So right after the 2014-15 season ended, I said I would be making posts about each Rangers player, the year they had, and their future. While this isn’t Klein’s post, I did want to address part of his situation now. It is a no brainer that the Rangers should move Kevin Klein. Hell, it should have been done 3 months ago with his value at an all-time high. The reason is two-fold: cap space and depth. And the two really go hand in hand.

For starters, the Rangers blue line is absolutely packed for next season and the forseeable future. The current top six defensemen, Mac, Girardi, Staal, Yandle, Boyle, Klein, are all locked in for next year and all but Boyle and Yandle have multiple years left. In addition to that, the Rangers have substantial depth in the farm system; guys like Connor Allen and Dylan McIlrath are bound to get a shot next year during training camp, Ryan Graves should be moving his way through the system, and young Brady Skjei being deemed NHL ready by certain members of the Rangers community. In addition to those names, there are reports that say the Rangers have an interest in CBJ draftee free agent Mike Reilly. In the unlikely case he signs, that’s eleven defensemen the Rangers will have for next year and thereafter. And don’t forget the possibility Sather tries and bring back Hunwick, cap permitting.

The forward situation on the other hand is a lot more tenuous. Stepan, Hagelin, Fast, and Miller all need to be resigned. Right there is 1/3rd of the Rangers top 12 forwards, and Martin St. Louis really shouldn’t be back come the 2015-16 season which mean he’ll need to be resigned or replaced. While I fully expect Ryan Bourque and Oscar Lindberg to be on the pro roster this October, we don’t have enough farm depth to let any of those 4 current guys go. It was apparent this year how much of a hit our depth took after losing guys like Brian Boyle, Pouliot, Dorsett and Carcillo last offseason. After moving Duclair for Yandle and with Buchnevich poised for another year overseas, there aren’t many in-house options for the Rangers should we lose any of the players named above.

So doesn’t the logical move seem to be move a defenseman? If we have defensemen to move, it makes more sense than holding onto all of them at the risk of losing a top 12 forward or two.

For an idea of Skjei’s upside, here’s a quote from Blueshirt Banter’s prospect report from January:

At Minnesota, one of the top college teams in the country, Skjei has consistently been arguably the team’s best player. One goal and five points don’t back that up, but he’s the textbook definition of a shutdown defenseman. Very much like McDonagh. He can skate with anyone you throw at him. Once lanky and questioned on his work ethic, Skjei is now built like a horse and knocks players off the puck with ease. His outlet passes are precise. He gets the puck on net. His hockey IQ is through the roof. His mistakes are rare.

And for those curious, McDonagh’s CF% in his rookie year was a 50.9%, better than Klein’s this year. So if Skjei can even come close to that, given sheltered 3rd pairing minutes, Skjei will be able to grow into the NHL as the season goes on.

I know what many of you are thinking, how does replacing Klein with an unproven defenseman make us any better? Theres no guarantee Skjei or McIlrath or Allen will improve this team. But there’s also no way to be sure that they will make this team worse. And in the case of switching Klein out for Skjei it makes us unbalanced with lefty and righty shots. While important, I don’t think it’s an excuse to let Skjei’s talent go to waste in the AHL if he proves to be NHL ready in camp. And in the case that Hunwick resigns, we have a guy who we do know can be as good if not better than Klein. Matt Hunwick had a 53.0% CF this year, Klein 48.9%. In the playoffs Hunwick was a 52.0% and Klein a 46.5%. For you eye test fans, Hunwick even looked better in the Pittsburgh series than Klein did at any point during the last 2 rounds. Klein scored twice from 12/21 on in 50 games played including playoffs, Hunwick scored the same amount during that span in 36 games played including playoffs. Which isn’t really a surprise, no one expected Klein to keep up that blistering shooting rate he had going at the start of the year. Yes, give Klein credit, he scored some big goals for us (New Jersey, Pittsburgh, the Islanders). I love Klein as a player, especially considering all we had to give up for him was del Zotto. But what this shows is that Klein is expendable.

Which leads me to the salary cap issue. Do you hold onto a player who is making $3mil per when you could replace him with an equally reliable player making a fraction of that? The cap space we have is better off being used to lock up areas of need in the form of Stepan, Hagelin, Fast, and Miller. A lot of the fan base loves Klein but that’s because all the remember is the Klein they saw from the beginning of the season. And for those who want Boyle to be traded instead, that would be harder to sell. For starters, Boyle’s contract comes off the books next season. Moving Klein gives us long-term cap space rather than just freeing up for next year. And if you want to compare production:

Klein: 48.9% CF in the regular season, 46.5% CF in the playoffs, 2 goals in 50 games after December 21st including playoffs

Boyle: 52.6% CF in the regular season, 56.3% CF in the playoffs, 10 goals in 70 games after December 21st including playoffs

For the goal rates to be the same, Klein would have needed to score 7 in his 50 games. He clearly didn’t come close. And for those who want to cite the eye test, go back and show me at which parts of the playoffs Klein looked better than Boyle. If you’re even able to make the case that Boyle and Klein are even with the eye test, standard stats and advanced stats are in favor of Boyle and it’s not even close.

McDonagh, Staal, and Yandle aren’t getting moved. Boyle still provides production for this team. Girardi is going to be a lot harder to move than Klein is. The only way the Rangers can free up cap space to keep the offense together and make room for young, cheap defensemen is to move a current blue liner. And it’s pretty clear Kevin Klein is by far the best choice.

Block quote from Blueshirt Banter, stats from ESPN and Hockey Reference, photo from the New York Post (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)