NHL Insider confirms the New York Rangers are desperately searching for a top defenseman

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Hunter Bowman
November 21, 2024 (11:59 PM)

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The New York Rangers need help on the defensive side of things, and with speculation that Jacob Trouba could be gone at the end of the season, they'll need help.

The Rangers currently own a 12-5-1 record in the NHL following a tough loss to the Calgary Flames, clearly proving they have glaring issues across the lineup.

Senior Writer Dan Rosen of NHL.com thinks they'll be in the market for a shutdown defenseman.

General manager Chris Drury may need to consider adding a physical, shot-blocking defenseman with strong puck-handling skills. Rosen writes:

I do think the Rangers need more of a shot-blocking, bruising presence on their back end; a reliable, predictable defenseman who can eat some minutes and some pucks, be smart when he gets it and has a solid enough first pass to help with exiting the defensive zone. That might be on general manager Chris Drury's shopping list as we get closer to the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline on March 7, but for now the Rangers have to be better at everything I mentioned above.

Who would the Rangers target if that is the kind of physical presence they need?

Honestly, no players on the list of the top 2025 NHL Free Agents could fit that description.

But they could return to Winnipeg to bring back, someone like Neal Pionk?

18. Neal Pionk - Jets
Neal Pionk is on fire to start the season. In 16 games, the right-shot defenseman has three goals to go along with 17 points. If he keeps this kind of production up, he could land himself a very nice payday this offseason.

The Rangers have been a turnover machine recently and need the help sooner rather than later:

Rosen points out that turnovers have plagued the team, most notably in their recent 6-3 loss to the Winnipeg Jets, where several goals came from turnovers. The Rangers' struggles with zone exits are evident and the team relies too heavily on Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick to make big saves. This kind of success is unsustainable.

They could look to Montreal and David Savard who has seen success after leaving Columbus and winning a cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning. They could also be looking at Erik Karlsson from the Pittsburgh Penguins has several rumours has surfaced that he's on the trade block.

Or they could look at Cody Ceci, or Dante Fabbro who are also available once free agency hits.

But for now, they should consider their moves, the likely cost ahead, and how it'll impact their future, regarding Igor Shesterkin too.