article: Is Brady Skjei Expendable?

All told, Skjei has played like a supplemental defender capable of playing 20:00 a night and is better suited to the second pairing or as the running mate of an elite top defenseman. He?s a step up from Marc Staal but a slight step down from McDonagh.

 

If Gorton and the rest of the Rangers brass recognize this and don?t believe Skjei can develop into a more elite talent, then being open to moving him now while his value is high would be the smart play. That?s particularly true if the recently acquired Libor Hajek and Yegor Rykov have similar upsides and can fill his role.

Assuming that Skjei isn?t a number one defenseman?shortsighted as that may be?and both Rykov and Hajek turn out to be strong but complimentary players, the Blueshirts will have with three strikingly similar left-handed defensemen. Moving forward, it would be prudent to flip one, namely Skjei, for an elite defender who can serve as the anchor for the group. Without speculating what kind of package it would take to make a move, there are two ways to get the strongest return for Skjei if the target is a defenseman.

 

First, and perhaps most practically, a trade package built with Skjei as a starter might convince the Ottawa Senators to move Erik Karlsson, as they were close to at the deadline, or the Los Angeles Kings to move Drew Doughty if they can?t come to a contract agreement soon. It?s rare that premiere talent, still in their prime, change jerseys but with Karlsson all but gone and Doughty playing on a team trending more towards the lottery than Stanley Cup contention, it?s not inconceivable that one or both could move at next year?s deadline.

https://thehockeywriters.com/brady-skjei-young-deadline-acquisitions/

--

Please don't rage at the title. There's a method to the madness that may not actually be so mad.

This would no doubt be a painful trigger to pull, but Mike (Future) makes a strong case here.

I don't understand this at all.

Why would we trade Skjei for a rental next season...When it's likely we won't be very good and Hajek and Rykov won't even be here so we have no idea what they will be like in the NHL?

The fanbase continues to be fickle and impatient with players. Last year Skjei was being called a stud, this year (after trading McD), he's expendable.

Again, on one on this team should be judged on their performance—This year—during this dumpster fire.

I think Skjei should stay at the Rangers and be given time to develop.

I'm also unsure as to what kind of package including Skjei we could put together that would beat offers the Kings and Sens are likely to have for Doughty and Karlsson.

I see Skjei's peak as current Ryan McDonagh which is to say a great skating/neutralizing 2 way defensemen with limited direct offensive potential.

But with slightly more size.

So if you think Ryan McDonagh is a 1st pairing defenseman in today's NHL, that should give you your answer.

Mike!! Did you or Brooks come up with this idea? :chug: WTF! :confused: No seriously, pull yourself back a step from overthinking this thing.

We have no competent NHL dmen, at least in the top 4, except for one guy. And if you watch the guy you can see he is a good sized, healthy, great skating, talented young fast dman. He's demonstrated he can be strong in all areas on the ice. Be a scout, watch the plays, the abilities, the instincts and various competencies. Don't overreact too far during this dumpster fire where the coach has to go. Do not just view the numbers, analytics and mistakes.

Skjei is more likely to bounce back and have his best year ever, than someone overpaying for him. What is the point of trading Skjei unless we get an overpay.

Or, is this is just about you figuring out a way to bring Karlsson here and Skjei is a critical piece. I'm concerned his ankle/foot may continue to impact his career. Big gamble.

Let's draft a great Dman instead.

Way too early in his development to be making this kind of decision (if he's a #1 or not). I think he's a young guy that has taken on too much responsibility in light of the Rangers struggles this year. He seems to be forcing the game which is not in his comfort zone. I think he settles in as he matures and gets back to playing a more basic style. He might not be an elite 1st pairing D but I think he settles into the role of a sole 1st pairing d-man in the next few years.

Exactly. Absolutely. I should have said that instead. :worship:

Holy cow.

IF Rykov/Hajek are as good as Skjei, then you think about moving him. That's all this says.

Holy cow.

 

IF Rykov/Hajek are as good as Skjei, then you think about moving him. That's all this says.

Will be a few years before we know that perhaps. We will have to be patient with all 3.

Sent from my iPhone using Blueshirts Brotherhood mobile app powered by Tapatalk

Will be a few years before we know that perhaps. We will have to be patient with all 3.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Blueshirts Brotherhood mobile app powered by Tapatalk

I agree with this.

