New York Rangers' Need for Defensive Help Exposed vs. Islanders and Maple Leafs

Who thought the New York Rangers and their fans would be missing Anton Stralman this much into the season? I would venture to say that number is less than 40 percent, but after two back-to-back lackluster performances, the Blueshirts’ decision to let Stralman go looms large.

The Rangers headed into last season with two major defenders set to hit free agency. One was Dan Girardi, who later signed a six-year deal worth $5.5 million a season, and the other was Stralman. The Rangers opted not to retain Stralman, who went to the Tampa Bay Lightning on a five-year deal that pays his $4.5 million a season.

With Girardi locked up and Kevin Klein on the roster, it was assumed that the Rangers wouldn't need Stralman. Klein was a steady defender in Nashville, so it was thought the same could be true in New York.

In terms of defensive assumptions, the opposite has been the case for the Rangers thus far, as the team has given up six goals in each of the last two games. It is clear that the blue line needs some major help, but it may be for the long term as opposed to just the interim.

Larry Brooks addressed this in a column for the New York Post, and his words are much more meaningful after watching the Rangers' last two games.

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The Rangers are in the market for a defenseman to at least help them survive the absence of Dan Boyle for up to six weeks with the broken hand he sustained blocking a shot in Thursday’s 3-2 victory in St. Louis, The Post has learned. But there are slim pickings out there at the moment and so for now, the Blueshirts must make do with what they have on the roster and within the organization

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The blue line has been the team's biggest weakness so far into the 2014-15 season. The one theme that has remained a constant is defense, or a lack thereof. During the Rangers’ last two games, against the Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Islanders repeated simple mistakes drastically burned them, and the team’s overall depth on defense has been exposed mightily.

Henrik Lundqvist was shaky against the Leafs, and that didn't help matters, but the defense was still less than stellar.

One turnover or poor read usually won't cost a team a game. Repeating the same type of turnover or mistake will, and that has been the bane of the Rangers' existence thus far in Gotham.

It is abundantly clear that the Rangers need defensive help, and it is not only because of an injury to Dan Boyle. The Rangers do not have a set future on defense, and the players currently signed to be backups have looked rather shaky early on.

Prospects like Brady Skjei are still a year or two away, and the Rangers can't afford to take the wait-and-see approach.

The team's weakness on defense has been exacerbated by the fact that injuries have forced defenders like Klein to play out of position, and while he's a solid bottom-pairing defender, he isn't a quality second-pairing blueliner.

Klein has been moved up to the second pairing, and he has looked out of place over the last few games. The biggest mistake he has made came in the form of an own goal against the Islanders, and it was a situation in which he was playing against competition over his pay grade. 

With Klein on the second pairing occupying bigger minutes, Matt Hunwick and Michael Kostka have filled his place. Both are not equipped to hold down that role for an extended period, and that was revealed during Tuesday's game against the Islanders.

Kostka had two horrendous giveaways that arguably cost the Rangers a chance at winning, and it was just one obvious example of the team's weakness on defense.

Matt Hunwick will likely replace Kostka for the team's next game, but he isn't a viable option for an extended period as well. Things would be a bitter better for the Rangers if Boyle were healthy, but even with him in the lineup, there is reason to believe that this team needs major work on the back end. 

When healthy, the Rangers have Ryan McDonagh, a stud on the top pair with Girardi who has proved to be a decent defender during the regular season. Free agent-to-be Marc Staal is an anchor on the second pair, and Boyle, once he returns, will be his partner. 

No matter how you slice it, it is troublesome because there are a lot of question marks surrounding three of the team's top four defenders.

Question one: Will Staal be back next season? Question two: Can Girardi play like defender he has shown he is capable of being? Question three: What will Boyle add?

Girardi only becomes an issue if he doesn't live up to his former glory. If he doesn't, it will be constantly mentioned that the Rangers chose to pay him over Stralman. He is a serviceable top-four defender who can be counted on in the long run.

Secondly, based on the team's current state of affairs defensively, I can't see how the Rangers let Staal walk. He is a very good defender, and if they let him go and test free agency, it will be a mistake worse than getting rid of Stralman.

He was the team's top defender before suffering multiple injuries, and there's a chance he could get back to the level he was at back in 2010-11. If only he were right-handed, the Rangers would be in better shape.

Moving on to the Rangers' acquisition over the summer, while the addition of Boyle should ultimately help the Blueshirts' offensive game from the back end, he is only a temporary addition.

He is an elder statesman of the NHL who will be with the Rangers for two years. There is a chance that he could regress during the next couple of seasons, and that puts the Rangers in a tough spot because there is no right-handed stud-prospect defender on the way.

That makes the decision to let Stralman go even more painful, because he would have bought the Rangers some time. The Blueshirts have Dylan McIlrath in the system, but during limited stints with the team, he hasn't lived up to the hype of being a No. 10 overall pick. He could prove to be a steady third-pairing defender, but that remains to be seen.

The last defender to mention in the lineup is John Moore, and as Brooks pointed out in his column, it is troublesome that he hasn't improved since joining the Rangers. He had a rough training camp, and it will be interesting to see if he is moved out of the lineup at some point.

Jamie Sabau/Getty Images

What is clear is that the Rangers need to have another top-four defender on the payroll. Adding another defenseman of that caliber would solidify the second pairing until Boyle returns, and it would create more depth when the Rangers' offensive defender ultimately returns to the lineup.

The Rangers were at their best when there was competition on the back end, as Stralman started out as an extra defender who moved his way into the lineup. The stiff competition at the forward position has yielded some nice results, and that is something the Rangers would like to see happen with their blue line.

There are not many options via free agency, so maybe general manager Glen Sather should consider dealing some of his forward depth.

The Rangers got off to a horrendous start last season and still made it to the Stanley Cup Final, but that was because of a lack of execution on the part of the players on the roster.

The Blueshirts' issues thus far are a result of a lack of the requisite pieces on defense, and that's something that could burn them over the next few weeks if it isn't addressed. The team's offense has done OK without Derek Stepan. Rick Nash is scoring goals and others have impressed, but the team's inability to play solid defense and keep the puck out of the net has been the issue.

McDonagh can only log so many minutes each night, so it is up to Sather at this point to help stop the bleeding on defense. The longer he waits, the further the Rangers could fall in the standings, and regaining ground could be difficult in a new and improved division.