The New York Rangers bought out Kevin Shattenkirk on Wednesday. Is this a player the New Jersey Devils should consider giving a chance?
Two years ago, the New Jersey Devils dodged a major bullet. Ray Shero was going hard for Kevin Shattenkirk to help fix the defense. He eventually went to the New York Rangers who offered him more money. Today, the Rangers tried to rectify their mistake. They bought out Shattenkirk, ending his time with the Blueshirts two years early.
The Rangers were in cap hell after signing Artemi Panarin and Jacob Trouba for close to $20 million combined. They had no choice at this point but to buy out Shattenkirk, even if it costs them huge next season (even with the buyout, he’s costing them more than $6 million against the cap).
So, now that Shattenkirk has hit rock bottom, is it time for Shero to swoop in and get him on a “prove-it” deal?
This could be a good chance for Shero to gain some leverage on the defense. Shattenkirk isn’t going to cost much, and he will probably want a one-year deal to try to cash in on his value next season. Nobody is going to give him more than that after how he’s played in New York.
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If the Devils sign Shattenkirk, they have more stability to, say, trade Sami Vatanen to gain some of the 2nd-round picks they’ve lost in trades this offseason. Honestly, the Devils would have to be confident in Shattenkirk stealing a starter’s spot. They already have Mirco Mueller and Connor Carrick in the 7th and 8th defenseman spot. Shattenkirk really only has a spot if the Devils trade someone, and Vatanen makes sense only because he’s on the final year of his contract. (For the record, we’d rather have Vatanen over Shattenkirk, but if the Devils could get a multiple picks for him, it would sweeten the pot.)
The big problem here, besides his play the last two years, is he plays on the right side. The Devils are STACKED on the right side. They traded for P.K. Subban during the NHL Draft. Damon Severson is signed for the next four years on the right side, and Ty Smith could end up filling that last spot. It gives the Devils a very formidable lineup, especially on that side.
Shattenkirk would give the Devils the ability to play Smith on the left side, but it would make that side considerably weaker. Right now, Will Butcher or Andy Greene would be the top guy with Vatanen gone. That’s not an ideal situation.
Then, there’s the fact that the Devils are moving a player to give Shattenkirk a chance. This is a player who had a chance to sign with the Devils before and he chose their literal rival. Then, he never really made an impact while he played there.
The biggest reason the Devils should pass on Shattenkirk his highest upside play is on the power play. Well, who is he going to play over? The Devils have Subban, Smith, Butcher and Severson who all deserve power play time. Are you really playing Shattenkirk over any of them because of his upside?
This was a great thought, but Shattenkirk does not work on the Devils. He will have options, and the Devils might even kick the tires, but there’s just not room for him here.