In both the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, New York Rangers’ team president and general manager Chris Drury made big splashes and acquired key forwards at the trade deadline. However, in addition to the star forwards, he acquired two defensive defensemen, trading for Justin Braun (two seasons ago) and Niko Mikkola (last season).
Both Braun and Mikkola ended up playing important roles for the Rangers down the stretch in 2021-22 and 2022-23 and the team should look to target a similar player at the trade deadline this season.
The Importance of Braun and Mikkola
In 2021-22 the Rangers traded for forwards Andrew Copp, Frank Vatrano, and Tyler Motte. They also acquired Braun from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for a third-round pick. At the time, the Rangers had Braden Schneider playing with Patrik Nemeth on their third defense pair.
Though Nemeth struggled in the regular season, then-head coach Gerard Gallant opted to stick with him on their third pair down the stretch in the regular season. When he got the chance to play, Braun played solid defensively and he finished with one goal and one assist in eight regular season games with the Rangers.
In the playoffs, Braun ended up back in the lineup because Ryan Lindgren suffered a lower-body injury in Game 1 of the Rangers’ first-round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Nemeth also stayed in the lineup and he made a few big mistakes. When Lindgren returned for Game 6, Gallant opted to bench Nemeth and continue playing Braun.
Braun stabilized the third defense pair and gave the team solid play in sheltered minutes. He proved to be an upgrade over Nemeth and helped the Rangers come from behind to eliminate the Penguins in seven games and they made a run to the Eastern Conference Final. He finished with one assist in 19 games. The veteran defenseman became an unrestricted free agent after the season and signed with the Flyers.
Last season the Rangers traded for star wingers Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko, and re-acquired Motte. As part of the Tarasenko deal, they received Mikkola. The gritty defenseman improved the team’s third defense pair and he did a nice job filling in on the top defense pair when Lindgren missed five weeks with an upper-body injury.
Mikkola had one goal and two assists in 31 games but his size, reach, and speed made him a very valuable blueliner. He continued to play well in the postseason and had two assists in seven games, but the Rangers lost their first-round series to the rival New Jersey Devils. He became an unrestricted free agent after the season and signed a three-year deal with the Florida Panthers.
The Rangers’ Situation on Defense This Season
The Rangers have a strong group of top-four defensemen which includes Lindgren, Adam Fox, K’Andre Miller, and Jacob Trouba. However, Lindgren has missed time with injuries multiple times over the three seasons, and all four of the defensemen have missed at least two games this season.
While the Rangers’ third defense pair has looked shaky at times over the past two seasons, they have gotten solid play from Schneider as well as Erik Gustafsson, who is signed to a one-year, $825,000 contract. Schneider has size, skates well, and plays with physicality while Gustafsson is a skilled offensive-minded defenseman who has five goals and 21 assists. Zac Jones, another offensive-minded blueliner is their seventh defenseman.
While Gustafsson has played well this season, the veteran blueliner has spent the last five seasons with seven teams and has frequently ended up getting scratched in big games. He has had a few rough games defensively this season and if he struggles in the playoffs, it would help to have a defensive defenseman who could step into the lineup.
Additionally, Jones has yet to prove he deserves to be a starter in the NHL and an injury would likely force him into the lineup with the Rangers’ current roster. That would be a big risk in the postseason.
The Rangers do not need to go after a star but a veteran like Joel Edmundson would be a good addition. The 6-foot-5, 30-year-old blueliner is currently playing for the Washington Capitals and he has one goal and four assists in 42 games while averaging 16:19 in ice time per game. He has played 75 postseason games and won the Stanley Cup with the St. Louis Blues in 2018-19. He has a modified no-trade clause so there is no guarantee he would waive it to join the Blueshirts but an opportunity to play for the first-place team in the Metropolitan Division could convince him. He will be an unrestricted free agent after this season.
Another veteran option for the Rangers is Erik Johnson. The 6-foot-4, 35-year-old defenseman has three goals and no assists in 50 games with the Buffalo Sabres this season. He also has five goals and eight assists in 55 career postseason games and won the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 2021-22. While he is no longer a top-four defenseman, he is still a good penalty-killer and has played fairly well on the third pair this season.
For the Rangers Moving Forward
In 2021-22 Braun ended up playing a big role for the Rangers as did Mikkola last season and both helped stabilize the third defense pair. Edmundson, Johnson, or someone similar could help the Blueshirts this season. While the team currently has glaring needs at right wing and center, they should also look to acquire a defensive defenseman at the trade deadline.
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