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Though the Rangers received an appropriate return for Brady Skjei on Monday in the form of a 2020 first-round pick and were able to free up precious cap space, there’s considerable risk involved.
On the surface, this trade with Carolina makes sense for the Rangers with the long term in mind. The organization has stockpiled promising left-handed defensemen, but the subtraction of Skjei immediately makes the Blueshirts a weaker team just when they were showing signs of a late-season charge.
An 8-2-0 record over the past 10 games demonstrated why the Rangers could be a sneaky, playoff-contending dark horse. Skjei was the Rangers’ most heavily used left-sided defenseman, averaging 20:41 of ice time per game. With the 25-year-old out of the equation, coach David Quinn will have to figure out how to divide up these minutes.
Kevin Hoffman/USA TODAY Images It’s possible that Brendan Smith slides back into the lineup. Like Staal, Smith’s best years are behind him. Alternatively, youngsters Libor Hajek and Yegor Rykov could be recalled from AHL Hartford. Ryan Lindgren could be set for a significantly increased role, but none of these players are legitimate first-pair defensemen. Granted, Skjei was also playing below the standard of a top-pair defenseman.
Whether through handing increased minutes to experienced but past-their-prime blue liners, entrusting youth or some combination of the two, the Rangers do not possess an in-house solution who is ready to step in and lead the left side.
I don’t understand why the Rangers rushed into making this trade while they’re in the thick of the wild-card hunt. If Chris Kreider’s extension was a clear signal of the Rangers’ intent to move from a rebuilding organization to a competitively geared focus, why subtract now?
Understandably, the Rangers needed to find cap room to accommodate new deals for Tony DeAngelo, Ryan Strome, Jesper Fast, Brendan Lemieux and others. That said, why couldn’t Gorton have waited until the summer to find a taker for Skjei’s remaining $5.25 million cap hit that runs through the 2023-24 season? Skjei’s modified no-trade clause doesn’t kick in until the summer of 2021.
Though Skjei has been unable to recapture the form of his breakthrough 2016-17 rookie season, he’s a heck of a lot better than any left-sided defenseman available to Quinn right now. His absence leaves the left side dangerously exposed.
Now that Skjei is a member of the Hurricanes, he is going to have a multipronged impact on the chances of his current and former employers making the playoffs.
As of Tuesday, the Rangers sit six points out of the second wild-card place. The Columbus Blue Jackets (76 points through 64 games) and Carolina (74 points through 61 games) are all that stand between the Blueshirts and a playoff berth. The Islanders currently hold the first wild-card spot, having earned 76 points through 61 games.
Alongside the arrivals of Sami Vatanen and Vincent Trocheck, Skjei can help give the bolstered Canes a shot in the arm and a leg up on their playoff-chasing rivals, including the Rangers.
It wasn’t long ago that Skjei was considered “the next Ryan McDonagh.” Maybe some of his lack of progress falls on his own shoulders, maybe some of the blame can be directed at the Rangers’ coaching staff. Neal Pionk is thriving in Winnipeg, while Jacob Trouba has struggled to replicate his elite standard since arriving at the Garden.
If Skjei settles in nicely and flourishes in his new Carolina surroundings, it’s going to be a bad look for the Rangers. Maybe time will prove the Rangers right. Perhaps, Skjei flattered to deceive in his early years.
But if the Rangers are wrong and Skjei realizes his full potential, the decision to “Skjei goodbye” could haunt the Blueshirts for years to come.