Now that newly-acquired Brendan Smith is fully in tow, here’s how the New York Rangers should align the pairings along the blueline.

That’s all, folks. We’re officially living in a post-deadline world as the calendar page turns to March. Yes—the month right before April …

And no, that’s not Artem Anisimov you see oddly paired on the backend with the captain. It’s Brendan Smith, the only consequential move made by New York Rangers General Manager Jeff Gorton in terms of going on a run this season, with this group. 

Clearly, Smith is not the splashy, high-profile trade Rangers fans are accustomed to seeing at this juncture every year, and he did not grow up in New Rochelle, either. What he hopefully represents is a solid, steadying presence on the defensive right side whose game will elevate like the price he’ll now be paying for rent.

In his first practice in New York, the 28-year-old Smith paired up with Ryan McDonagh as Alain Vigneault’s top unit. Having played together at the University of Wisconsin (along with Derek Stepan), there is certainly going to be a bit of chemistry and comfort, which should help ease Smith’s transition into the lineup. Descriptions of the 6-foot-2, 211-pound Smith around the Rangers locker room included words like “competitive,” “gamer” and “grit.” These are welcomed attributes for Rangers fans that’ve seen their team lack that edge for long stretches of time.

Smith represents a player who will not light it up on the stat sheet, but who can contribute meaningful minutes in all situations. While the price may have been a bit steep for a rental, it’s a conservative move for a team and coach who believe they’re not all that far away. If they can maintain their current point pace, finish in the top wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference and #HankisHankagain, they just may be in business.

But this is an objective breakdown of what our defense should look like going forward. Barring injuries, there is a right lineup, and there’s certainly a wrong one for AV as we head into the show. The Rangers head coach has shown a propensity to continue rolling out certain players in spite of rather obvious physical and/or mental tribulations.

Now, however, AV has the pieces to mount a considerable defensive shield in front of an in-form Henrik Lundqvist, and he’s got 18 more games with which to find the perfect pairings.

Feb 13, 2017; Columbus, OH, USA; New York Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh (27) takes a slap shot during the first period against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russell LaBounty-USA TODAY Sports

27-42 — Ryan McDonagh – Brendan Smith

One game into his Rangers career and Brendan Smith already looks like a revelation. A play against Boston stands out in particular and it happened right after Smith took a nasty cheap shot, blade to the neck from David Pastrnak

Smith, clearly feeling some pain after briefly lying on the ice, proceeded to level the closest Bruins player as he skated back towards the bench. Smith plays with aggression and grit. He’s also the Ranger who stood out as the man to usually clear bodies out of the crease away from the King. While it’s, undoubtedly, a small sample size, 42’s first game was a success, as he played with the exact type of physicality the Rangers have been missing all season.

It’s obvious that playing alongside the steadying presence of the captain will help raise almost anyone’s game, but no one has been able to fill those skates to this point. Plus, the Rangers desperately need a solid two-way guy that’ll take the body and do some of the dirty work in his own zone. This not only frees 27 to breakout up the ice, but also gives opposing lineups another headache to deal with. That player just might’ve emerged from the shadows of Detroit, but the 18 game tune-up that lies ahead will determine just how savvy of a move Gorton executed.

With Smith playing simultaneously for the Cup and a new contract, it seems his familiarity and well-suited complimentary game with McDonagh could pay off big time, both for his own and the team’s outlook. The captain, meanwhile, needs no in-depth analysis, as his unquestionable nightly value is lost on no Blueshirt fanatic.

Nov 12, 2016; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist (30) and defenseman Nick Holden (22) during the second period against the Calgary Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

18-22 — Marc Staal – Nick Holden

Marc Staal is quite clearly not what he used to be, but his newfound partnership with the silently sturdy Nick Holden has been a bit of a throwback. At this point, the Staal-Holden combination looks to be AV’s second unit. 

Holden has played some very good hockey at times this season, but his turnovers have recently begun to pile up. One of the major reasons for optimism with Holden is the fact that he jumps into the rush unlike almost any other defenseman on the club, and has the speed and skating ability to do it successfully. The problem can be his decision-making in his own zone, but at this point, the Rangers are clearly going to need his presence in the lineup.

Holden’s nine goals more than double the total of the next closest defenseman (shockingly, Dan Girardi). The mixing of Holden’s offense and size make for a good partnership with Staal, who essentially represents the lesser of two evils when it comes to aging, behemoth d-man contracts currently on the roster. Staal has had flashes of being a capable second-pairing defenseman and the Rangers will need more and more of that player if they hope to succeed in the spring.

Jan 19, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; New York Rangers defenseman Brady Skjei (76) watches his shot score against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre. New York defeated Toronto 5-3. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

76-8 — Brady Skjei – Kevin Klein

Lastly, we come to perhaps the most important decision, one that could make or break the season—the sixth and final defenseman.

Rotating D-men in the playoffs is not a realistic, reasonable or reliable option. Although AV may look to plug in his last d-man based on team matchup, this game of musical chairs must end prior to mid-April. Currently, G is out “around two weeks,” and Kevin Klein must wait for back spasms to subside before re-entering the fray. The hope at this point has to be that someone will play their way into a spot and remain there, and with G off the ice at the moment, we’ll see whether Kleiner can harken back to his old, grizzly self.  

The drop-off for No. 8 has been rather sharp and there are not a ton of clear answers as to why this has been the case. However, the team needs him to turn it around before AV is forced to field Adam Clendening or Girardi in a playoff battle.

Clendening is an OK piece, but not one I’d trust to play in crunch time of Game 7 on the road in Washington—especially not when a guy like Klein has already been in some of those deep playoff battles. Girardi has lost more than a step and although he really hasn’t been awful of late, an ok performance is the absolute best thing we can hope for. That won’t get it done either, and whoever plays in a spot with our stud rookie is going to have to eat up some valuable minutes. Brady Skjei has been very good all season long, and a hopefully stable partnership with an in-form Klein will give him breathing room to continue producing offensively. Skjei is currently ninth in the NHL in rookie scoring with his three goals and 28 assists, trailing only Zach Werenski of Columbus among first-year blue-liners.  He was also arguably our best player in the forgettable first-round playoff exit against the Penguins, so a drop off in play due to fear or anxiety seems extremely unlikely.

Essentially, Kevin Klein could be the difference-maker in the equation. Whether we get the beast from seasons of old or the unsure veteran of this season so far could truly determine how far we’re able to go. But the Smith deal looks good early and we didn’t have to mortgage the farm for him either. While Kevin Shattenkirk may still permanently return to New York come July 1, 2017, the deadline is done. The Rangers can look around the room and know who they’ll be going into battle alongside—the only question now is who to put out there on the frontline?