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Armchair GM, New York Rangers roster review: Part 4 – defense

By Jason Katinas

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 29: New York Rangers center Filip Chytil (72) celebrates goal as New York Rangers defenseman Adam Fox (23) congratulates him during the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Rangers NHL game on October 29, 2019, at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. (Photo by John Crouch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 29: New York Rangers center Filip Chytil (72) celebrates goal as New York Rangers defenseman Adam Fox (23) congratulates him during the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Rangers NHL game on October 29, 2019, at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. (Photo by John Crouch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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Tony DeAngelo #77, Jacob Trouba #8 and Adam Fox #23 of the New York Rangers. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Tony DeAngelo #77, Jacob Trouba #8 and Adam Fox #23 of the New York Rangers. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

New York Rangers defense, old guard no more

Now that the New York Rangers season is officially over, it is time to look ahead and from what better perspective than that of armchair GM.  Over five days we are reviewing each of the team’s players, by position.   In parts one through three of our series we analyzed the team’s forwards. Now we turn our attention to the Rangers most overhauled position of the rebuild, defense

If you missed any of our reports, they can be found here:

New York Rangers Armchair GM: Part 1 – Centers

New York Rangers Armchair GM: Part 2 – Left Wing

New York Rangers Armchair GM: Part 3 – Right Wing

It is said that defense wins championships and the New York Rangers came close to proving that adage true. During their years of contending from 2011-12 through 2014-15 the Rangers boasted one of the best and deepest blue line corps in the NHL.  The team made three trips to the Eastern Conference Finals and one appearance to the Stanley Cup Finals, winning the third most playoff series in the NHL during that four year run. These successes were accomplished, in part, on the shoulders of their solid defense.

That group was led by Ryan McDonough, who would become captain, Dan Girardi and Marc Staal, who both wore the “A”. They were supplemented with names such as, Anton Stralman, Keith Yandle, John Moore, Kevin Klein and Dan Boyle. But, with age, trades and injuries, this group deteriorated until now, all that remains, is Marc Staal.

Today’s new look Rangers defense has several prospects eyeing their chance to further change and improve the dynamic for many seasons to come. We will start by looking at one of the teams big acquisitions from last summer, Jacob Trouba.

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