Three NCAA Free Agents the Rangers should target

We’re approaching the time of year when the undrafted players coming out of college are looking for NHL teams to play for in an attempt to get to the highest level and the New York Rangers have the pedigree of an organization that can both compete and contend for the next few years if they are able to land a few of these young kids to help bolster the prospect pool, it could help the Blueshirts sustain the success they are having.

There is a small worry for the kids here in the sense that the Rangers are going to be trading everything not nailed down for a chance to capture the Stanley Cup for the 5th time in franchise history. That means prospects may not be willing to sign here if they think they are going to be dealt for more solidified roster players that could help the Rangers more in the here and now.

However, if I give that too much thought then I may as well not look at the NCAA free agent class because there is next to no chance that the Rangers will sign anyone but there will be kids that the Rangers will want. It’s no secret that the Rangers prospect pool is headlined by Brennan Othmann and there is kind of a drop behind him so someone that could slot in within the next 18 months could be a major aid.

There’s no need to delay the start of this because I’ve been wanting to talk about this for a while. It is important to note that I have no inside information on stuff like this. As much as I would love to have a knowledge of what goes on behind the scenes but I have to settle for guesswork and that is what this is. Now, let’s get to those college kids who are looking for the next step in their hockey journeys.

Jake Livingstone

Start off with one of the most admired players in the NCAA. Jake Livingstone has been chased for years but each summer he disappointed admirers by returning to Minnesota State. He’s got a lot to like but he’s also shown he is capable of performing now. There’s not too much upside so you are more or less trying to take this player at what he is now as opposed to buying for the future, but it is what it is.

At 23 years old, this is a player who is 6’3, 205 lbs, and capable of skating well. There are a lot of tools here to make a good third-pairing defenseman that could perhaps come in and replace someone like Niko Mikkola if the Rangers decide that they want to try to fill out the back end with entry-level deals. However, you should not mistake Livingstone being the size of a fridge for him only being a physical defenseman.

For Minnesota State this season, Livingstone recorded 8 goals and 27 assists for 35 points to help the Mavericks in their pursuit of a National Title that inevitably fell short. Livingstone has an ability offensively to get pucks through and create scoring chances from the blue line, and if he can do that in the big leagues, there is a chance for someone to find great value in a player that went undrafted.

Something I chose not to mention until now is that Jake Livingstone is a right-handed defenseman. He plays the 2nd most important position in the sport and has extra value because good right-shot blueliners do not grow on trees. If you are able to land a solid player like this who could fill in on the 3rd pairing in the long run, be ultra-physical, and impact games with his size and strength for free, you’re doing something right.

Collin Graf

Unlike a lot of the other free agents I will talk about, Collin Graf is someone that has shown a ton of potential this season. After transferring during the off-season from Union College to Quinnipiac, Graf has seen himself become one of the most dominant players in all of the NCAA as the right-winger is currently the second highest producing player across the NCAA. He’s had a remarkable transformation.

Currently sitting on 20 goals, and 36 assists for 56 points ahead of Quinnipiac’s frozen four venture at Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay, this is a player that has shown that he can compete with the best. He’s a smart player with good hands and that makes him an offensive threat already. You don’t need to be particularly mobile if you know where to be and we see that with grizzled NHL veterans all the time.

Graf is quite mobile but there is a drawback. At just 6’0, 170 lbs, he needs time to put on the muscle and weight to play at the highest level. Now, I wouldn’t include an undersized player in here for no reason so there must be some redeeming factor right? There is and we’ll get to it, but there’s still some work to be done with a player like this before they could sniff the ice at Madison Square Garden anyway.

So what’s the positive? Graf is just 20 years old. There’s so much room for growth moving forward and a player this young is starting to assert himself on the NCAA already is a sign that maybe this player needs to see a step up in the degree of competition. Or perhaps his linemates at Quinnipiac have helped boost his stats artificially and Graf will never be anything. The beauty of the entry-level contract is that it is basically no risk.