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When the New York Rangers traded for Keith Yandle it was thought they were getting a top-line defenseman who could add some life into the power play. Thanks to under-use, it seems as if the Rangers traded a first-round pick and Anthony Duclair for a sixth defenseman.
It isn’t like Yandle’s play has warranted the limited use. He has been arguably the team’s third-best defenseman this season behind Ryan McDonagh and Kevin Klein. However, Alain Vigneault buries Yandle and doesn’t seem to care. Meanwhile, Yandle is headed towards free agency and looks like he will be allowed to walk because there isn’t enough cap room to sign him.
Then there is Marc Staal who is making $5.7 million per year through 2021 and offers less than what Yandle has given the Rangers. Let’s be real here, the Rangers can’t afford to give every defenseman they have on their roster over $5 million per year while they have trouble scoring goals consistently. That is madness.
It is time for GM Jeff Gorton to start to build the Rangers for the present and the future. He needs to make a smart hockey decision and inject some youth into what is now the third-oldest team in the NHL. He needs to get Staal to waive his no movement clause and trade him. Then, since the Rangers appear destined to go nowhere, move Yandle and try to regain some of the future that was traded away to have him ride the bench for most of the game.
The Rangers already have the replacements for Yandle and Staal in Dylan McIlrath and Brady Skjei. Thanks to a precarious cap situation, the Rangers have no choice but to give those two a chance in an effort to free up money to spend elsewhere. With Chris Kreider and Kevin Hayes both becoming restricted free agents after this season, they will also need to figure out if they are worth the money. If they aren’t they need to get talent in return for these players while they can.
Trades must be made. After the loss to the New York Islanders on Thursday night, it is apparent that this Rangers team is nothing more than a tease. There is something missing that previous teams had. Turnovers and defensive lapses are killing this team and change is needed. Right now Yandle is the Rangers’ best trade chip, and there is a team out there willing to take on Staal and his contract if he agrees to a move. The same can be said for forwards Kreider and Hayes.
The Rangers can’t afford to be idle. Losing Yandle to free agency would be a slap in the face to a fanbase that watched the team mortgage a future on a Stanley Cup that doesn’t appear as if it will materialize with this current group. Gorton needs to be proactive, and he can restock the team’s future while remaining competitive if he is smart. It is time to realize that change needs to happen as soon as possible.
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