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State of the Rangers: The Defensemen, Kreider at the All-Star Game

January 26, 2020, 1:37 AM ET [108 Comments]
Jan Levine
New York Rangers Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
The State of the Rangers. Part II - The Defensemen. Please see  here for Part I, the Forwards.

As said in the first blog, I don't intend this to be a deep dive into every player and every position, but more a high level view as to where the team stands at forward, defense and goalie. Those in the minors, college or playing overseas, for the most part, have been ignored, so Vitali Kravtsov, Lias Andersson, Morgan Barron, Karl Henriksson, Joey Keane, K'Andre Miller, Zac Jones, Tyler Wall, Olaf Lindblom etc. are not specifically covered. But they may be mentioned if their possible spot on the team impacts others.

The purpose is to provide my view as to which players will definitely be here after the trade deadline and potentially next season, which players are more certainly gone in either case and which ones fall into that grey area; the latter being the most interesting and likely driving the most debate. To make this interesting, i want your views, in general or for each player.

Definitely here:

Jacob Trouba, Adam Fox and Ryan Lindgren.

Trouba was acquired by John Davidson, in his first big move as Rangers' GM, to provide New York a first-pairing, top-two defenseman. A little more than halfway through the season, the jury is very far out as to whether Trouba can become that player. At times, he has been outplayed by Neal Pionk, who went to Winnipeg along with the first rounder for Trouba. You can argue that the system and his defensive pair mate has hurt by Trouba. But as someone who wanted him in New York, you would like to see a lot more from him.

The development of Tony DeAngelo and Fox has resulted in Trouba looking his PP QB spot. Though his big shot and ability to generate rebounds off it would be a welcome site on the man-advantage. Trouba still makes too many errors in his own zone but he has brought a physical presence to the back line, dishing out 120 hits and blocking 89 shots.

Signed to a seven-year, $56 million deal this past offseason, Trouba is going nowhere.

Fox, from Jericho, Long Island, grew up a Rangers' fan. Acquired by New York from Carolina in exchange for a 2019 second-round pick and conditional 2020 third-round selection, Fox has found a home on the third-pair alongside Lindgren. Drafted 66th overall in 2016 by Calgary, Fox went to Carolina as pair of the Dougie Hamilton/Elias Lindholm deal before landing on Broadway.

Fox has been everything the Rangers could have hoped for and more. Skilled offensively, Fox already has six goals and 21 assists on the season, with 12 of his points coming on the man-advantage. Defensively, Fox does not need to play a bit more physical, but he has shown a willingness to get dirty when needed. He is fairly solid positionally and in year one of his three-year ELC, the upside potential for Fox is vast.

Lindgren, drafted in the second round, 49th overall in 2016, was acquired from Boston as part of the Rick Nash deal in February 2018. He failed to make the team out of training camp but was called up less than a month into the season. Lindgren has found a home on the third line with Fox.

He is the defensive ballast to Fox, allowing Fox to use his offensive skill and rush the puck.
Lindgren is probably the second most physical presence on the blue line behind Jacob Trouba, dishing out 57 hits while blocking 41 shots. His skating could use some work, especially his change of direction in his own zone. With the pipeline of blueliners in the system, Lindgren will need to improve his skating to retain his lineup spot. But for now and quickly next season, he should be a fixture in the lineup.

Definitely gone:

None

What I have written here is the same as what I wrote for the forwards, with the only change that no names are on this list. Based on where New York is in the standings, this list right now doesn't include anyone, but likely will grow. Part of this depends on if New York is augmenting the rebuild with a third - for lack of a better term - purge. The other component is driven by who the Rangers look to import, as we expect the team to eschew draft picks and prospects and pursue young forwards for the immediate and long-term future.

Currently, New York is 11 points out of the playoffs with two games in hand on the Hurricanes, who hold the second Wild Card spot. When the Rangers return to action, they will do so with a back-to-back against the Red Wings (home Friday, away Saturday), after which the team has home contests versus Dallas, Buffalo, Toronto and LA. The initial stretch run post-All-Star break will in all probability dictate which direction team management takes.They will have 15 games in February, 13 of which come before the February 24 trade deadline, 15 in March and three in the first four days of April. That’s 34 games in the season’s final 65 days (including five sets of back-to-backs).

I know some feel that a few of the names belong in this category but that is far from certain. You can argue probabilities of several of those in the next category. But nothing is set in stone.

Might stay, might go:

Brady Skjei, Marc Staal and Tony DeAngelo.

Skjei - the blue liner who drives you the most mad would be driven out of town at the first chance of a deal if you listen to Rangers' twitter. Drafted in the first round, 28th overall in 2012, Skjei held his own in the 2016 playoffs and posted 39 points as a rookie in 2016-17. That output and his play made his all believe that he was destined to be one of the better blueliners in the league or at least a worthy first pair blueliner.

