The Rangers are in need of a physical presence on their blueline, but it looks as if 2010 first round draft pick Dylan McIlrath does not appear to be in the short term plans at least.  The 6-5 defender, originally drafted as a work in progress, remains just that.

Perhaps more concerning was this quote from Gordie Clark in the New York Times: So the Rangers are keeping a close eye on defenseman Dylan McIlrath, 21, their first-round selection in 2010. McIlrath, who is 6 feet 5 inches and 215 pounds, missed the first part of last season after an off-season knee injury. But he returned to pick up 125 penalty minutes, including 13 fighting majors, in 45 games with the Connecticut Whale of the American Hockey League.

“To play what his game is, to match up against the heavyweights, the Milan Lucic’s, these guys have three, four, five years’ training as that type of person,” Clark said. “He might be a little behind. The summer training will tell us.”

It’s not the first time that McIlrath has been behind expectations, back in 2011 a year after he drafted, Gordie Clark said something along the same lines, which makes you wonder whether McIlrath will ever get to the point the Rangers hope for.