An analysis of the current defense and prospect pool
Analyzing the future of a deep defense corps
The New York Rangers defense is an enigma. While the Blueshirts are acknowledged to have some of the best defense prospects in hockey, the NHL squad has some huge questions marks and the team may have to look to acquire some help next year.
There’s another factor that will affect the development of their prospect pool. With the continuation of the NHL season this summer, the Rangers schedule will not be sychronized with the schedules of the AHL, European or junior leagues. That could result in players getting experience in the minors and still having a chance to play in New York next season.
The Rangers currently have 19 defensemen either under contract or unsigned. Here’s a look at their current status, their prospects for next season and and a prediction of what their future holds.
The NHL defensemen
JACOB TROUBA – Right defense, 26 years old
Current status – Jacob Trouba was acquired a year ago in a trade with the Winnipeg Jets and the immediate projection was that the team had found the cornerstone of their defense for years to come. The Rangers certainly believed that and proved it by signing him to a seven year, $56 million contract.
Trouba had a good, but not great season. He played a lot of minutes and was their top penalty killer, but was hampered by the inability of the Blueshirts to find him a partner. That was compounded when they traded away Brady Skjei, with whom Trouba formed his best partnership. Trouba finished the season with seven goals and 20 points, a sizable drop off from his last season with the Jets.
The future – While his lengthy contract is seen as a guarantee that he will be a Blueshirt for years to come, this first contract year is the only one without a No Movement Clause, meaning that if the Rangers wanted to trade him, this would be the time to do it. As outlandish as that may seem, the rise of Adam Fox and Tony DeAngelo has possibly made Trouba expendable. Right now, he is still slated to be the top right side blueliner.
Prediction – Trouba is not going anywhere. No one in the NHL will be willing to take on that $8 million annual cap hit and the Rangers want to keep him. Although he didn’t have as great a season as he would have hoped, he also didn’t do anything in his first year to indicate that he won’t be the foundation for their defense and the player that the Rangers thought they were getting.
ADAM FOX – Right defense, 22 years old
Current status – Adam Fox will be in the second year of his Entry Level Contract, his $925k cap hit a bargain considering the season he had. He exceeded all expectations this season and by the end of the campaign he had firmly established himself as the teams’ 1A defenseman, on a level with Trouba.
With eight goals and 42 points, Fox had even insinuated himself into the Calder Trophy conversation and he had taken over the lead role on the first power play unit.
The future – Fox’s dream has been to be a member of the Blueshirts since growing up on Long Island. He will have no salary leverage when he is a restricted free agent after the 2021-22 season. He doesn’t have to be protected in the expansion draft and he could find himself the beneficiary of a big long-term contract at that time.
Prediction – The Rangers will seek to sign him to a long-term contract after next season. He will have two years as a pro under his belt and if he surpasses his rookie output, the Blueshirts will do their best to lock him in as a Ranger for life with the potential of a team captaincy in his future.
TONY DEANGELO – Right defense, 24 years old
Current status – DeAngelo has finally chased most of the demons that have plagued him his brief NHL career. Though he still has a propensity to get himself in trouble, he has now had two solid years in the NHL and this season established himself as one of the top offensive blueliners in the NHL.
DeAngelo finished with 15 goals and 38 assists for 53 points, third best on the team and fourth best among all NHL defenders. DeAngelo signed a one year contract last fall for $925k when he had no leverage and is an arbitration eligible restricted free agent after this season.
The future – As arbitration eligible, DeAngelo will be looking for a big payday, especially since he has shown consistency for two straight seasons. The Blueshirts are tight salary-wise and may have to go through some machinations to find the money to pay DeAngelo what he thinks he deserves.
With demand high for righthanded shooting defenseman, there is no doubt that the team will be open to anyone with an offer for him. He could fetch a good price on the open market, but replacing him would be difficult.
