NO DEAL: Michael Del Zotto (left), celebrating his first-period goal with Rangers teammates Carl Hagelin and Derek Stepan last night against the Devils, should not be sent packing at the NHL trade deadline, writes The Post’s Larry Brooks. (N.Y. Post: Charles Wenzelberg)
We all know the Rangers are looking to add with the NHL trade deadline two weeks from today. General manager Glen Sather is in the market for a right-handed defenseman, the club would like to bulk up on the wing and sure would like to add some scoring punch to boot.
The problem, though, is the Rangers have a limited pool of quality players available for barter. Marian Gaborik is more a Blueshirt than a blue chip.
Derek Stepan, Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller are as untouchable now as they were at last year’s deadline, when the Blue Jackets tried to pry some combination of the above in exchange for Rick Nash, and whatever happened anyway to No. 61, anyway? Unless they’ve lost their minds in the executive offices of the Garden, Chris Kreider would also be off-limits.
Which leaves … well, it leaves Michael Del Zotto as the Blueshirts’ most marketable commodity. But even as the 22-year-old defenseman with the entirely reasonable cap hit of $2.55 million would likely be able to fetch an asset in return, it’s hard to believe the Rangers would come out ahead on such an addition/subtraction equation.
The Rangers are thin enough on the blue line; always, it seems, an injury away from disaster. Moreover, Del Zotto is the team’s greatest offensive weapon from the back end, able to skate the puck out of his own end, headman it from tape-to-tape and join the rush.
The kaleidoscope of Del Zotto’s ability was on display in the Rangers’ 3-2 victory over the Devils in Newark last night, in which the Blueshirts appeared to put last week’s miserable three-game losing streak in the rear-view with a second win in as many nights.
It was Del Zotto who streaked to the net to bat Derek Stepan’s right corner feed past Johan Hedberg for a shorthanded goal and a 1-0 lead at 11:49 of the first period. It was Del Zotto who spied Nash streaking up the right side before delivering a gorgeous headman feed to the winger, who buried a right circle wrist shot for the 3-2 winner at 7:25 of the third.
“It’s always my mindset to be involved offensively, that’s a part of my game I take a lot of pride in, but it’s counter-productive to force it if it’s not there,” Del Zotto said. “The last thing I want to do is be caught on a gamble for a goal against because it’s so hard to make up with the way we’ve been struggling to score.”
Finally, with 1:40 to play, it was Del Zotto who held position on Patrik Elias at the right doorstep and prevented the Devils winger from getting to a loose puck as it bounced around in front.
“I was just trying to grab his stick,” Del Zotto said. “That’s what we’ve been focusing on the last couple of weeks — tying up sticks in front and being hard on the puck.”
By hook or by crook, the Rangers require diversity in their approach. Every player doesn’t have to prove his worth by going down in front of every shot. There are different ways to be effective.
“The last couple of weeks I’ve been carrying the puck more and taking more responsibility to get the puck up to our forwards,” said No. 4. “But I know that solid defense comes first.”
The Rangers have completed so few home run passes this year, one would get the idea Mark Sanchez has been trying to throw them. But Del Zotto’s feed to Nash was a thing of beauty, as if out of a playbook.
“I’m pretty sure I was doing a lot of yelling [for the puck],” said Nash, The Big Easy. “But the more time I play with Michael, the more I think he understands my game.”
The more Del Zotto plays, the more he develops, the less it seems likely the Rangers would become a better team by trading him within the next two weeks.