Offseason Outlook: Rangers need defensive overhaul

With the offseason underway for a number of teams and the remainder to join them in a few weeks, we're looking at what's in store for each club in the coming months.

2016-17 Grade: B-

One would think a 102-point regular season would be worth more than a wildcard postseason berth, but that wasn't the case for the Rangers in 2016-17.

Ironically, New York's path through the Eastern Conference playoffs benefited from lower seeding, but a six-game elimination at the hands of the underdog Ottawa Senators in the second round wrapped the Rangers' campaign in disappointment, as they closed out another season with failed Stanley Cup aspirations.

The Rangers employed a high-powered offense and had Henrik Lundqvist in goal, but, going forward, their aging D corps - which was ultimately New York's undoing when it counted - clouds the legitimacy and longevity of their championship window.

Free Agents

Only Mika Zibanejad's contract is pressing, but New York has several contracts to depth forwards to address.

Magnus Hellberg played just two games for the Rangers last season, spending the majority of his season with the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack.

2017 Draft Picks

For the first time since 2012, New York possesses a first-round pick. However, they'll have to wait until round four to make another selection, barring a trade.

Summer Priorities

1. Sign Zibanejad

Zibanejad's first season on Broadway was limited to 56 games due do a broken fibula suffered in November, but the 24-year-old Swede managed 37 points, and added nine more in 12 postseason contests.

Acquired last summer from the Senators for Derick Brassard and a seventh-round pick, Zibanejad proved he's worthy of being a top-six center in the NHL, and is due a raise. A player of his caliber (0.61 points per game over his last three seasons) can feasibly fetch around $4 million in today's market, and that's certainly a reasonable cap hit given his production.

Zibanejad missing 26 games may have saved the Rangers some money this summer, but rewarding one of their top offensive players appropriately is a must.

2. Buyout Dan Girardi or Marc Staal

(Photo Courtesy: Getty Images)

It isn't going to be easy, but the Rangers need to move on from one of their veteran blue-liners to free up cap space, and ultimately ice a better roster.

Both Girardi and Staal own no-movement clauses, meaning exposure to Vegas is out of the picture. If general manager Jeff Gorton could actually find a suitor for either of their egregious contracts, the player would have to be willing to waive their NMC in order to facilitate a trade.

The only other option is a buyout, and while it would be a tough pill to swallow for cap purposes, both Girardi (33) and Staal (30) have seen a steady decline in productivity. The duo looked out of place and slow in the postseason, and the stay-at-home style that earned them both long-term contracts is working its way out of the sport.

Buying out Girardi would cost the Rangers a portion of his cap hit on the books as dead money for six seasons, while Staal's exit would cost New York for eight years. Biting the bullet might be the only way to upgrade.

3. Trade big offensive name for top defenseman

Should Gorton go ahead and execute the idea above, the next step should be orchestrating a deal to bring in a top-four defender at the cost of a prominent forward, which could greatly help the balance of his roster.

You get what you give, and the Rangers have some bait to dangle to teams looking to improve up front, namely Rick Nash and Derek Stepan.

Nash might not be the 40-goal man he used to be, but he's fully capable of filling a top six role on the wing. He'd have to waive a no-trade clause, and his $7.8-million cap hit might scare some teams away, but with only one season left on his contract, a match could be out there.

Stepan, meanwhile, has four more seasons on his current deal, owning a cap hit of $6.5 million with a no-trade clause. The 26-year-old pivot has a career points per game of 0.7 and routinely matches up against the opposition's top lines. There's always a market for that type of player.

2017-18 Outlook

The bottom line, frankly, for the Rangers is simple: they're good, but not quite good enough.

However, improving the blue line with younger, more mobile bodies - even at the expense of a top attacker - is a worthwhile risk if New York plans on accomplishing more than winning just one playoff round in 2017-18.

It will take roster tinkering, but if executed properly, the Rangers can definitely compete in the East, and take a few more shots at earning a Stanley Cup with Lundqvist still in the picture.

Offseason Outlook Series

COL | VAN | NJD | ARI | BUF
DET | DAL | FLA | LAK | CAR
WPG | PHI | TBL | NYI | WSH
TOR | CGY | BOS | SJS | OTT
STL | NYR | EDM | MTL | ANA
MIN | CBJ | CHI | PIT | NAS
LGK