Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but the Rangers need blue line help. After a week of talking non-stop about the second overall pick and Kaapo Kakko, it’s time to shift gears and chat about the other holes the Rangers need to fix this summer if they truly want to accelerate this rebuild. The biggest issue is on the blue line and finding a potential stud defenseman.
Enough Erik Karlsson talk, since he’s the only big name available on the trade market that moves the needle. If the Rangers want to make a splash on defense, and they choose Artemi Panarin over Karlsson, then they will need to do so via trade.