Kevin Shattenkirk spent his first seven seasons in the league with the St. Louis Blues. The Blues then traded him to the Washington Capitals at the in-season trade deadline.
After the Capitals missed another chance at a title, Shattenkirk’s contract expired and he became an unrestricted free agent.
A New York native, growing up in Westchester County just outside of Manhattan, the Rangers were able to land the veteran defenseman and signed him to a six-year deal.
With the buyout of Dan Girardi and the addition of Shattenkirk to the roster, it seemed that Jeff Gorton had managed to vastly improve the defense, which was the Rangers biggest area of concern during the 2016-17 season.