The New York Rangers have been in offseason for over a month now, with fans eagerly anticipating what moves might be on the horizon to help them get back into contention. The start of the offseason wasn't the best, as the Rangers fanbase watched them end up with the fifth-overall pick after having the third-best odds of winning the NHL Draft Lottery.
The news is a bummer, as landing the No. 5 pick puts them out of the running for top forward prospects Gavin McKenna, Ivar Stenberg, and Caleb Malhotra. It does give the Rangers the chance to land one of the top defensive prospects. One prospect they have been consistently linked to was Prince George Cougars defenseman Carson Carels. Obviously, Carels is solid defensively, but he showed in the WHL that he can score.
Back in March, TSN director of scouting Craig Button unveiled his rankings for the upcoming draft class. While talking about Carels, he compared his playing style to that of Nicklas Lidstrom, former Detroit Red Wings legend and Hall of Famer.
Potential Rangers' first round pick Carson Carels compared to Nicklas Lidstrom
“Carson Carels, the way he commands and controls the game, there’s no way anybody’s ever going to be Nick Lidstrom, but the manner in which he plays, in every single regard, the big minutes, the hard minutes, the offensive and defensive play and the timely play, he’s got all those elements,” said Button.
Button didn't say that Carels was going to be producing at a Lidstrom level in the NHL, but he has similar aspects to his game as the longtime defenseman. Look, if the Rangers were to draft anyone with a similar production level as Lidstrom, the fanbase would sign up for that in a heartbeat.
Lidstrom had a 20 year career with the Red Wings, where he was a 12-time All-Star, a seven-time Norris Trophy winner, a four-time Stanley Cup champion, and the 2001-02 Conn Smythe Trophy winner. Add those accolades to his 264 career goals and 878 assists, he was indcuted in the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2015.
The Rangers fanbase will obviously hope that the team could trade up for a Stenberg or Malhotra to help brighten their future when it comes to the forward group. However, this is a team that could use some help across the roster. For Carels, he would likely slot in on the left side, likely behind Vladislav Gavrikov, which would give them tremendous depth on defense.
This season with the Prince George Cougars, Carels recorded 20 goals, 53 assists, and a plus-23 plus/minus rating in 58 regular season games. In the playoffs, Carels recorded 10 points (one goal, nine assists) in 10 games.
Even with his offensive game, it's unlikely he'd be on the top power play unit, due in part ot the presence of Adam Fox. But having Carels on the second power play unit would benefit the Rangers tremendously, especially as they try to improve their special teams.
Sure, Carels might have a similar playing style as Lidstrom, but it's up to Mike Sullivan and his coaching staff to ensure he develops and becomes one of their top players for the foreseeable future.
