Insider believes Rangers must consider Shattenkirk buyout following slump in performance.

This is a shocking turn of events.

Just a few short summers ago New York Rangers defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk was one of the hottest free agents of the summer. He was coming off a strong campaign during the 2016 - 2017 National Hockey League regular season as a member of both the St. Louis Blues and the Washington Capitals in which he appeared in a total of 80 games and recorded 13 goals and 43 assists for a total of 56 points from the blue line that year. It was enough that several teams were competing for his services, but it was the Rangers who eventually landed the highly coveted free agent.

In spite of the fact that he likely had offers on the table with more term Shattenkirk agreed to a four year deal with the Rangers at an average annual value and salary cap hit of $6.65 million or a total of $26 million over the full term of the deal. Now however just two years into that contract one National Hockey League insider believes that Shattenkirk may be on his last legs in New York and that he may in fact be headed for a contract buyout.

From Larry Brooks of the New York Post:

If you’re wondering whether these final 15 games have meaning for the Rangers, check on Kevin Shattenkirk, the defenseman who is essentially fighting to save his career in New York.

Too dramatic a scenario? Not really, for if the 30-year-old defenseman does not markedly improve his play this final month, management will have no other choice than to seriously consider a buyout of No. 22’s contract halfway through its four-year term.

What's interesting here is that this is according to Brooks more than just the symptoms of age or a bad funk, instead Brooks believes that Shattenkirk's struggles may be linked to a major injury he suffered. Brooks believes that Shattenkirk's game has been badly damaged by the knee injury he suffered during the 2017 training camp, so badly in fact that Shattenkirk may not be able to execute the game plan at the speed required in today's modern NHL.

It would truly be shocking to see a player once so coveted bought out of his deal just two years after the fact, but Brooks believes it may be in the cards if Shattenkirk can't show an improvement to close out the regular season.