Once Formidable, Rangers defense needs big change

For seemingly as long as we can remember, the New York Rangers have been a team that relied heavily on a defense-first mantra. Then again, it’s easy to do that when the team possessed a pair of the best defensive defensemen in the game playing in front of one of the best netminders in the game.

But heading into this summer, the defensive end of the spectrum is shaping up to be the one with the most questions. And right now, there are far more questions than there are answers.

The biggest and most talked-about problem revolves around Keith Yandle. Aside from Ryan McDonagh, he is the best defenseman on the Ranger roster and easily the best offensive defenseman on the roster. His contract expires this season and he is due to cash in on a deservedly large free agent contract.

Given the rumors of a declining salary cap and the Rangers being both tight against the cap and needing to give extensions to key younger players, it seems all but certain that Yandle will play out his deal and walk off to greener pastures come summer.

That would enough were it not for 39-year-old Dan Boyle’s plans to retire after this season. Granted, he’s not the defenseman he was in Tampa Bay and San Jose, but he’s admirably filling a top six role at the moment. With his and Yandle’s departures, that’s a third of the top six gone.

And that doesn’t even touch the real problem.

The real problem appears to be to fixtures on the blue line that are both signed for the foreseeable future and at hefty prices. Top four defensemen Dan Girardi and Marc Staal have both seen a noticeable drop in their play this season, though both have dealt with health issues for a significant portion of the season.

If both are experiencing a decline in their play — which is a problem given that neither player is much for the offensive end of the ice — it can be catastrophic given their contracts. Both are signed through 2019-20, with Staal commanding a $5.7 million cap hit and Girardi registering at $5.5 million.

Girardi is already on the wrong side of 30 and Staal is right behind him at 29. Obviously, bailing on both of them is a knee-jerk reaction and not a likely proposition unless someone comes out of left field with an offer the Rangers did not see coming.

So what are the Rangers to do?

Well, there’s good news. Boyle’s spot is replaceable and it can be done cheaply. Top prospect Brady Skjei, who has already received a few call-ups this season, seems ready to take over his spot in the top six. He’s head-strong, a quality skater and shows good potential.

But what about the issue of Yandle and the declining pillars? Well, the Rangers should attempt to shop both aggressively in hopes of moving one of them. Girardi is the preferable move as his decline has been far more apparent this season and the knee troubles he dealt with this season aren’t to be dealt with lightly, especially for a defenseman over 30.

Ideally, the Rangers can move him — and getting perhaps a B-level prospect plus a couple of mid-round picks would be a coup — so that they may use his cap space to lock up Yandle. Yandle > Girardi every day of the week.

Will that happen? Probably not. The Rangers have had a lot of success behind Girardi, so they may not be as willing to panic about his performance in 2015-16. Not only that, but moving his contract is always the most difficult portion of an endeavor like this.

Either way, there are changes coming on the defensive end for the Rangers. And it will be interesting to see just how the defense looks after all is said and done.