McDonagh Close To Signing

First off happy 4th July to all you over in America. Enjoy your day.
Right now im still basking in Germany’s 4-0 Glory at the World Cup…

Anyway I thought i’d chime in on the speculation about Ryan McDonagh. With news coming from Larry Brooks and Arthur Staple that the blue chip propsect is close to signing I thought I would temper the excitement slightly. Should RcM make the team (a good chance once he signs..) our defence will make mistakes next season. There will be growing pains. With Mike Del Zotto still learning on the job, Gilroy (if he sticks) still very much in his infancy and McDonagh on board it’s a very green D.

With all the signings in the East, especially in the Atlantic it will be a tall order for the Rangers (as currently constructed) to make serious inroads in terms of playoff spots. Thats ok, call it the price of development. The Rangers (barring one short term offensive addition maybe…) need to stay the course and a D of the above named guys, Marc Staal and Girardi is exactly the right route. The benefits long term far outweigh the negatives short term and in 2 years we’ll have a young D but one with tremendous future and skill. Too add; with Philly’s D being far from young our D has much more long term upside.

Just bear in mind during next season, during the potential (probable) sticky patches, that all the pain will be worth the massive gain. How many teams will be envious in 2 years of a Rangers blueline featuring Marc Staal Dan Girardi Mike Del Zotto and Ryan McDonagh? Answer: alot.
McDonagh’s likely spot on the roster will also probably mean the end of Wade ‘Bang for your Buck’ Redden. Even if McDonagh gets max bonuses it would mean a 4.5m saving. Critical when it comes to contracts like Callahan and Dubinsky next summer.

What can we expect from McDonagh? Its possibly too early to make predictions as there’s a camp and pre season to navigate but dont expect Del Zotto numbers. Expect solid positioning, physical play and a crisp first pass. The main thing is that the unit grows together and develops. What do you all expect from McDonagh ?