Playoff Series Preview Part 2: Defense

Rangers

The Rangers boast a strong and deep defensive core expected and capable of pitching in offensively.  During the regular season, 4 out of their 6 defensemen ranked in the top ten on the team in scoring.  Leading the way on the back end is former Hurricane Adam Fox (This one hurt).  Fox is not only the best defenseman on the team, but also in the conversation as the top defenseman in the NHL.  He is a one-man breakout; capable of driving the offense and producing points, all without compromising his responsibilities in his zone.  Lindgren provides Fox with a capable partner who plays a physical style of hockey.  Lindgren’s scouting report states that he is a capable “Complimentary Defenseman”, exactly the way he plays within the Rangers system alongside Adam Fox.  The 2nd pairing of K’Andre Miller and Braden Schnieder is expected to play fast and physically.  K’Andre Miller plays a tough 2-way game and can chip in offensively.  Schnieder is young (22 years old) and a former first-round pick.  He is known for his strong skating ability and defensive zone play but offers little offensively.  With the 3rd pairing, the Rangers boast the second-scariest opposing player in the series (the First being Matt Rempe).  Jacob Trouba is a well-known “Hurricane Killer” due to his physical and borderline dirty play.  We can count on Trouba throwing at least one major open-ice hit during this series that should result in a penalty, but ultimately will not.  Trouba is a “Heart and Soul” team player and a great leader for the Rangers.  Rounding out the Rangers Defensive core is Erik Gustafsson.  Gustafsson is a skilled and steady veteran defenseman. 

Hurricanes

Similar to the Rangers, the Hurricanes have a deep and consistent core of defensemen.  The Hurricanes have one of the best team defenses overall in the league.  The Hurricanes have no true stars in the same mold as Adam Fox, but each pairing is strong and understands how to play together within the Hurricanes' defensive system.   In our first pairing, Jaccob Slavin is in the discussion of the best defensive zone players in the league.  He is a player that will always be considered one of the best defensemen in the league by his peers, but will never get the same recognition in terms of league awards.  If Slavin had a bit more offensively, he would be in the Norris Trophy discussion every season.  Much of what the Hurricanes ask Slavin to do is cover for his more offensively inclined partners.  It is no coincidence that he Slavin is typically paired with more point-producing defensive players such as Dougie Hamilton, Tony DeAngelo, and Brent Burns. Slavin is good enough to make up for their defensive shortcomings.  Slavin’s partner Brent Burns is starting to show signs of slowing down.  He still has a big shot from the point and works the blue line well on keeping the puck in the offensive zone and finding his teammates on the power play.  However, he is starting to lose his foot speed and at times has looked like he is stuck in the mud with opposing players able to skate around him.  I still love Burns’ game and all the intangibles he brings to this Hurricanes team.  The 2nd pairing is a bit up in the air at the time of writing. The Hurricanes were dealt a huge blow in losing Brett Pesce early in the Islanders series.  Pesce is a steady, yet unspectacular player.  He is a great defensive defenseman but offers virtually nothing on the offensive side of the puck. His replacement Tony DeAngelo is the antithesis of Pesce.  DeAngelo is a fantastic offensive zone player with outstanding puck movement and vision. However, he has proven to be a liability in his zone.  I thought that Morrow should replace Pesce, but I must say, DeAngelo's play has been strong since coming in to replace Pesce.  Now, the problem.  DeAngelo suffered an injury in game 5 of the Islanders series.  DeAngelo is hopeful to play in game 1 against the Rangers.  Practice this week has Dylan Coghlan skating in this pairing, which is not ideal.  The second half of the 2nd pair is former Ranger Brady Skjei.  Skjei is a solid 2-way defenseman who has stepped up his offensive game the past two seasons. He plays a critical role on the second powerplay unit and will be counted on to step up in a big way against his former team.  The 3rd pairing is one of my favorite units on the Hurricanes.  We have the big free agent signing Dmitry Orlov and Jalen Chatfield.  This might be the largest difference in pay between any defensive pairing in the league, with Orlov a shade over 7 million a season and Chatfield on the veteran minimum of 750,000.  These two complement each other perfectly and Orlov began to play well once paired with Chatfield.  Chatfield is a great skater and has played his way into a big pay raise following the season. 

Advantage

This is a tough pick as both teams are solid from top to bottom.  There are no true weaknesses in either team’s defensive pairings.  The Rangers have 2 players on their back end that have the ability to significantly impact the series; with Adam Fox and his game breaking ability and Jacob Trouba with his ability to throw a dirty hit and injure someone.  However, I think the Hurricanes have the advantage in overall team defense and have the better overall defensive unit.