Scouting The Market: Anton Volchenkov

Up next in our tremendously exciting series, Scouting The Market, is Anton Volchenkov

Anton Volchenkov is a rugged, hard-nosed, shot-blocking, crease-clearing defenseman, who has played the past couple of years with the Senators. The 28 year old is not offensive at all; his career high in goals is 4. But, he is exactly the crease clearing, physical presence the Rangers need.

Since the lockout, Volchenkov has blocked 1,023 shots. 1,023! In Ottawa’s six game series against Pittsburgh, Volchenkov blocked 32 shots. Volchenkov’s disregard for his body gets him injured a lot, playing in no more than 68 games the past 3 years. He blocks shots, but he, and the team, have to pay a price.

Volchenkov is not going to offer any offense. But, he’s a shutdown defenseman, who rarely takes penalties, and is really physical (152 hits in 09-10). You can live with the injuries because, when healthy, he stifles opponents.

Volchenkov made $3.2 million last year. He’s going to be asking for at least $5 million, maybe more. If you buyout Redden, you can replace him with Volchenkov and his salary. In all likelihood, Volchenkov will make less than Redden.

So, a couple of questions. Does Volchenkov’s ability to block shots and be physical outweigh his considerable durability injuries? And he is worth upwards of $5 million? Let us know in the comments.