Defenseman Neal Pionk and Ryan Graves both impressed a lot of people with their performances in training camp. Pionk, the rookie out of the University of Minnesota Duluth, showed tremendous offensive versatility and surprising defensive stability in the preseason while Graves, known as a defensive rock with sneaky offensive upside, did his thing too.
Despite their efforts in the preseason, the New York Rangers opted to send both of the youngsters down to their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, to start the season. This means that the team will be carrying eight defensemen to begin the year: Ryan McDonagh, Kevin Shattenkirk, Brendan Smith, Brady Skjei, Marc Staal, Anthony DeAngelo, Nick Holden and Steven Kampfer.