Ryan Sproul looks like the odd man out

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Ryan Sproul is apart of the 12 New York Rangers who will face free agency after this season.

Here are some pros and cons on whether he is worthy of a contract with the Rangers.

Pros

He is a 25-year-old defenceman and has NHL experience playing in both Detroit and New York.

Sproul has ability to bring the puck up the ice and has shown an ability to pass the puck with ease. He has registered four assists in eight games with the Rangers.

On top of being able to pass the puck, he has shown ability to score as well in the AHL. Sproul has scored 11 goals and helped on 18 more in 49 appearances with Hartford.  

Cons

A ton of mistakes. Sproul has significantly turned over the puck in his eight appearances with the Blueshirts.

It comes down to who the Rangers have. Gilmour has shown great strides in the early going of his career. Pionk has registered 12 assists in 20 games with the team, and 11 of those have come in the last 11 games. DeAngelo will be back next season after suffering an ankle injury, and he has shown great offensive skill in his time in the big leagues.

Also, Shattenkirk is trying to come back at least before season’s end. He hasn’t suited up for a game since January 22, but has seen time practicing with the team in recent weeks.

I feel the Rangers have enough on the right side right now, and there isn’t a need to bring back Sproul. He has experience at the big level, and with the rebuild essentially in full swing, experience is fine, but the rangers need someone that will grow and succeed. Sproul has shown that he can’t succeed at the highest level of competition.

My Verdict

I believe that the New York Rangers should not bring back Ryan Sproul.

He can be a good D-man, but just haven’t shown it in his short time in New York. Even if it is for a one year deal, it really isn’t worth it when you can use that extra cash to resign someone that has performed or a free agent.

Sproul has a long career ahead of him and will certainly be picked up somewhere else, but for a team that is trying to rebuild from the ground up, he is out of the equation. The Rangers just have better players right now, and can use their rather large salary cap to find the pieces that fit best.

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