RALEIGH, N.C. — When Raphael Diaz slipped into his Rangers gear for Friday morning’s optional skate, the 28-year-old defenseman had officially joined his fourth team in just over a month, including Team Switzerland, for which he played in his second consecutive Olympics.
“I love travel, but …” said the amiable Diaz, who was traded Feb. 3 to the Canucks from the Canadiens for Dale Weise, played six games for Vancouver bridging Sochi, and was dealt to the Rangers at Wednesday’s deadline for a fifth-round pick in the 2015 draft.
“They had four ‘D’ injured when they traded for me so I played right away,” the 28-year-old said of his brief time with the Canucks, hours before the Rangers’ 4-2 victory over the Hurricanes on Friday. “Then they started getting guys back and they used me at forward for a couple of games, even though I had never played there before.”
Diaz, a pending free agent who did not play against the Hurricanes, is an offense-minded righty who will provide an option for coach Alain Vigneault behind Anton Stralman and Kevin Klein, both of whom had struggled the previous three games.
“I like to play offense, but you have to find the right moment to jump in,” Diaz said. “So many games are so tight, you have the responsibility to defend, as well.”
Diaz, listed at 5-foot-11, 195 pounds, has 43 career points (5-38) in 134 NHL games. He will have a better idea of what to expect as a Ranger after he talks on Saturday with Vigneault and his staff.
“We’re going to have meetings about the system and everything,” said Diaz, who was assigned the No. 4 that last belonged to Michael Del Zotto. “I think it’s very important to just talk.”
Vigneault said: “I don’t think we can do a lot of experimentation right now,” when asked if he would look for an opportunity to get the newly acquired defenseman in the lineup.
“I’ve done a little bit of homework from some people I know in Montreal and Vancouver,” Vigneault said, “and both groups really liked what they saw — a puck-moving defenseman that can make a good first pass, has a real good shot and can help the power play. We’ll sort this out as we move forward.”
Henrik Lundqvist has allowed four penalty shot goals on four attempts this year — including Jeff Skinner’s Friday night and Tyler Bozak’s on Wednesday — after having stopped seven of 10 attempts prior to this season. That coincides with a year-long steep decline in the goaltender’s proficiency on breakaways.
Chris Kreider, fading as his rookie season progresses, played a season-low 9:45 (excluding the Jan. 6 match against Columbus in which he was assessed an early second-period game misconduct). The winger, who has one goal in his last 12 games and three in his last 21, is off the power play, with Marty St. Louis taking his spot on the unit with Derek Stepan and Rick Nash.
Ryan McDonagh’s goal was his 11th of the season. The short-hander represented the Blueshirts’ seventh. … The Rangers are 6-for-17 with the two-man advantage while killing four of seven the other way.