Lindgren set to bring snarl, but which defenseman sits
Ryan Lindgren is ready to bring the battle level David Quinn has been asking to see for weeks now. The 21 year old left handed defenseman is very likely to make his season debut tonight. The Rangers should be scratching a left defenseman, but the question is which one.
Marc Staal
If you ask most Rangers fans, this would be the one they would like to see scratched. Marc Staal has regressed mightily over the years and is the team’s worst defenseman for giving up shots to the opposition. He ranks third on the team in minutes to Jacob Trouba and Brady Skjei, which means he’s not facing the other teams top lines but still unable to suppress the opposition.
The bottom line is that Staal is not only the senior defenseman, he’s a senior Ranger period. He and Henrik Lundqvist have been here the longest and Quinn loves him. He won’t be scratched.
Libor Hajek
The rookie is a prime candidate to sit, simply because he is a rookie. He has played the least amount of minutes of all 6 defenders and is only slightly better than Staal in shot suppression. However, the fact that he has been playing with Jacob Trouba could be his saving grace, at least for tonight.
Brady Skjei
Statistically, Skjei is 2nd on the team in CF% and 2nd best to Adam Fox at giving up shots. Still of all the defenseman that has drawn the ire of David Quinn the most, it is Brady. The coach believes Skjei can be better and will likely send a message to him tonight in favor of Lindgren.
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