dylan mcilrath

Per Larry Brooks, the Rangers appear to be seeking a trade partner for defenseman Dylan McIlrath. McIlrath has been a bit of a polarizing player since his draft year, and by no fault of his own. The Rangers passed on Vladimir Tarasenko and Cam Fowler to pick McIlrath as their project pick. A brutal knee injury hurt McIlrath’s already weak skating, which lengthened his development time.

He’s never going to be the quickest guy, the one that can chase down the opposition from behind. But his skating is phenomenally improved since as recently as last year. He’s significantly more agile, moving from side to side with relative ease. He’s also found ways around his skating pitfalls with great positioning and stick work.

McIlrath and Adam Clendening appeared to be in a fight for the last spot, even if they didn’t need to be. McIlrath’s numbers are solid enough that he earned a spot on the bottom-pair. At the very least, McIlrath is an upgrade on some of the other defensemen on the roster. This is a puzzling move for a team that had a great offseason.

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