Why Rangers should consider Daxon Rudolph with No. 5 pick in draft, but there’s catch
Assuming that the top forward prospects — wings Gavin McKenna and Ivar Stenberg, and center Caleb Malhotra — are off the board by time the New York Rangers are on the clock with the No. 5 overall selection in this year’s NHL Draft, there’s a good chance the Blueshirts land one of the blue-chip defensemen still available.
Most mock drafts have defenseman Chase Reid going at No. 2 to the San Jose Sharks. That would leave a pair of left-shots — Carson Carels and Alberts Smits — and righties Keaton Verhoeff and Daxon Rudolph — there for the Rangers at No. 5.
Momentum is building for Carels, an extremely well-rounded defenseman from the Western Hockey League, to be that pick for the Rangers. Verhoeff also remains a popular option, and Smits might just be the most pro-ready option considering he played against men all season, including at the Milan-Cortina Olympics for Latvia and in the Finnish and German professional ranks.
Then there’s Rudolph, perhaps the best pure talent offensively among blueliners in this draft. He’s also drawing less attention than the others. Prospect expert Steven Ellis of Daily Faceoff isn’t so sure that Rudolph should be overlooked by anyone, much less the Rangers at No. 5.
“It was hard for any defender to stand out in a draft class packed with quality blueliners. But nobody ended the season on a hotter run than Rudolph,” Ellis pointed out in a recent article.
“Rudolph was an all-situations defender for [Prince Albert in the WHL], averaging over 24 minutes a night. He also had a 5-on-5 Corsi-for percentage of 61 percent throughout the whole season, meaning the puck typically made its way into the offensive zone with him on the ice Rudolph has one of the best shots of any defenseman in this class, which is why he just missed out on an incredible 30 goals as a draft-eligible defender. Rudolph makes it his mission to get the puck on his stick every shift. He loves impacting the game at a high pace and can make high-danger opportunities appear out of thin air.”
The 18-year-old tied for the WHL postseason lead with 27 points and 18 assists. In the regular season, Rudolph led Prince Albert with 78 points and 50 assists in 68 games. He also scored 28 goals, which was tops among all first-year draft-eligible players in the WHL, as were his 78 points.
“Rudolph probably has the highest offensive upside,” Everett Silvertips broadcaster Casey Bryant told Forever Blueshirts when comparing Rudolph to the other top defensemen in the draft. “He’s got a heavy shot.”
Daxon Rudolph fits bill as puck-moving defenseman Rangers desire
You might recall that Rangers coach Mike Sullivan stated at breakup day his desire that the team add a puck-moving defenseman this offseason. Right now, Adam Fox is the only defenseman on Broadway who stands out in that role. Carels, Smits, Reid, and Verhoeff each would help fill that void in the bigger picture. But Rudolph has the chance to be special in that regard.
Now, of course, the Rangers could consider Rudolph a bit of a redundancy on the back end. Like Fox, he plays the right side and projects as a highly-skilled offensive defenseman who drives play, though probably doesn’t have as well-rounded a game as Fox.
But keep this in mind. Fox has three years remaining on his contract. And there’s no one in New York’s pipeline that projects to be an elite puck mover who can play the right side of the top pair, and run the top power-play unit. Rudolph would be just turning 22 in that time frame.
If Fox re-ups with the Rangers, that’s two terrific puck-moving d-men on the right side. That doesn’t stink. If Fox departs, the heir apparent is in place.
Also, as Ellis points out, “More importantly, though, Rudolph is a sound defender. He’s particularly loved by scouts for his exceptionally calm demeanor under pressure. Rudolph possesses excellent gap control and anticipates plays at speed, even against top competition. Rudolph uses a highly active stick to force opponents to the outside to take space away, and then has a big 6-foot-2, 205-pound frame to push guys around.”
Daxon Rudolph could be ‘special defenseman’ for Rangers or any other NHL team
Ellis’ take on Rudolph’s defensive game goes against the grain of what many draft experts say. But there’s no doubt Rudolph does have good size and he did accumulate 75 penalty minutes this season, so he wasn’t exactly being pushed around.
However, there’s part of the rub for Bryant. Despite his great playoff run, Bryant saw in Rudolph a player who was easily thrown off his game by physical play in the WHL Final against Everett. In fact, Rudolph landed a one-game suspension for leveling Everett forward Carter Bear out of frustration near the end of Game 2 of that best-of-7 series, won by Everett in five. Rudolph finished with four assists in four games.
“I think he’s someone where the game came easy all year, and when the game finally didn’t come easy, I think that some of the body language was a little weird, that’s all that I’ll say,” Bryant shared.
He added that Rudolph has some “maturing to do do.”
However, Bryant did say, “If he gets a little bit tougher and adds a little bit more of an edge to his game, he’s going to be a special defenseman. If the Rangers got him at five, I would not complain at all.”
No prospect is perfect. Warts can be found in pretty much anyone the Rangers consider with the No. 5 pick this year. But Rudolph shouldn’t be overlooked. Whether selected by the Rangers or not with the fifth overall selection, Rudolph merits serious consideration.