We are loaded with young players, prospects and picks. Why are we so quick to trade them away?

Will be a few years before we know that perhaps. We will have to be patient with all 3.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Blueshirts Brotherhood mobile app powered by Tapatalk

Exactly. Article talks about moving Skjei for a rental next year...We won't know anything about Hajek or Rykov at that point.

Exactly. Article talks about moving Skjei for a rental next year...We won't know anything about Hajek or Rykov at that point.

True.

And even after a they arrive in the NHL, will be at least another year before we have a grasp of their ceiling.

Sent from my iPhone using Blueshirts Brotherhood mobile app powered by Tapatalk

Everyone is expendable for the right deal. The key is getting the right deal. This team severely lacks quality defensemen right now so it would have to be very worthwhile.

Sent from my iPhone using Blueshirts Brotherhood mobile app powered by Tapatalk

Everything hinges on an unknown.

How long does management view the rebuild lasting. If it's going to be 2-3 years before the Rangers will start climbing back up the latter, then that puts Skjei around 27-years-old with a couple years left under contract at the bottom of the team being competitive again. That's a tough spot to be in. He could still have tremendous value, he could be starting the McDonagh slide.

I don't move Skjei for Karlsson unless a new deal for Karlsson has already been negotiated AND the Rangers just signed Tavares as a UFA. Then the rebuild can be over and the team can make some runs with their in-thier-prime stars and a bunch of young players on ELCs filling out important roles.

Ultimately though, this isn't something we can answer today. Mike's article is food for thought moving forward though.

I agree with this.

 

We are loaded with young players, prospects and picks. Why are we so quick to trade them away?

It's an article for the purpose of starting a conversation about potential future (no pun intended) scenarios. In no way, shape, or form is it a campaign to trade Skjei as soon as possible...

It's an article for the purpose of starting a conversation about potential future (no pun intended) scenarios. In no way, shape, or form is it a campaign to trade Skjei as soon as possible...

While I understand what you?re saying, saying that he could be traded for Karlsson contradicts that.

True.

And even after a they arrive in the NHL, will be at least another year before we have a grasp of their ceiling.

Right, and it goes further than that. It still takes a few years to be a #1 LD. Then, a team can take another year having two #1 LD's, until maybe being forced to start exploring moving someone. By then Skjei may have become a #1, but slips back to #2.

It requires too many assumptions to concern ourselves with, at this time. I'd prefer to wait till I have this good problem of two #1 anythings. Then ya milk your Malkin/Crosby Murray/Fluery situation until you need to change. And so what if we have 3 high caliber NHL dmen on the team, eventually. We need 5 or 6.

Why? Next years deadline is in fact a future scenario with many possibilities. Rykov will have another year in the KHL under his belt, Hajek will have almost a year in Hartford under his belt, and you have 5 months worth of an NHL season to see how Karlsson and Skjei respond after 'subpar' seasons this year.

So here's a scenario - Rykov plays his way into the top 4 on the best team in the KHL, Hajek is the best defender on the Pack, and Skjei doesn't rebound from a sophomore slump. Where do you go from there? That's the conversation.

If Skjei has an as good or better year than his rookie campaign, proving he can be the top pairing guy we were hoping for, then I'd assume Future would be against trading him.

In that scenario, we still know very little about Hajek and Rykov.

Even after they both are in the NHL, we still have to be careful to assume too much from their rookie years. Neither will be playing top line minutes or situations.

As i mentioned before, it may be 2-3 years before we have a grasp of what they are.

Sent from my iPhone using Blueshirts Brotherhood mobile app powered by Tapatalk

Right, and it goes further than that. It still takes a few years to be a #1 LD. Then, a team can take another year having two #1 LD's, until maybe being forced to start exploring moving someone. By then Skjei may have become a #1, but slips back to #2.

 

It requires to many assumptions to concern ourselves with, at this time. I'd prefer to wait till I have this good problem of two #1 anythings. Then ya milk your Malkin/Crosby Murray/Fluery situation until you need to change. And so what if we have 3 NHL caliber dmen on the team eventually. We need 5 or 6.

The whole point of the article is the assumptions. It's not about concern and making a trade right this minute. It's talking about options. What else will there be to talk about from mid April to draft day, but for prospects and assumptions on how good they'll be?