With the Stanley Cup Finals starting on Monday, it means that NHL Free Agency is right around the corner. The 2021 NHL free agent class lacks what the past three free agent classes had. This class is missing a standout free agent looking for change of scenery. 2018 had John Tavares, 2019 had Artemi Panarin, 2020 had Alex Pietrangelo. 2021 has Alex Ovechkin and Dougie Hamilton.
Alex Ovechkin has been a Washington Capital his entire career, he’s not leaving. On the other hand, Dougie Hamilton wants out of Carolina and they seem to be exploring a sign and trade. The Rangers have the cap space, but when it comes to the four-time all-star they should stay away.
The fit
Last year the Rangers blue line corps consisted of Norris Trophy winner Adam Fox, Ryan Lindgren, K’Andre Miller, Jacob Trouba, Libor Hajek, and Brendan Smith. Jack Johnson, Anthony Bitetto served as extras and Zach Jones joined the team for their final 10 games after winning a NCAA title with UMass. Johnson and Smith are unrestricted free agents and likely won’t be back. The Rangers already signed 2019 second round pick Matthew Robertson to a entry level deal along with 2020 first round pick Braden Schneider, and 2018 first rounder Nils Lundkvist giving them at least 10 possible defensemen.
The Rangers have a solid top four with Fox, Lindgren, Miller, and Trouba. Adding Hamilton kicks Miller out of the top four and also adds another right handed shot making that three of the top four righties.That top four with three right shot defensemen doesn’t include three highly rated prospects. Jones showed a lot of offensive ability in his 10 games including quarterbacking the second power play unit.
The Rangers have a logjam on defense, especially on the right side. Nils Lundkvist will probably start in Hartford, but Braden Schneider has a good chance to make the team out of camp. He’s a tough, physical defenseman and has familiarity with Gerard Gallant as he was on Team Canada for the World Championships earlier this month.
The Rangers need to add a veteran defenseman this summer, no question. But they need to add someone who won’t cost as much and not keep players like Lundkvist and Schneider off the roster.