What’s Left for the Rangers: 6 Defensemen New York Could Target to Bolster Depth
What’s Left for the Rangers: 6 Defensemen New York Could Target to Bolster Depth
The Rangers don’t need another defenseman, but if they want insurance beyond their NHL roster, these free agents are still on the table.
If you thought it was slim pickings regarding what’s left on the free agent market for forwards, wait until we get into what’s left for defense.
Generally speaking, it’s fair to assume the Rangers have their seven defensemen locked in to their opening night roster. Newly signed Vladislav Gavrikov will accompany Adam Fox on the top pair, the second pair will likely feature Braden Schneider on the left with Will Borgen on the right, and the third pairing will be some combination of Carson Soucy, Urho Vaakanainen and Scott Morrow.
In that sense, the Rangers really don’t need to entertain much else on the open market on defense. However, beyond those seven names, the Rangers only have six defensemen under contract in the entire organization. Yes, there are always guys on AHL contracts and ECHL fill-ins, but similar to the forwards, the Rangers could benefit from at least another signing or two. Beyond the NHL level, here’s what the Rangers have:
Matthew Robertson – Casey Fitzgerald
Connor Mackey – Derrick Pouliot
Jackson Dorrington – Brandon Scanlin
Of those six, only one of them (Fitzgerald) is a right-handed shot defenseman. It’s also not necessarily a sure thing that Morrow has a guaranteed roster spot with the Rangers coming out of training camp.
In that scenario, the Rangers could certainly benefit from signing another defenseman capable of being either a seventh NHL defenseman and/or a top-four AHL defenseman—unless, of course, Matthew Robertson makes the team out of camp and becomes capable of playing in a third pair role.
