It is no secret that the New York Rangers need to upgrade their defense. They have a need for just about every kind of potential blue liner out there, and it can come from free agency or the draft.
Shutdown defenseman, a puck-moving one, a strict offensive juggernaut from the back end, it does not matter. The Blueshirts need some serious help.
In a recent piece by The Athletic highlighting all 32 NHL teams' biggest needs when the free-agent frenzy begins, the Rangers got their wish. Their biggest and most suitable prize is a rough-and-tough left-handed defenseman that can man the second-pairing, Mario Ferraro from San Jose.
This actually makes perfect sense
If the Rangers cannot get who they want in the NHL Draft at the fifth spot, or if they can move up any further with the aforementioned Sharks, going after Ferraro is not a bad option. He scored a career-high in goals with seven, and set a new high in points with 23 last season.
While that stat line isn't exactly what you want from an offensive perspective on the back-end, he can help provide much-needed support for goaltender Igor Shesterkin and likely back-up Dylan Garand. Ferraro is under 6 feet and 200 pounds, but plays much bigger than that.
His most recent contract with San Jose was a four-year deal worth an AAV of $3.25 million. If President and General Manager Chris Drury can swipe him near that price for the next three or four years, again, or a bit higher at $3.5 million to $4 million, it may be worth it. The team has a ton of cap space at their disposal, and more than anything else, they need proven NHL veterans.
Ferraro is going to be 28 when the season starts back up again, and can be a pivotal piece in the next step following this retool. This also gives the Rangers a chance to move on a solid, young puck-moving defenseman in the upcoming draft, like Carson Carels or potentially Chase Reid, and have Ferraro hold down the second-pairing. That would allow their prospects to develop and not feel the pressure to be saviors, and that would be an improvement on how they've treated prospects in the past.
Ferraro is a defender that blocks a lot of shots and lays the body more than most, and giving him a serious look on July 1 is a fantastic idea. The Rangers need to start putting together a roster that shows signs of improvement, and he wouldn't be a bad place to start.
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