Prediction – The Rangers will play hardball with DeAngelo and could very well end up going to arbitration. Without a viable righthanded defenseman available to replace him the Rangers will look for a one or two year deal. The key factor in DeAngelo’s future is the development of prospect Nils Lundkvist. If the Swede is ready to step up and make the big league club in 2021-22, they will look to deal him then. For now, DeAngelo will remain a New York Ranger.
RYAN LINDGREN – Left defense, 22 years old
Current status – After spending a full year in the AHL, Ryan Lindgren had an outstanding rookie year teamed with Adam Fox. A feisty blueliner, Lindgren is the perfect stay at home partner to the offensively-oriented Fox. Lindgren never hesitates to throw the big body check or protect his teammates and is capable of chipping in with the occasional offensive foray. Lindgren is in the second year of his entry level contract at an annual hit of $925k and will be a restricted free agent in a year.
The future – Although the Blueshirts will be able to control his salary after this season, they could look to lock him up long-term. Although they experimented by breaking them up at times, the Rangers have a rare opportunity to ensure that they have a defensive pair that they can count on for years to come. It’s possible that the Fox-Lindgren tandem can grow into a defensive pair along the lines of Brian Leetch and Jeff Beukeboom or Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi..
Prediction – With the Rangers likely to try to lock up Adam Fox on a long term deal, they will seek to do the same with Lindgren. Lindgren won’t be as expensive as Fox, but signing him long-term will guarantee that he and Fox will be patrolling the Rangers blue line for many seasons as a pair.
MARC STAAL – Left defense, 33 years old
Current status – After this season, Marc Staal will be going into the last year of a six year, $34 million dollar deal that the Rangers have lived to regret. He remained reasonably healthy and chipped in with two goals and 11 points while averaging 17:39 minutes per game, fewest of his career.
Although Staal found himself benched for the first time in his 13 year NHL career, he appears to have found his stride this season playing sheltered minutes on the third defense pairing as the defensive conscience for Tony DeAngelo.
The future – Unless more than one compliance buyout is offered after this season, Staal should be a New York Ranger for one more year. While he is likely to remain DeAngelo’s partner, coach David Quinn may team him with Jacob Trouba on the top pairing if Brendan Smith falters and his other options don’t work out.
Prediction – Staal will finish his career as a New York Ranger and will retire after next season. He will be a steady presence on the blue line, again as DeAngelo’s partner. Even if he is a compliance buyout candidate, the team will keep him.
BRENDAN SMITH – Left defense, 31 years old
Current status – Believe it or not, Brendan Smith is slated to be Jacob Trouba’s partner on the first defense pairing this postseason. After spending most of the campaign as the spare seventh blueliner on the team, he was thrust into the high profile role after the trade of Brady Skjei.
Smith has reclaimed his value to team by proving to be a useful and versatile player and by never complaining and always showing a strong effort. whether it was as a fourth line winger or a penalty killing defenseman. It was clear that he was a player that David Quinn liked and relied on.
Even so, Smith is still capable of making bad plays and taking dumb penalties, qualities that have dogged him throughout his career. For him to prove that he should stay, he will need to have the kind of performance this postseason that he displayed in the 2018 playoffs that resulted in the big contract that pays him $4.35 million per year. He has one more year to go on that deal.
The future – If the team is allowed more than one compliance buyout, Smith is a surefire candidate to go. If not, he will end up as either the first pair left defenseman unless the team is able to acquire a replacement for Skjei through trade or free agency. If the team is in cap trouble and there are no compliance buyouts, he remains a candidate for a standard buyout.
Prediction – If there is a compliance buyout, the Rangers will use it on Henrik Lundqvist. if they are allowed two, Smith will be t he second. Smith is still slated to be Jacob Trouba’s partner although the team will do anything they can to try to find someone better. If that happens, Smith will be a versatile seventh d-man and spare forward, a role that he is adept at.
The defense prospects under contract
LIBOR HAJEK – Left defense, 22 years old
Current status – Hajek spent half of the season with the Rangers, but was a disappointment with some of the worst possession numbers on the team. This came after a solid year in Hartford and an excellent five game stint with the Rangers last season. This season, he started the campaign as a top six blueliner, but bounced throughout the lineup, partnering with all three righty defenders.
