The New York Rangers have reshaped their blue line, but by all means, they shouldn't be finished. With Vladislav Gavrikov in the lineup, they shouldn't stop adding reliable talent on the blue line, and Mario Ferraro of the San Jose Sharks could be an answer.![Mario Ferraro]()
The New York Rangers signed defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov to a $49 million deal in the offseason. This came after trading defenseman K'Andre Miller to the Carolina Hurricanes.
According to NHL Insider Shayna Goldman of The Athletic, the Rangers could find serious utilization for defenseman Mario Ferraro of the San Jose Sharks.
Two free-agent signings (Dmitry Orlov, John Klingberg) and a waiver claim (Leddy) brought in three NHL-caliber defensemen and $12.5 million in cap space,» Goldman wrote. «With those additions and Shakir Mukhamadullin pushing for a mainstay role at the NHL level, the Sharks can consider a Mario Ferraro trade. Ferraro has a year left on his contract and could also be packaged as a deadline rental in March.
«But teams would likely jump at the chance to add a 26-year-old with a $3.25 million cap hit, especially after defensive prices spiked this summer,» Goldman added. «That cap hit comes in clutch for an acquiring team and San Jose. The Sharks should be able to save their last retention slot for the deadline to get maximum value on one of those newly added veteran defensemen. The Rangers could still use help on the left behind free-agent signee, Vladislav Gavrikov.»
While Ferraro isn't a pure defensive defenseman, he has some offensive upside, scoring 17 points (5-12) in 78 games this season for the Sharks.
The veteran defenseman is in the final year of his $13 million deal, and could add some stability to a chaotic defensive core in New York.
It's difficult to tell where the Rangers can go from here this late in free agency, as all of the top talent has been signed or traded for already.
Drury will have to put on his thinking hat and figure out what depth additions could be game changers in New York, and Ferraro could be that answer.