Subj : Rangers Need More Changes on Defense to Contend
To : All
From : The Hockey Writers - Main
Date : Tue Feb 02 2021 04:40 am
The New York Rangers have made the decision to waive skilled defenseman Tony
DeAngelo. He has had a history of off the ice incidents, and this season he has
struggled on the ice as well. While his defensive woes have clearly hurt New
York this season, the Rangers' defensive issues run far deeper than just him,
and they need to make more changes to turn the season around.Defensive
Struggles
Although the Rangers have yet to find continuity on defense, they have had
bright spots this season. K'Andre Miller has been excellent at both ends of the
ice, as has Adam Fox. Jacob Trouba and Ryan Lindgren have both struggled at
times, but for the most part, have done a nice job defensively. The four of
them should give the Blueshirts two trustworthy pairs on defense.
Outside of those four defensemen, head coach David Quinn has mixed and matched
other players on defense, but no one else has stepped up yet. Like DeAngelo,
both Brendan Smith and Jack Johnson have struggled so far this season.Brendan
Smith (pictured above) and Jack Johnson have struggled so far this season (Jess
Starr/The Hockey Writers)
Smith began the season as a healthy scratch but was moved into the lineup in
the second game of the season, as Quinn scratched DeAngelo. He performed well
in his first game, playing well defensively and picking up an assist; however,
he has failed to replicate that performance. After a couple of poor giveaways
against the Pittsburgh Penguins, including one that led to a goal, Quinn
benched him. The Rangers need him to make better decisions.
New York tried to replace Marc Staal, who they traded to the Detroit Red Wings
in the offseason with Johnson, but it hasn't gone smoothly. Johnson has already
taken two unnecessary penalties this season and has made a few mistakes in the
defensive zone. While he has been a physical presence, it doesn't make sense
for this young team to continue to stick with the veteran blueliner.Options on
the Taxi Squad
The Rangers have a few defensemen they could give an opportunity this season,
including Matthew Robertson and Libor Hajek. Robertson is just 19 years old and
may not be ready to make the jump to the NHL yet, but Hajek already has NHL
experience. He struggled last season after showing promise during a brief stint
with the Blueshirts during the 2018-19 season.Libor Hajek could improve the
New York Rangers defensively (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)
Hajek spent the majority of last season in the AHL and didn't produce much
offensively, but he possesses the skills to be successful in the NHL. He skates
well, has the size to be a strong defensive defenseman, and is still just 22
years old.
In addition to Hajek, the Rangers could give veteran blueliner Anthony Bitetto
a chance to play after they signed him this offseason. He played in a
career-high 51 games for the Winnipeg Jets last season, finishing with no goals
and eight assists. He isn't going to provide a lot of offense, but he can kill
penalties and defend effectively. New York can use him in a similar role to
the one Johnson and Smith have struggled in so far this season.Vince Dunn
The Rangers could also look to improve on defense by making a trade, and
without DeAngelo, the Blueshirts could certainly use another skilled
defenseman. St. Louis Blues' blueliner Vince Dunn has been involved in lots of
trade rumors this season, and New York could make a push to acquire him. He's
young, skilled, gritty and would add playoff experience to the Rangers, as he
played a key role in the Blues' Stanley Cup victory in 2019. He has two goals
and nine assists in 29 career playoff games.Vince Dunn has been involved in
trade rumors throughout this season (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)
Dunn could be an ideal replacement for DeAngelo, given his vision, quickness
and ability to get shots through traffic. He is also signed to a one-year,
$1.875 million contract and will be a restricted free agent after this season.
Smith is in his final year of a four-year, $17.4 million contract with the
Rangers, which would help free up cap space for New York to re-sign Dunn if
they were to trade for him.Moving Forward
The Rangers'; defense is off to a disappointing start, but they could get help
from some unlikely heroes. The Blueshirts have already gotten key offensive
contributions from forwards Colin Blackwell and Phil Di Giuseppe so far this
season. Perhaps Hajek or Bitetto can do the same on defense.
Additionally, a blockbuster trade for Dunn isn't totally out of the question;
however, the price to acquire him is very high. The Rangers could look to make
a smaller trade to find a short-term solution on defense rather than a
long-term one.
Right now, New York has plenty of skilled prospects on defense who can become
key contributors over the next few seasons. Robertson, Nils Lundkvist, Braden
Schneider and Zac Jones all have the potential to be successful in the NHL, and
if a few of those prospects can reach their full potential, the Blueshirts
would have an excellent group of defensemen.
However, as of now, the Rangers desperately need to improve on defense in order
to have a shot at making the playoffs this season, and a starting place is
giving players like Hajek and Bitetto an opportunity.
The post Rangers Need More Changes on Defense to Contend appeared first on The
Hockey Writers.
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