New York Rangers: Ranking the movability of the defensemen
The New York Rangers officially announced the signing of defensemen Yegor Rykov on Monday morning. The team’s blue line is way too crowded going into the 2019-2020 season.
It’s not exactly a secret that the New York Rangers defense was the team’s Achilles heel the previous two seasons. The combination of weak scheme and one-dimensional players made the unit as a collective a liability and held back individual players who should have played better. But, thankfully, the front office addressed the problem tenfold.
If you thought last year’s clown car of a blue line was overcrowded, the Rangers have upwards of 15 blueliners who have a chance of making the opening night roster going into training camp. While the financial investment tied to more veteran players likely gives someone like Marc Staal or Brendan Smith the inside track over Ryan Lindgren or Libor Hajek, there are alternatives.
In all likelihood, New York’s summer frenzy of activity needs to start with cleaning up the back end. There’s way too much redundancy amongst the talent pool that hinders the ability of the team to get better. If several players all excel at moving the puck and creating transition but only one is good at holding the blue line, that one should get priority.
However, there is no magic wand to simply make a player go away because they don’t fit the plan going forward. It’d require either a buyout or a trade to create opportunities for the younger players that the team is supposed to be built around.
Here’s how movable each Ranger defensemen with at least one year of NHL experience that have questionable futures and at least one year of NHL experience rank.
Most movable: Fredrik Claesson
The Rangers’ career of defenseman Fredrick Claesson was likely a one year detour in the Swede’s NHL life. The 26-year-old had a difficult time consistently cracking New York’s lineup last season with so many defensemen on the active roster. It’s a shame because when Claesson was in the lineup and healthy, he was effective at driving possession.
As a restricted free agent, all the Rangers would need to do is non-tender the defenseman and that’s one less asset to worry about. Yet, there is also the alternative scenario in which New York tenders the Swede, keeps him as the seventh defenseman for the upcoming year as insurance for a younger player struggling or injury.
Claesson would likely get something in the neighborhood of $1 million for the season with the Rangers. Yet, it’s far more likely that New York allows the Swede to walk to another team in free agency where he could find more consistent playing time and potentially play his way into a long-term contract.
Second most movable: Tony DeAngelo
As always, the restricted free agents are the easiest to move. With no recourse, the Rangers could deal the rights of Tony DeAngelo to another team and he’d have no choice but to go. Coming off of a solid first full season at the NHL level, the New Jersey native is an asset with value that could be had at a reasonable cost.
At 23-years-old, the way DeAngelo played last season is probably close to what he’ll be his entire NHL career. Typically, the age curve puts a player’s rise in production at a plateau around age 24 or 25 and then begins to dip around age 30. So, DeAngelo is going to be an above average transition defenseman that struggles in his own end of the rink.
There is always going to be a place for puck-moving defensemen, especially ones that are right-handed and cost controlled. If the Rangers wanted to get out on DeAngelo now, coming off of a solid season, it wouldn’t be too difficult and it’d create roster space for someone younger down in the pipeline.
Granted, it doesn’t make much sense to trade DeAngelo when he clearly responded to head coach David Quinn last season and had his best year as a professional. But, sometimes, for the sake of flexibility, a general manager has to move a player they don’t really want to.
Third most movable: Neal Pionk
The Rangers’ track record of getting value out of undrafted college free agents is pretty impressive. The NHL path forward for Minnesota-Duluth product Neal Pionk is one of great intrigue. While likely not in New York’s long-term plan, his raw skating ability and puck handling are tools that organizations love.
As a restricted free agent like both Claesson and DeAngelo, Pionk’s rights could be moved with little to no trouble to the right team. In 73 games last year, the defenseman recorded 26 points. However, 19 of those points came in the first 32 contests of the season, meaning that Pionk went a significant chunk of the season without finding the stat sheet.
A contributing factor to Pionk’s inconsistent season was his usage and defensive partner. Simply put, there was no reason that the Minnesota native should’ve led the team in ice time for so many games during the course of the regular season. Pionk was not equipped to play such heavy minutes against quality opponents with his skill set.
There is probably a team out there willing to look past Pionk’s deficiencies and give him a chance at cracking its top six. At 23 and soon to be 24, a right-handed defenseman on a restricted free agent deal is a reasonable risk for a team with time to wait.
Number four: Brendan Smith
Now, we start getting into the nitty-gritty of the Rangers’ books. The Brendan Smith deal is one met with derision now that there’s the benefit of hindsight. In fact, New York was so willing to give Smith a chance to play based on his contract that he got significant playing time as a forward last season.
The Ontario native has two more seasons remaining on his contract at $4.35 million per year. If Smith is going to be a forward on the fourth line next year, that’s simply too much to be paying for nine points of production over the course of a season.
It won’t be easy to find a taker for Smith and it’d likely require the Rangers to retain salary for the remainder of his contract but the team could save some money against the cap and clear a spot for one of its prospects.
The defenseman’s contract features a modified no-trade clause in which he submits a ten team list of places he’d be willing to go to in a trade. At 30-years-old, Smith is entering the back nine of his hockey career, there is probably a landing spot out there for him. The return won’t be much and it’d cost the Rangers 50 percent of his deal, but it’s definitely not impossible.
Number five: Kevin Shattenkirk
The Rangers tenure of Kevin Shattenkirk is one long case of free agent syndrome. Whatever it is about the organization, the team’s history of signing premium free agents only to see them struggle is well documented. The New Rochelle native’s struggles aren’t as bad as the narratives make them seem, but Shattenkirk has not excelled as expected.
A knee injury marred Shattenkirk’s first year in New York and cut the season short in mid-January. The second season was 28 points in 73 games coupled with subpar play in his own defensive end. Granted, Shattenkirk’s underlying possession numbers were solid, the tangible results didn’t manifest on the ice.
Now 30-years-old and one year removed from meniscus surgery, Shattenkirk has two years remaining on his deal. The contract features a ten team no-trade list for this upcoming season and an eight-team list for the 2020-2021 season. At $6.65 million per year, the cost would be steep and like Smith, it’d probably require the Rangers retain salary.
Yet, unlike Smith, Shattenkirk still has the potential to run a power play and put up big offensive numbers in a more sheltered role. A contender that thinks it’s close to winning and needs one more piece is a good landing spot. Shattenkirk and 50 percent salary retained could net the Rangers a decent asset in return.
Number six: Marc Staal
The second-longest-tenured New York Ranger after Henrik Lundqvist, Marc Staal is one of the few surviving links to the team’s success earlier this decade. The 2019-2020 season will be the 13th of his NHL career after being drafted 12th overall in the 2005 entry draft. Based on both his play and contract, Staal is pretty much unmovable.
The veteran has a full no-movement clause and can veto any trade. Period.
The pipe dream of the Rangers convincing Staal to waive the stipulation is moot at this point. For three consecutive offseasons, those who follow the team have rallied around the idea only to have Staal featured prominently in the team the following fall. There’s no moving on from Staal unless it’s a buyout.
Somehow, there are still two more years remaining on the veteran’s deal at $5.7 million per season. If New York were to buyout Staal, it’d save the Rangers $2.8 million in year one and $2 million in year two. Then for the following two years, New York would have $1.2 million in dead money on the books.
Next. Who will be the best Ranger in five years?. dark
If there were ever a time to buyout Staal, it’d be now when the roster is littered with entry-level contracts that keep talent cost low. However, he’s still the most difficult of the Rangers’ defensemen to move because of his NMC.