Brady Skjei

Lacking depth on the blue line, the Rangers signed Skjei to a six-year contract worth more than $31 million in July of 2018. They traded him to Carolina a little over a year later, which turned out to be a lifesaver for New York given the COVID-19 pandemic and the corresponding flat salary cap the NHL will endure for the foreseeable future. As for Skjei, he has continued as a reliable minute-eating presence for the Hurricanes, but he's received no power-play time with his new club and he managed just 10 points in 52 games a season ago. He also doesn't offer as much as your typical rearguard in terms of blocks and hits, making Skjei a clear fantasy fade.

Skjei notched eight goals and 24 points in 67 games split between the Rangers and the Hurricanes in 2019-20. He also chipped in with 103 hits, 96 blocked shots and 139 shots on goal. It's a little concerning that the 26-year-old had just one helper in eight games after he was traded to Carolina, but getting a full training camp with the team should help him acclimate. He's not expected to see power-play time in 2020-21, which puts a cap on just how productive he can be -- Skjei will likely end up with 15 to 20 points in a top-four role. He'll have more fantasy value in formats that reward his solid contributions in the physical metrics.

Skjei hasn't been able to repeat the production from his 39-point rookie season in 2016-17, posting 25 points in each of the two subsequent campaigns. Perhaps reuniting on a pairing with childhood friend Jacob Trouba, whom the Rangers acquired in an offseason trade, will help Skjei rediscover his offensive touch. Such a setup should also do wonders for Skjei's rating, as being a member of perhaps the league's worst blue line corps over the past two seasons has led to an ugly minus-31 mark. At the end of the day, Skjei won't be an offensive juggernaut, but he can deliver strong all-around results, especially if the Rangers move from rebuilders to contenders.

Skjei was the only Ranger to suit up for all 82 games last season, but he went through a major sophomore slump, posting 25 points and a minus-27 rating after contributing 39 points and a plus-11 mark as a rookie. While rebuilding that rating will be a challenge on a team that parted with a number of key veterans at last year's trade deadline, Skjei's excellent combination of size (6-foot-3, 211 pounds) and skating ability should earn him plenty of ice time and opportunities to contribute to the offense. He's unlikely to see time on the top power-play unit with a healthy Kevin Shattenkirk around, but there's still plenty to like about Skjei.

Skjei enjoyed a big year as a rookie, surprising with an assist-heavy 39 points in 80 games despite mostly playing a third-pairing role that saw him average a meager 17:28 of ice time per game. With Dan Girardi having been bought out, Skjei will jump up to a second-unit role, but his power-play duties may not be in for much growth from last year’s 1:23 per game thanks to the offseason signing of stud offensive blueliner Kevin Shattenkirk. Still, a leap to about 20 minutes of average ice time should result in Skjei easily clearing 40 points in his sophomore campaign. The 23-year-old is also an asset in leagues that count hits, as he dished out 147 of those last year.

Fresh off his second season with the University of Minnesota, where he collected 14 points and 30 penalty minutes in 40 games, Skjei enters the upcoming campaign with plenty of appeal in dynasty formats. The 21-year-old signed an entry-level deal with the Rangers this past spring, and made his debut with AHL Hartford shortly thereafter. While we wouldn’t be surprised to see Skjei receive a taste of NHL action at some point this season, the organization is brimming with depth on the blue line, so it’s more likely the highly touted defenseman will get a full uninterrupted year of work with Hartford.

One of the Rangers' most-prized prospects, the 6-foot-2, 180-pound Skjei recorded a plus-15 rating to go along with 14 points for the University of Minnesota last season. Word around the blogosphere is that the team is trying to convince the 20-year-old to skip his final two years of eligibility at the college level and go pro, but any overtures by the Rangers have not been accepted to this point. Reports suggest Skjei is not exactly jumping at the chance to leave college, with the desire to compete for a national championship with his hometown Gophers proving to alluring. At the moment, it looks like Skjei will remain a promising young prospect for only dynasty owner’s eyes.

The Rangers' first round pick (2012) is quickly drawing comparisons to another two-way defenseman from the University of Minnesota, Ryan McDonagh. Grant McCagg of TSN.ca predicts that Skjei “May have the size/skating ability to be given top three minutes on an NHL blue line someday.” In addition to posting a goal and two assists and a plus-20 with the Minnesota Gophers in 2012-13, the 6'2, 200-pound defenseman registered four goals and 19 assists in 60 games while with the U.S. National U18 Team. Skjei, 19, is certainly worth a glance in dynasty leagues every so often as the Rangers will likely begin to part with some of their excess defensive corps by the time Skjei has developed.

Skjei was taken with the Rangers' first-round pick in the 2012 entry draft. He'll play this season with the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers, but Skjei obviously has the talent to make some noise for the Rangers within the next few years.