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New York Rangers Need To Spend To Win

By Adam Savard

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Firmly holding one of the final playoff spots in the Eastern Conference is both good and bad for the New York Rangers.  How much future do you consider giving up for immediate returns?

The New York Rangers will be faced with a difficult decision over the next few weeks.  Though the defending Eastern Conference champions seem headed back to the Stanley Cup playoffs, questions remain about their ability to defend the crown.  With so few teams clearly giving up assets and the price to acquire them seemingly high, there will be tough choices to make on Broadway when adding to the NHL roster for another playoff run.

What positions should the New York Rangers be targeting to improve?  Who would GM Glen Sather part with from the existing roster?  Would he be willing to deal draft picks or prospects to bring in the potential missing piece to the puzzle?  It seems more likely one of the bottom seeds in the Eastern Conference could make a deep playoff run when compared to the West.  Are the Rangers that team?

Let’s take a look at the Rangers position by position and consider the options.

Forwards

The New York Rangers offense is led by Rick Nash with 31 goals but the drop off beyond Nash is massive.  Next on the team in goals is Martin St. Louis with less than half of Nash’s total.  There is balance on the team with five players scoring ten or more goals and another three that appear on the way, which could explain some of the regular season success.  But Nash and St. Louis can’t score all the goals in the playoffs when the defense is going to tighten up and skill players lose space to work.  It’s been suggested the Rangers attempt to find scoring help and if Sather is willing to look within the conference he may find an inexpensive option in Drew Stafford.

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    • The top two centers on the Rangers seem set in Derek Stepan and Derick Brassard so help on the wing would make sense.  However if Sather wants to get deeper down the middle Antoine Vermette in Arizona would be an attractive target.  Both are unrestricted free agents after the season.  Stafford would likely be the cheaper option should the Rangers not want to disturb their prospect pool.

    Defense

    Giving up the fourth fewest goals per game on average, the Rangers appear to be dealing from a position of strength.  Having an elite goaltender in the blue doesn’t hurt but I’ll get to that later.  When looking at special teams the Rangers are 12th in the NHL in both power play and penalty kill.  Not terrible but not exactly the difference in a seven game series.  Going through the defencemen the Rangers are not getting enough production from the back-end with only Kevin Klein standing out with his eight goals.

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    Andrej Sekera seems like he’s been linked to every team in the NHL in the hunt but would be an excellent addition if Sather can pry him away from Carolina.  Another veteran on an expiring contract to consider is Jordan Leopold as Columbus watches their season slip away in a pile of injured humanity.  Zbynek Michalek will also be highly sought after in Arizona.  Considering the Coyotes are in the West that is the most likely trade partner since deadline trades happen across conferences, but will the Rangers meet the asking price?

    Goaltender

    Henrik Lundqvist.  Cam Talbot.  The Rangers are set here.  The only question will be around Talbot as there are several teams looking to upgrade their goaltender.  Is Talbot an NHL starter?  I don’t think this is the time to find that out.  The Rangers are not going to shop him and with so many other options available in the market Talbot is likely not going anywhere.

    Conclusion

    Getting another weapon up front seems to be the way to go for most teams as playoff hockey tends to tighten up and offer fewer chances.  But the Rangers are nearly the top five in goals per game and have the horses to stay with Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay at the top of the conference.  The East is so tight right now the Rangers could easily wind up in the top half of the conference.  With the East deep with offensive talent if the Rangers are going to make one more it needs to be to bring in a defensemen.  Adding depth on the blue line will take some pressure to carry the team in later rounds off of Lundqvist.  If that acquisition can contribute on the score sheet as well, all the better.

    Don’t let the Rangers position in the standings mislead you.  This team is capable of defending their Eastern Conference championship as constructed.  Adding pieces at the deadline – affordable pieces – will help make sure this years Stanley Cup dreams don’t die in the Finals.

    Next: Whom Is Your Team Targeting on March 2nd?

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