He lost his starting job to Ryan Lindgren and after he suffered a knee injury in December he was sent to Hartford to work himself back into shape. He was never recalled, although the team had opportunities to do so, especially when they traded Brady Skjei to Carolina. He had five assists in 28 games in New York and had one goal and two assists in 23 games for Hartford.
When play resumes, we will see if the team invites him to their Phase Three training camp. He is the only defenseman in the organization not on the major league roster with any NHL experience.
The future – Hajek is going into the last year of his Entry Level Contract and in a perfect world, he comes to the preseason training camp and impresses enough to earn the job of being Trouba’s partner. The question is whether he can rebound from a disappointing season in New York and Hartford. At 22 years old, the next campaign could be make or break for Hajek, especially since the team will have to decide if they want to protect him in the Seattle expansion draft next summer.
Prediction – This is a tough one to project. Optimistically, he would earn the role of Trouba’s partner as he lives up to the advance billing that made him the centerpiece of the Ryan McDonagh trade. If he fails to impress, he could very well end up returning to Hartford unless the team wants to carry him as their seventh defenseman.
K’ANDRE MILLER- Left defense, 20 year old
Current status – Miller signed his entry level contract after concluding his season at the University of Wisconsin. He would have gotten in to a handful of games with Hartford if their season hadn’t been cancelled. The question is whether the Rangers will bring him to their training camp when Phase Three of the Return to Play goes into effect. If they do an he impresses enough to join the roster for the postseason, there’s a question of if that would burn a year of his eligibility.
The future – In all likelihood, the first time we will see Miller will be at Hartford’s training camp. With the COVID-19 play stoppage, it will mean that the NHL and the AHL will be on completely different schedules with the Wolf Pack beginning to prepare for their season in September and the Rangers not getting started until December.
All AHL clubs conduct their own preseason training camp and any players not guaranteed to make the NHL roster will likely start their season there.The Rangers have made it clear that they are not going to rush prospects like Miller to the NHL, citing the benefits a season in Hartford did for players like Ryan Lindgren.
Prediction – This is where the pandemic will have an interesting effect on the next NHL season. Miller could attend the Wolf Pack training camp and play almost half a season in Hartford before the Rangers even convene to begin their 2020-21 campaign. If Miller impresses in Hartford, he could find himself actually beginning next NHL season with the Blueshirts after a number of games in the AHL. If not, he will play the season in Hartford and possibly be a call up at the end of that season to bolster the Rangers blueline.
DARREN RADDYSH – Right defense, 24 years old
Current status – Raddysh is a 24 year old right handed shooting blueliner who was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks who traded him last February to the Rangers for veteran Peter Holland. He is an arbitration eligible restricted free agent next season, coming off a contract that paid him the NHL minimum. He was the top right defenseman after Joey Keane was traded and he finished with six goals and 28 points.
The future – Raddysh is likely to remain a Ranger property as he is the only right handed shooting defenseman under team control next season not in the NHL.
Prediction – Another season awaits Raddysh in the AHL. He could see some time in the NHL if the Rangers are hammered by injuries on the right side of the defense, but that is unlikely.
YEGOR RYKOV – Left defense, 23 years old
Current status – When Yegor Rykov came to North America last summer after three full seasons in the KHL, he was expected to contend for a starting job in the NHL. Instead, he had a tough season, sustaining a nagging ankle injury at the Traverse City prospects tournament. He ended up on the sidelines for two months, before getting back on the ice in December with Hartford.
Needing to make the transition to the smaller ice surfaces, losing a big chunk of the season didn’t help him. He finished with two goals and 11 points in 27 games in Hartford.
The future – Rykov has one more year on his Entry Level deal and will get a full shot at earning a job with the Rangers next season. Like Miller, he will likely benefit from the disparity between the AHL and NHL seasons. Rykov could start the season in Hartford and play over 20 games before the NHL training camps will even begin.
