shattenkirk vegas rangers

A lot of attention has been placed on the blue line this offseason, and for good reason. The defensive play was a train wreck last year. David Quinn should bring some stability to the position, but there is still a lot of speculation regarding that group of Rangers. As always, I have some thoughts.

1. The Rangers, as it stands today, will enter next season with a virtually unchanged blue line. Nick Holden is gone, but that’s it. A healthy Kevin Shattenkirk will be nice, and perhaps Brendan Smith finds his game. Marc Staal and Brady Skjei will still be there. Anthony DeAngelo will make the team out of camp out of sheer asset management. I’d assume Neal Pionk and John Gilmour duke it out for the final spot with Frederik Claesson taking the 7D spot. That’s basically the same blue line, and it’s not intimidating at all.

2. That same blue line is why many think one of the RFA centers remaining –Kevin Hayes, Ryan Spooner– will be traded. It’s a logical statement, but not one that needs to be made before the season starts. Unless there is a trade made, the blue line today will not be fun to watch, aside from maybe a Skjei-Shatty pairing.

3. As for kids that might be able to help next season, I wouldn’t count on it. Ryan Lindgren and Libor Hajek, the two prize acquisitions from the trade deadline purge, are likely to spend at least a little time in the AHL. There is no need to rush them, especially when it might be a major losing season next year. Sean Day is also in this boat. Worth noting that Day is the same age as Lindgren and Hajek.

4. As for that 7D/8D spot, I expect Pionk or Gilmour to get the 6D (DeAngelo as the 5D). The loser in that battle will be sent to the AHL to get playing time. Claesson will be the 7D, and I’d guess Steven Kampfer as the 8D, with Rob O’Gara going to the AHL. That’s my guess, but you never know how it plays out.

5. The roster is certainly intriguing, but I am more intrigued to see how Quinn utilizes them. It goes beyond systems. I’m talking deployment, matchups, and freedom to be a “rover” like Torts uses in Columbus. It’s perhaps the thing I’m most excited about.

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