In case you missed it, David Quinn had the Rangers practicing in two new groups after the roster had been trimmed. The first group appeared to be the guys who had a role defined on the team, while the second was comprised of guys who were either on the bubble or an unknown role just yet. There’s more than meets the eye with some of these lines, though.
1. As we saw, the Rangers did cut four players from that second group. None of those cuts were surprising, but it leaves the Rangers with nine defensemen left in camp. While the first six seem to be set, the competition for the seventh defenseman appears to be between Brendan Smith, Ryan Lindgren, and Joe Morrow. If I’m reading the tea leaves correctly, this is more about Morrow versus Lindgren. If Lindgren shows he can take that 7D spot, it’s his, likely to rotate into the lineup more frequently than previous 7Ds. Otherwise I think Morrow gets that role, and Smith is either destined for Hartford or a rotating 14F/7D.
2. Micheal Haley is on the 6th line here with Steven Fogarty and Vinni Lettieri, two “kids” destined for Hartford. Haley isn’t exactly an unknown quantity, so coaches know what they are getting with him. I think he was insurance in case Brendan Lemieux didn’t sign and/or Greg McKegg/Boo Nieves didn’t have a good camp. That’s a bunch of slashes/hypotheticals, but it’s a no-risk move for the Rangers. My guess is that entire 6th line gets cut.
3. This goes without saying, but Igor Shesterkin, who has had a good camp, will be the starter in Hartford. I don’t think that surprised anyone.
4. The big fuss was about Vitali Kravtsov being on the 5th line with two guys fighting for the 13F/14F role in McKegg and Nieves. This likely means Kravtsov is headed to the AHL to start the season, and given how he played in the preseason, there’s the usual outage. Personally I’m not overly concerned here. Kravtsov needs to be in a top-nine role, or else it’s a wasted development year. With Lias Andersson cemented as a top penalty killer and likely 4C (more on that), then it was really a decision between Kravtsov and Brett Howden. Howden has not had a good camp, and there’s legitimate reasoning in sending Howden down over Kravtsov. This is a temporary thing for Kravtsov, he will be with the Rangers before the end of the year. I wouldn’t be too worried.
5. Before jumping to Andersson or Howden, let’s get a quick word in on Ryan Strome. He was never being sent to the AHL, so let’s just stop that discussion now. If you want to be upset that he’s looking to start the season as the 2C between Chris Kreider and Kaapo Kakko, then fine. Filip Chytil looked great in his one preseason game there, but that was the only shot he got there. I try not to read into opening night lines too much, especially given how much they change throughout the course of a season and game. Strome is the safe bet there right now, one that doesn’t need development and doesn’t come with any pressure to perform. I’m in the minority here, but I’m ok with this right now, to see if the Rangers can get more out of Strome and possibly increase his trade value.
6. Now let’s get to the big three: Andersson, Chytil, and Howden. Listed in that order based on their strength of preseason, at least in my opinion. Andersson has shown significant improvement, and there are legitimate concerns about his offensive abilities. I’d like to see him in the top-nine, and my guess is he will get there. He’s already on PK1, so that’s a good sign. It’s tough to argue against his significant improvement from last season to this preseason. Jesper Fast is a good teacher for him on that line.
7. Chytil has been moved to the wing, which I understand even if I don’t agree with it. I think Howden, who is a disaster in his own end, should be the winger. It will play to his offensive strengths while limiting his severe defensive deficiencies. If face offs are a concern, then Howden can take the face off and then jump back to his winger spot. This happens regularly when the center gets tossed from the circle anyway. Chytil is more well rounded and is also the better offensive threat. But perhaps that’s why Chytil is on the wing, to help unleash his full offensive potential. Then there’s Vlad Namestnikov on this list. Under appreciated defensively, but losing his role on the team. Rob is beating the drum that he won’t be with the club for long, and I’m inclined to agree with him.
8. Did anything on these defense pairings surprise you?
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