The kid played in the most important games for the Rangers last season, so of course there were high expectations for Brady Skjei coming into training camp.

But with a roster spot seemingly set aside for him, the 22-year-old defenseman has deflated the hype a little bit, struggling through the early parts of preseason along with a few other members of the blueline corps. He knows his game isn’t up to snuff quite yet, and that could be a problem for the Blueshirts if it doesn’t get better.

“It’s three games in, so everyone is trying to get used to each other, the systems, and make an impression,” Skjei told The Post after his best preseason game yet, a 3-2 overtime loss to the Islanders on Tuesday night at Barclays Center when he almost won it with a breakaway in the extra period. “It’s definitely a little different than the regular season or the playoffs. So, I’m getting better every day.”

Skjei played down the stretch for the Rangers at the end of last regular season and in all five games against the Penguins in the first round of the postseason, losing quickly to the eventual Stanley Cup champions. He showed off his terrific skating ability, along with some offensive instincts and poise in his own end.

The intensity is obviously different in training camp and preseason, but Skjei wasn’t trying to use that as an excuse for his slow start.

“I think there is definitely room for improvement,” Skjei said. “You can’t expect to be at your best the first few games of preseason. So I’m more confident that I played well [Tuesday], moved the puck and used my feet. Get better every day, that’s my goal.”

It’s left some big questions for coach Alain Vigneault, who had penciled Skjei in for a possible top-four role if he could play the right side, or to play on a dynamic third pair if he was on the left. With Ryan McDonagh, Kevin Klein and Marc Staal solidified in the top four, Skjei could have taken some minutes away from Dan Girardi on the right side if his acclamation to his offside wasn’t so much of what Vigneault has called “a work in progress.”

Now there are battles for ice time with some newcomers, including Adam Clendening, a righty who is overtly offensive-minded and whose biggest strength is on the power play. There is also Nick Holden, whom the Rangers acquired this summer from the Avalanche in exchange for a fourth-round pick. The 29-year-old Holden has 221 games of NHL experience, and he’s a left-handed shot entirely comfortable playing on the right side.

There is also Dylan McIlrath, a known quantity on the right side whom Vigneault wants to see excel as a “defensive defenseman.”

None of that limits the opportunity in front of Skjei. Vigneault might even give him the benefit of starting the season with a big role despite how he’s looked for much of the preseason — an image that the coach hasn’t pulled punches to describe in detail.

“I haven’t honestly seen [Skjei] play with the same speed and decision-making that I saw him playing [with] last year,” Vigneault said, having given his team off on Wednesday while he and the front office got together to make some cuts, none of which changed Skjei’s competition on the back end.

But with Thursday’s exhibition finale at home against the Flyers, there are still questions about the defensemen that need to be answered.

“Obviously, we’re early in the season and everybody is trying to find their rhythm — young players and older players,” Vigneault said. “Brady is a without a doubt a skilled young defenseman that we have a lot of confidence in. But like some veteran players, he needs to do a little bit more here, and hopefully it will start next game.”

The Rangers cut their training camp roster down to 29. They assigned Mat Bodie, John Gilmour, Ryan Graves, Marek Hrivik, Nicklas Jensen, Robin Kovacs, Mackenzie Skapski, Malte Stromwall and Chris Summers to AHL Hartford.