Rangers counting on Shattenkirk to bolster defense, power play

After the NHL Draft, free agency and other offseason moves, NHL.com is taking a look at where each team stands. Today, the New York Rangers:
The window for the New York Rangers to win the Stanley Cup with goalie Henrik Lundqvist remains open. They've made moves this offseason with the intent to finally skate through it.

New York appears to have improved its defense and power play by signing defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk. The Rangers also brought back defenseman Brendan Smith on a four-year contract and acquired 21-year-old defenseman Tony DeAngelo in a trade from the Arizona Coyotes.
Gone are center Derek Stepan and defenseman Dan Girardi, mainstays in the lineup and big reasons the Rangers have made the Stanley Cup Playoffs for seven consecutive seasons and won nine series in that time. They traded Stepan and goalie Antti Raanta to the Coyotes on June 23 for DeAngelo and the No. 7 pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, which they used on Swedish center Lias Andersson. They bought out the remaining three years on Girardi's contract.
Here is what the Rangers look like today:

Key arrivals

Kevin Shattenkirk, D: After signing a four-year, $26.6 million contract July 1, Shattenkirk is expected to partner with Ryan McDonagh on the top defense pair. He also is likely to run the power play from the right point. Shattenkirk had 56 points (13 goals, 43 assists) in 80 games with the Washington Capitals and St. Louis Blues last season, and has had at least 25 points on the power play in four straight seasons. … Anthony DeAngelo, D: He might start the season with Hartford in the American Hockey League. DeAngelo had 14 points (five goals, nine assists) in 39 games for the Coyotes last season. …David Desharnais, C: He signed a one-year contract worth $1 million July 5, according to CapFriendly.com. Desharnais, who turns 31 on Sept. 14, has 254 points (81 goals, 173 assists) in 453 NHL games. …Ondrej Pavelec, G: The 29-year-old signed a one-year contract worth $1.3 million July 1, according to CapFriendly.com. He is expected to replace Raanta as Lundqvist's backup. Pavelec is 152-158-47 with a 2.87 goals-against average and .907 save percentage in 379 NHL games.

Key departures

Derek Stepan, C: His 55 points (17 goals, 38 assists) were third on the Rangers last season. … Dan Girardi, D: The 33-year-old played 788 games for the Rangers from 2007-17 before being bought out on June 14. Girardi signed a two-year, $6 million contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning on July 1. … Antti Raanta, G: He was 27-14-4 with a 2.25 GAA, a .921 save percentage and five shutouts in 55 games as Lundqvist's backup the past two seasons. …Oscar Lindberg, F: The Vegas Golden Knights selected Lindberg in the NHL Expansion Draft. He had 20 points (eight goals, 12 assists) in 65 games last season. …Kevin Klein, D: The 32-year-old had one year remaining on his contract when he announced his retirement from the NHL on July 7. He signed a one-year contract with ZSC of the National League in Switzerland on July 14.

On the cusp

Lias Andersson, F: If he doesn't make the team out of training camp, Andersson, 18, will return to play for Frolunda in the Swedish Hockey League. He had 19 points in 42 games for HV71 in the SHL last season, as well as five points in 16 playoff games to help HV71 win the league championship. … Neal Pionk, D: New York signed Pionk, 21, as an undrafted college free agent May 1 after he completed his sophomore season at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. A right-handed shot, he helped UMD reach the NCAA Frozen Four last season. … Alexei Bereglazov, D: The Rangers signed the 23-year-old on April 21. Bereglazov (6-foot-4, 202 pounds) played last season for Metallurg Magnitogorsk in the Kontinental Hockey League. … Cristoval Nieves, F: He made his NHL debut against the Vancouver Canucks on Nov. 15, 2016. It was his only NHL game last season. Nieves, 23, had 18 points (six goals, 12 assists) in 40 games with Hartford. … Sean Day, D: The 19-year-old is turning pro after helping Windsor of the Ontario Hockey League win the Memorial Cup last season. He was the Rangers' third-round pick (No. 81) in the 2016 NHL Draft.

What they still need

A replacement for Stepan, who led Rangers centers in average ice time in two of the past three seasons. Mika Zibanejad, now the top center on the depth chart, avoided arbitration on July 25 when he agreed to terms on a five-year contract with an average annual value of $5.35 million. The Rangers still have enough salary cap space (approximately $3.05 million, according to CapFriendly.com) to acquire a veteran replacement for Stepan. The plan is to go into the season with Zibanejad and Kevin Hayes as their top two centers. Desharnais is expected to be the third- or fourth-line center. If they don't acquire anyone, Nieves could play center, or J.T. Miller could move from the wing to the middle.

Pete Jensen's fantasy focus

Zibanejad led the Rangers in points during the Stanley Cup Playoffs (nine in 12 games) and gained fantasy worth when Stepan was traded. The 24-year-old was limited to 56 games because of a broken fibula last season, but he had 51 points (21 goals, 30 assists) in 81 games for the Ottawa Senators in 2015-16 and could finally reach 60 if he stays healthy, plays on the top line and gets time on the first power-play unit with Shattenkirk. Zibanejad, who moved up to No. 131 in NHL.com's fantasy rankings after the Stepan trade, is a glaring breakout candidate.

Projected lineup

Chris Kreider -- Mika Zibanejad -- Mats Zuccarello
Jimmy Vesey -- Kevin Hayes -- Rick Nash
J.T. Miller -- David Desharnais -- Pavel Buchnevich
Michael Grabner -- Cristoval Nieves -- Jesper Fast
Ryan McDonagh -- Kevin Shattenkirk
Brady Skjei -- Brendan Smith
Marc Staal -- Nick Holden
Henrik Lundqvist
Ondrej Pavelec