New York Rangers: Brady Skjei's Play Deserves Trust from Vigneault
With the New York Rangers’ sub-par defense, Brady Skjei provides them with a young, talented, left-handed shot that can help the team in the long run, provided he receives enough ice time.
Back when Dylan McIlrath was in the lineup, Alain Vigneault favored Skjei over him because he has the left-handed shot. Now, the New York Rangers have an extra reason to insert him into the lineup, his consistency.
Skjei has played in nearly every game for the Rangers this season, and in those games, he has proved himself more each and every night. It took a while for him to find the back of the net, but it’s understandable considering he doesn’t log the same amount of minutes as the veteran defensemen…the tired, veteran defensemen.
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That’s not to say that players such as Ryan McDonagh are tired per se. However, despite the fact that McDonagh practically begs Vigneault for more ice time, he could use a break every once in a while. Skjei can provide McDonagh with that break from logging over 24 minutes per game. Currently, Skjei averages just about 16 minutes per game, and he is definitely willing to accept more.
This starts with Alain Vigneault trusting him more, though, which is something not in the hands of Skjei at this point. He has done his job in proving his consistency and willingness to learn and improve. In recent games for some reason, though, he has been logging less ice time.
It is Vigneault’s job to realize that allowing Skjei to log more ice time does two things. First, it allows him to develop into a better player. He can grow so far as to become one of the Rangers’ most steady defensemen in the future, if given the chance. Second, upping Skjei’s playing time can help with the current defensive situation. Since he has proved his reliability, it should encourage Vigneault to give him a good opportunity to play a larger role on the team.
Overall, Skjei’s 15 assists to this point haven’t even showcased his full potential. Vigneault needs to take responsibility for this and act on it. Once he realizes that Skjei can help the team’s defense tremendously when given a chance, he will be more than happy to grant him all the ice time he deserves.
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