New York Rangers’ Laviolette Has Tough Decision to Make in Bottom of Sixth – Hockey Writers – New York Rangers

The New York Rangers’ top six suffered a major blow when Filip Chytil missed all 10 regular season games last season with a suspected concussion. Now that the young center is healthy and the team has more forwards and some prospects who could contribute to the NHL next season, head coach Peter Laviolette will have to make some tough decisions about who he decides to play at third again. fourth lines.

The third line of the Rangers

Chytil missed most of the 2023-24 campaign but played well as the Rangers’ third-line center in 2022-23 and finished with career-highs in both goals (22) and assists (23.) Young winger Kaapo Kakko also missed some time. . last season due to physical injuries. He struggled when he got a chance in the top line starting last season but he did a good job on the third line and finished with 13 goals and six assists in 61 games.

Both Chytil and Kakko are likely players to play on the third line and have chemistry playing together. Chytil offers speed and offensive ability, while Kakko is reliable defensively and very strong on the puck. Unfortunately, both are injury prone but if they can stay healthy, they can be a big contributor on that line.

Related: Rangers’ Filip Chytil Faces Career-Defining Season

Laviolette has several options for the third spot on the Rangers’ third line. Brennan Othmann, one of the team’s top prospects and their 2021 first-round pick could play on the line if he makes the opening night lineup. The 21-year-old has a combination of skill and courage and had 21 goals and 28 assists in 67 games with the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League (AHL) last season.

If the Rangers decide to move Othmann to the AHL to start the season, Will Cuylle could get a shot on the third line. The 22-year-old had 13 goals and eight assists in 81 games as a rookie last season and led the team with 249 rebounds.

Rangers Fourth Row

This offseason, the Rangers lost another in their fourth line as they released Barclay Goodrow to make room and the San Jose Sharks wanted him. Midfielder Jimmy Vesey has one season left on his contract, had 13 goals and 13 assists in 80 games last season, and has established himself as one of the team’s top scorers. He may get a shot at starting the season. Cuylle may also end up on the fourth line if he doesn’t play on the third line.

In addition, the Rangers signed veteran center Sam Carrick to a three-year, $3 million contract this offseason after spending 2023-24 with the Anaheim Ducks and Edmonton Oilers. The 32-year-old adds some depth to the lineup and scored 167 goals in 77 games last season to go with 10 goals and six assists. He also did a good job at the dot, winning 53.4 percent of his 785 faceoffs.

The Rangers also have two small forwards: 6-foot-7 Matt Rempe and 6-foot-7 Adam Edstrom. Rempe is never afraid to drop the gloves or stick up for his teammates but he also crossed the line a few times last season and ended up taking a number of big penalties for high tackles. He is not a bad publisher and is well tested. He was also able to create scoring opportunities with his screens in front of the net. If he avoids taking bad penalties, he can be a successful player.

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Edstrom is also physical but avoided taking the unnecessary penalties that Rempe took last season. However, he will not be in the role of enforcing and protecting the team’s talented players. However, he did a good job in limited playing time last season (11 games) and did a good job on the forehead.

Other options on the fourth line include Jonny Brodzinski, who had six goals and 13 assists in 57 games with the Rangers last season, and other prospects on the team. Brett Berard and Adam Sykora both played well for the Wolf Pack last season. Berard had 25 goals and 23 assists in 71 games while Sykora had eight goals and 15 assists in 66 games and both are excellent skaters.

Laviolette Has Tough Decisions to Make Moving Forward

The Rangers have plenty of players to make up their third and fourth lines so Laviolette will have to make some tough decisions. Unfortunately, Kakko and Chytil, both of whom have excelled on the third line in the past, have dealt with multiple injuries over the past few seasons. It will be key for the team to stay healthy, but if he misses time, it could give a big opportunity to a prospect.

While the Rangers relied heavily on their top two lines last season, the hope is that their bottom six can play well defensively while providing secondary scoring this season.