The wheels came off his sophomore campaign, but New York opted to be aggressive, signing Skjei to a six-year, $31.25 million contract extension in July of 2018. Progress wasn't apparent last season, as Skjei continued to struggle on both ends of the ice, but especially defensively. All the tools are there but Skjei thinks too much on the ice, rather than just allowing his talent to take over.

One reason why Trouba might have ben brought in is that he was a childhood friend of Skjei and the hope was that he could help to unlock Skjei's talent. More than halfway through the season, we have seen more stops than starts from Skjei. Lately, he has been a lot better, including in his own zone, but the brain cramp plays still occur too frequently. The one main positive is that Skjei has been much better offensively, as he has posted 21 points, 97 shots on goal, 76 hits and 66 blocked shots in 47 games.

The pipeline behind Skjei coupled with his inability to maximize his talent makes him potentially expendable. With four more seasons at $5.25 mil per after this year, moving him might not be easy. The one fear is that a change in system or location might result in Skjei playing like the one we saw his rookie year.

Staal is the whipping boy of Rangers faithful. The old man of the blue line, injuries have robbed Staal of his foot speed along with the peripheral vision needed for continued success. He still knows how to use his stick effectively and plays a somewhat physical game, but nowhere near at the level he was before suffering a myriad of injuries, including concussions and a devastating eye injury. 

Once a minute-munching defenseman, Staal has settled into playing in the 18-20 minute range and is better when on the lighter end of that range. He has meshed nicely with DeAngelo, allowing ADA to maximize his offensive talents while Staal takes on a defensive role. Staal has been one of the team's better blueliners this season, despite all the criticism of his game. 
Staal, selected 12th overall in 2005, has one more season left of the six-year, $34.2 million contract extension he signed with the Rangers in January of 2015. in addition, he has a full NMC with the contract. New York may try and move him before the deadline, dependent on if Staal would waive his NMC. If not, the Blueshirts may buy out the final year of Staal's deal if he is not traded or doesn't retire.

DeAngelo is set for a major pay raise this off-season. Cap constraints resulted in the Rangers signing ADA to a one-year deal at $925K last year; a contract that looks criminally low. DeAngelo has made the most of his situation, posting 12 goals and 27 assists in 48 games, including the first hat trick of his career.

DeAngelo's issues are more between his ears and from his mouth, as his immaturity has resulted in him riding the pine at times. He and coach David Quinn look to be more on the same page while ADA has slightly toned down his rough edges, though his twitter feed occasionally still shows additional growth is needed. DeAngelo has also been better defensively, though the team's offense from the blue line is still the defense's best quality, as mistakes in their own and neutral zone are continually on display.

The team's pipeline on defense, DeAngelo's ability to at least triple his salary and other needs might result in New York looking to sell ADA for a high return. His offensive skill set and capacity to move to the left side should enable DeAngelo to remain in New York. For how many years and for how long remains up in the air.

What say you?

Chris Kreider was the Rangers' representative at the All-Star Game replacing the injured Artemi Panarin. He posted the third-fastest time in the Fastest Skater Competition, finishing at 13.509 behind Mathew Barzal's 13.175 and Connor McDavid's 13.215. I love all the accolades Kreider is getting for that lap, since it appears everyone forgot one reason why New York selected him in the draft was his speed. In addition, when called up for the playoffs, coach John Tortorella just had him use his speed to skate up and down the wing. Plus, did no one watch the home run passing play from ADA to Kreider against the Devils? Kreider failed to score in the game, as the Metro Division lost 9-5 to the Atlantic Division.










Much of the talk this weekend centered around kreider's unrestricted free agent status and if the Rangers will deal him at the deadline. Kreider’s contract carries a $4.625-million cap hit but $4 million in actual salary this season. His deal includes a modified no-trade clause that allows him to nix a deal to 11 teams. With five goals in his last seven games, he is up to 17 on the season.

Elliotte Friedman, a few weeks ago, see below, named the Colorado Avalanche, Boston Bruins, St. Louis Blues and Pittsburgh Penguins among the clubs interested in Kreider should he be made available.



Negotiations between CK20 and the Rangers have yet to taken place, which is a bit crazy, since you should want to know what he is looking for in free agency and what it would take - if a discount is available - for him to stay. Kreider said all the right things at the All-Star Game. “I’ve only ever pictured myself in a Rangers jersey,” Kreider said. “So until I’m not a Ranger, I’m a Ranger.” New York went down to the wire with Mats Zuccarello and Kevin Hayes. The same likely will happen with Kreider, and how the Blueshirts play out of the break may dictate if Kreiders on the Storm stays with the team, at least for the balance of the season.

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