Prediction – Rykov will indeed start the season in Hartford, but if he has a positive showing, he could be the first candidate for call up to the Rangers, especially if Smith and Hajek don’t impress. If he doesn’t do well in Hartford, he could be trade bait.
MATTHEW ROBERTSON – Left defense, 19 years old
Current status – The Rangers thought that they had one of the steals of the 2019 Entry Draft when they were able to select Robertson in the second round (49th overall). At 6’3″, 204 pounds, the teenager has great size, yet another attribute that makes him a top prospect.
He was invited to training camp and remained with the team until just before the season started, when the team returned him to the Edmonton Oil Kings of the WHL.
They were quick to sign him, inking him to his entry level contract at the beginning of October. The contract will slide depending on when he actually turns pro. Robertson just finished his third season with the Oil Kings, posting his best numbers with 13 goals and 47 points in 60 games and was named the team’s MVP.
The future – Ironically, Matthew Robertson could be in the NHL season, but if he doesn’t make the varsity, he must return to the Oil Kings. He’s old enough to play in Hartford, but the NHL has an agreement with the CHL that forces drafted players under 20 who don’t make the major league roster to return to their junior clubs.
That means that the likelihood is that Robertson will return to the Oil Kings for a fourth year and won’t be eligible to play in the AHL until he turns 20 in March 2021.
Prediction – Robertson is one player who won’t be helped by the COVID-19 scheduling vagaries. In a normal season, he would have had a realistic shot at making the Rangers out of training camp, but with the pandemic, he is destined to return to Edmonton for a full fourth season. He may see some action in the AHL at the end of the season, but look for Robertson to start his career as a Ranger in the 2021-22 season.
TARMO REUNANEN – Left defense, 22 years old
Current status – The Rangers had to sign Reunanen last summer or risk losing him to free agency and after an impressive training camp, he used a European Assignment Clause to return to Finland rather than play in Hartford. He played his second full season with Lukko in the Finnish Liiga and while his offensive stats declined, his overall play improved.
He finished the shortened season with five goals and 19 points in 51 games. His plus/minus of +17 was second best among Lukko defensemen and he was a solid force on the second defense pairing.
The future – Reunanen has two more seasons on his Entry Level Contract and it is believed that he has no European Assignment Clause next season so he could either play for Hartford in the fall or ask to be loaned to Liiga for another season. Starting the campaign in Hartford will give him an opportunity to make the Rangers when their training camp begins.
Prediction – Reunanen will return to North America for play in Hartford. Depending on his play, he could be a candidate for the Rangers roster, depending on the roster moves the team will be making.
BRANDON CRAWLEY – Left defense, 23 years old
Current status – Brandon Crawley was drafted in the fourth round of the 2017 Entry Draft and has spent four seasons in the minor leagues, mostly with Hartford. This season he started the season with the Maine Mariners of the ECHL and was a late season call up to the Wolf Pack.
The Glen Rock, New Jersey native will possibly be invited to the Rangers postseason training camp in a few weeks as he tries for a job on the expanded roster. It has to be encouraging for Crawley that with the Rangers buying out Sean Day and not signing Nico Gross, that they still see him in their plans for the future.
The future – Crawley is in the last season of his Entry Level Contract and will need to be re-signed. He will probably be offered the league minumum and expect to spend another season in the minor leagues.
Prediction – Crawley has been dropping in the Rangers’ prospect depth chart and the emergence of prospects like Robertson and Zac Jones hasn’t helped. He will be a fixture on the Hartford blue line in 2020-21, but could also see himself traded if the right deal comes along.
NICK EBERT – Right defense, 26 years old
Current status – Nick Ebert was acquired from the Ottawa Senators along with a fourth round draft pick in exchange for Vlad Namestnikov. In 46 games for the Wolf Pack he scored five goals and added 11 assists.
The future – Ebert is a Group 6 unrestricted free agent and while he could re-sign with the Rangers, he will mostly likely go for the best deal he can find.
