Why The Rangers Need To Re-sign John Moore
On April 3, 2013, the New York Rangers dealt Marian Gaborik and two minor-league defensemen to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for John Moore, Derick Brassard, Derek Dorsett, and a 2014 sixth-round draft pick. In the following hours, Moore got to New York quick enough to be inserted into the lineup for their upcoming game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Which was a “Wednesday-night Rivalry” game featured on the NBCSN.
New York blew out the Penguins, winning by a score of 6-1 and Moore notched his first goal of the season and first as a Blueshirt after his shot from the left side boards beat Marc-Andre Fleury.
That’s one way to introduce yourself.
Now here we are in September of 2014. Training camps are scheduled to start in just a few weeks and all of the Rangers RFA’s are accounted for except for one lone Ranger (no pun intended) and that is Moore. The 23-year old defenseman is still waiting on a new deal, and it may be very difficult to get one, considering that the Rangers only have $1.3 million left in cap space.
With that being said, it is very clear the Glen Sather will once again have to work his magic to keep Moore in a Rangers uniform. Although, if another team really wanted Moore, he would have been offered a contract already. So that should bring some comfort to fans. But it is vital that Moore remains a Ranger, because he fits in well with a defense that has already been successful. He is one of the few that have some offensive skill and flair as Ryan McDonagh is getting there but isn’t quite at the level yet. Dan Boyle brings veteran leadership and offensive qualities that will prove helpful to New York over the course of an 82-game season.
So, the main reason why the Rangers need to re-sign Moore is because he possesses skills that are very limited within the Rangers back-line and in a modern league where offensive-defensemen are needed, Moore must remain a Ranger.
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