No More Excuses: Can the New York Rangers Finally Solve Their Defensive Problem?
Ranger fans have seen some pretty great offensive firepower over the years, as well as stellar goaltending over the last two decades, but something's missing. It's safe to say one of the most consistent problems with the Blueshirts over the years has been the defense. Although they began the season as one of the best defensive teams in the league, their collapse soon returned the defense to what most Rangers fans had grown accustomed to. Aside from their top pair, the defense still needs significant improvement. It's easy to forgive the defensive younglings on the ice getting the experience they need, though it's really tough to see a future with many of the others playing defense. As the offseason is just a few weeks away, how should the New York Rangers approach retooling their defense?
Outside of the Blueshirts' top defensive pair, the other defensemen haven't been the most fun to watch. You look at a defenseman like Adam Fox, and you wonder how well the others on defense can move the puck like him. Sadly, there's really nobody close to Fox's puck movement by a long shot, which serves as a major issue. To win in the NHL, you need more than one defenseman who can move the puck flawlessly, especially on the power play. It's too early to tell with the rookie defensemen, who seem to be the only ones to have a future with New York, so who does that leave? We have the part of the defense fans enjoy, now it comes to the ones most fans expect not to return.
The remainder of the defense looks to be Braden Schneider, Will Borgen, and Urho Vaakanainen. Schneider is another Ranger that, as of late, has been in trade talks, and while he's still one of the younglings on this Rangers team, his future with New York may be in serious trouble. Borgen had his moments when he first came to the Rangers last season, but he has certainly not been the same since. Vaakanainen, on the other hand, really never seemed to have gotten on most Rangers fans' good side; he certainly won't be here much longer after this season. If the Rangers want to be serious about this retool, they'll need to take the defense as seriously as ever before. Coming off their recent playoff runs, lacking the defense needed to go all the way, there's no excuse not to make defense a top priority.
The only benefit of the Rangers' defense today is that it's helping them land a potential first overall pick. Once the season concludes, most fans would do much better seeing only Adam Fox, Vladislav Gavrikov, Matthew Robertson, and Drew Fortescue remain on their defense. With the free agent market not looking promising this coming offseason, it's the trade market the Rangers must work with to fix this defense. A few more defenseman with some serious puck movement can set this Rangers team up well later on, especially with players like Robertson and Fortescue looking to develop. It's a challenge indeed, but that's just what a successful retool always is. The question remains: is Chris Drury up to the challenge?