Prediction – Ebert is a goner and will sign with another NHL team.
Unsigned prospects
NILS LUNDKVIST – Right defense, 19 years old (20 in July)
Current status – Nils Lundkvist is working his way up the depth chart in the Rangers prospect and many believe that he has surpassed K’Andre Miller, drafted before him in the first round of the 2018 Entry Draft.
He just finished his third season with Lulea of the Swedish Hockey League where he set a new league record for points by a defenseman under the age of 20. Lundkvist finished with 11 goals and 20 assists for 31 points in 45 games, better numbers than other Swedish players like Viktor Hedman and Rasmus Dahlin. For this, he was name the league’s Junior Player of the Year.
Lundkvist also starred for Team Sweden at the WJC with eight points in the seven game tourney.
The future – Lundkvist has not signed his Entry Level Contract yet and with the COVID-19 pandemic, there are uncertainties over what he will do next season. He could sign the contract and remain in Sweden on loan or he could come over and play in the AHL when their season starts in October. There’s no doubt that the team will want him to get a full season of North American experience under his belt before taking on the NHL.
Prediction – Lundkvist will either start next season in Sweden or in Hartford. After one more year of seasoning, he will be ready to make the jump to the NHL, but to do it for the Rangers he will have to replace one of their right handed defensemen, most likely Tony DeAngelo. If the Blueshirts choose to keep DeAngelo, they will have no choice but to trade Lundkvist.
ZAC JONES – Left defense, 19 years old
Current status – A third round draft pick in June, he made the Blueshirts look smart after an outstanding season with UMass-Amherst and an excellent showing at the WJC Tournament. Jones was the leading rookie scorer in Hockey East and stepped into the void left by Cale Makar. He finished with three goals and 23 points in 32 games.
The future – Jones will continue his career at UMass and if he continues to show the same progress he did in his rookie season, he will be a fine addition to the Rangers’ blue line in two or three years.
HUNTER SKINNER – Right defense, 19 years old
Current Status – Skinner was a fourth round pick, #112 overall in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft and just finished his first season with the OHL’s London Knights, one of the best teams in the league. With 32 points, he was the third highest scorer among Knights defenders and had an impressive plus/minus rating of +22, fifth best on the team.
The future – Skinner will return to London for his second season, but needs to sign Entry Level Contract by June 1, 2021 or become a free agent. If he continues to play the way he did his rookie season, there is no doubt that the team will sign him.
JACOB RAGNARSSON – Left defense, 20 years old
Current status – The 20 year old leftanded shooting defenseman spent most of the season with Timra of the Allsvenskan league, one step below the top league in Sweden. He was hampered by a concussion he suffered in December that limited him to only 29 games for Timra.
The future – Ragnarsson should return to Sweden next season and will hope to move up to the SHL. He did play four games for Rogle in the SHL this season. The Rangers own his rights until June 2022 and the hope is that he shows enough in the SHL to warrant an entry level deal in a year or two.
SIMON KJELLBERG – Left defense, 20 years old
Current status – Kjellberg finished his first season at RPI and his second year of North American hockey. He showed enough in his first year in the NCAA for the 2018 sixth round pick to remain on the team’s radar.
The future – He’s another NCAA player the Rangers won’t rush, looking to see how much progress he can make in a solid college hockey program. They have until August 2023 to get him under contract.
CALLE SJALIN – Left defense, 20 years old
Current status – Sjalin was drafted in 2017 and has spent most of the three years since playing in the Allsvenskan League. He got into 13 games for Leksand in the SHL before being loaned to Vasteras in the lower league. He has been plagued by a number of injuries including a concussion and that has hampered his development.
The future – Sjalin is committed to Leksand of the SHL who loaned him to Vasteras this season. The Rangers need to sign him by June, 2021 or he will become a free agent. Whether he will be offered a contract depends on his showing next season.
Must Read. Lundqvist a Masterton Trophy nominee. light