As Rangers coach David Quinn often points out, the Rangers believe they have eight NHL quality defensemen on their roster. Because most teams generally play six defensemen in any one game, that means on any given night, two good defensemen are going to be left out of the lineup.
For two recent games, Brady Skjei was one of those defensemen who was left out, despite the fact that the 24-year-old signed a six-year, $31.5 million contract over the summer and is considered a cornerstone piece in the Rangers’ current rebuilding project. His play had slipped over a period of a few games, and finally, after a 7-5 loss to the Islanders in Brooklyn Nov.