New York Rangers: Predicting the defense on opening night

On June 17, the New York Rangers exchanged their 20th pick in the first round and defenseman Neal Pionk to the Winnipeg Jets, landing defenseman Jacob Trouba in return.

This trade was a no-brainer for the New York Rangers, as Jeff Gorton managed to land a top tier defenseman at not too high a cost.

The Rangers had received pick 20 from Winnipeg as a part of the deal for the rental trade of Kevin Hayes. So if you really look at it, it was Hayes (whose rights Winnipeg has traded away) and Pionk for a highly talented shut down defenseman that will help solidify the Rangers play on the defensive end.

With the addition of yet another defensemen, however, this means that there is just one more person vying for a spot on the Rangers roster opening night.

We break down what the Rangers six spots may look like come October.

The Veterans

The Rangers have six players that actively appeared on the roster last season. Now, with the addition of Trouba, they have seven that have logged at least a year in the NHL.

Of these seven however, there are arguably only three (Trouba, Brady Skjei and Tony DeAngelo) that have a good shot at the roster based on their play last season.

There has also been a number of trade rumors surrounding Kevin Shattenkirk. The 30-year-old defenseman’s journey with the Rangers has been not quite what he expected, but based on the terms in his contract as well as other factors, it is likely Shattenkirk will stay.

There is a good chance Fredrik Claesson could be on the roster next season as a cost effective extra body, who would spend a majority of the year as a back-up.

Marc Staal and Brendan Smith are a different story. There has been much consideration of what buyouts of both players might look like.

Smith got off to a great start with the Rangers, coming in as a deadline pickup from Detroit. The Rangers extended him on a four year, $4.35 AVV deal, and Smith spiraled, seeming to nearly forget how to play hockey. You can read more about the Smith debate here.

On the other hand, Staal has been a defensive staple on the New York Rangers for years. Staal was given a six year, $5.7 million AVV contract in 2015. With his play has dropping off in the last few years, it has made his cap hit a burden.

A buyout of Smith would save the Rangers $3.4 million this season. Buying out Staal would save them an additional $2.8 million.

This would clear out some space on the roster as well as some additional cap space for potentially Artemi Panarin or a handful of other free agents.

The Youngsters

With some potential holes in the roster depending on what ends up happening with the veterans, the Rangers will have to consider some of the players they have in the pipeline for positions on the roster.

And it’s definitely a crowded field.

In the off-season, the Rangers added Adam Fox in a trade from Carolina and also signed Joey Keane, Yegor Rykov, and Tarmo Reunanen to entry level contracts.

They also have Libor Hajek and Ryan Lindgren who both made brief appearances on the roster last season. While Lindgren played in Hartford for the season after being pulled up for a handful of games, Hajek left the Rangers due to a separated shoulder he suffered in March.

These additional six players will be fighting for just a handful of spots on the roster. The Rangers will need to determine can add the most value on a professional roster.

The Lineup

With all this being said, this would be ideal lineup for the Rangers:

Skjei – Trouba

Hajek – DeAngelo

Claesson- Shattenkirk/Fox

This lineup would mean that both Smith and Staal get bought out, but it also means far more stability down all three lines.

The addition of Trouba puts the Rangers in a great position, and can help to firm up the Rangers top pair. Though Skjei saw a bit of a drop in his play last season, but playing with a partner like Trouba is likely to help.

In addition, Anthony DeAngelo had a standout 2018-19 season. Assuming he can keep his attitude in check and continue to play the game we saw him play last season, he will be an important part of the Rangers future.

The Rangers could keep Claesson, add Hajek and swap out Shattenkirk and Fox in the pair to give Shattenkirk time to prove that he can still be relevant and give Fox some NHL ice.

This, however, is what I expect:

Skjei – Trouba

Hajek – Shattenkirk

Staal – DeAngelo

I don’t think that both Smith and Staal end up being bought out. Based on the Rangers relationship with Staal, I think they end up keeping him on and burying him on the third line.

The one positive of this, is that it gives the young defensemen a year to develop in Hartford before making he jump to the NHL.

Regardless, the Rangers have a lot to look forward to defensively.