The trade deadline is two days away, the Rangers are attempting to bolster the defense, but unless the price unexpectedly drops so dramatically on Kevin Shattenkirk that St. Louis presents general manager Jeff Gorton with an offer he cannot refuse, the Blueshirts just might be better off putting all of their expendable resources into acquiring a top-nine forward.
This, 62 games into a season far more successful than just about anyone could have imagined in September, is why you wish coach Alain Vigneault would have given more time and a longer look to Adam Clendening, because maybe, just maybe, the coach’s seventh defenseman fits New York’s need for a sixth better than anyone the Blueshirts might acquire before 3 p.