Don’t count the New York Rangers out of the mix for Blues Shattenkirk

Jun 21, 2016
Shattenkirk (STL)

Shattenkirk (STL)

Yesterday marked the first day of Summer. It also marked an eventful day around the NHL. Despite officially moving into the offseason, there is just as much hockey talk and hockey action happening around the NHL with every single team in the mix for potentiall trades with the draft right around the corner.

Yesterday the Anaheim Ducks traded Fredrik Anderson to the Toronto Maple Leafs, but more importantly for Rangers fans, the New York Rangers traded rights to Keith Yandle to the Florida Panthers for a 2016 6th-round pick (and a 2017 conditional 4th-round pick, if he signs with Fl). With that being said, the Rangers have just lost arguably their best defenseman of the 2015-16 season and are now more than ever in need of another defenseman on the Blue Line.

The hockey rumors have been proliferating in the last two days. There has been increasing talk about Rick Nash potentially being traded to Anaheim for defenseman Cam Fowler, which I personally wouldn’t oppose. There has also been talk about Kevin Shattenkrik most likely leaving the Blues, with the Bruins and Oilers at the top of the list for interest in the 27-year-old.

 

However, could the New York Rangers be a conceivable darkhorse in the battle for Kevin Shattenkirk? I think it’s a definite possibility.

The Rangers are in desperate need of rebuilding their team, especially on the defensive end of the ice. The Rangers should focus on expanding their youth for future seasons, however, I still believe 27-year-old Shattenkirk could be a really good fit for a team like the New York Rangers. Shattenkirk is known to be an accomplished puck moving defenseman, which could especially benefit the Rangers after losing Keith Yandle, who was also a puck-moving defenseman.

shattenkirk 2

Shattenkirk registered 14 goals and 44 points in 72 games for the Blues, and was just as reliable in the postseason with 2 goals and 11 points after 20 games. That included taking out the reigning Stanley Cup Champions, the Chicago Blackhawks. Shattenkirk excels at the transition game and has also been productive on the power play, being a tough body to handle at the point. As Rangers fans, we would all like the power play to look somewhat decent next season.

In addition, Shattenkirk  is believed to want to play for the Rangers in the future and his favorite player growing up was Brian Leetch. With Yandle and Nash most likely leaving the Blueshirts, this frees space for the respected defenseman, who has a $4.25 million salary cap next season. He could potentially save the New York Rangers current crisis on defense this year and in the future.

 

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