial Trophy – Skjei has been a steady figure rather than an elite one for the Rangers on the blueline.

Despite a second season that saw a drop in production the Rangers thought highly enough to reward him with a six-year, $31 million contract that will pay him $5.25 million a year through 2024.  He is one of two Blueshirts signed past next season (Mika Zibanejad is the other).

This season has seen some improvement, but not to an elite level.  As a result, his name has even come up in trade talks. There are very few Blueshirts seemingly safe from the current rebuild job that is taking place at Madison Square Garden.

However, there have been signs here and there that the left-handed shot can still become a legitimate top pair defenseman.  He has been a workhorse, missing only four of the team’s 77 games.  He has averaged 21:03 minutes per game, second only to Neal Pionk among New York  Rangers defensemen.

As a result, the Rangers have to hope that Skjei starts to really fulfill his true potential soon and become a cornerstone figure of this rebuild and the long-term future in the Big Apple.