The Rangers are expected to be among the finalists in the bidding for collegiate free agent defenseman Andrej Sustr if — as likely — the Omaha-Nebraska junior leaves school following his team’s elimination from the WCHA tournament on Sunday, The Post has learned.
Sustr, a 6-foot-8, 210-pounder who hails from Plzen of the Czech Republic, attended the Rangers’ rookie evaluation camp in June 2011 before skating with the Lightning rookie corps last year.
More than a dozen teams are expected to offer serious bids on the 22-year-old, who played in the NAHL in 2008-09 and the USHL in 2009-10 before entering Omaha-Nebraska.
The defenseman, who has a big shot but is regarded as more of a defensive presence than an offensive force at this stage of his development, may not quite be ready for the prime time, but is also believed not all that far away from staking a claim to an NHL blue line spot.
The Rangers have a crying need for depth on defense, both on Broadway and throughout the organization.