Vitali Kravtsov survived the Rangers final roster cuts, for now.

The Rangers final roster cuts, or at least what appears to be the Rangers final roster cuts, were made yesterday with Julien Gauthier and Jarred Tinordi on waivers. They also signed Jimmy Vesey to the league minimum off his PTO, finalizing their opening night roster with the max 23 players: 14 forwards, 7 defensemen, 2 goalies. Given their cap constraints, the roster size is a little surprising.

1. Signing Vesey off his PTO was no surprise to anyone, even if his addition on a PTO to start camp was a bit of a surprise. It’s clear both Gerard Gallant and Chris Drury think Vesey can be a bit of an every-man for the Rangers, much like Jesper Fast way back when, or Dryden Hunt last year. The thing is, they had that every-man already in Hunt. We’ve discussed how Hunt is a productive and solid fourth liner, but was miscast last season. That led to public perception that he’s a bad player.

Unfortunately the Rangers are about to do the same thing with Vesey. He’s going to be miscast in a top six role, even if he has stints of productive play. If it works and we are wrong, then great. Happy to be wrong when looking at ideal roles and what may not work. This one just seems like an unnecessary move when you have 3 kids that are better options.

2. Speaking of those 3 kids, keeping the Kid Line together may be Gallant’s kryptonite this season. Given the Rangers final roster cuts, there are no legitimate options to fill holes in the top half of the lineup without breaking up that line. We know that, they know that, but for now we will likely see the Kid Line together. What I do find to be interesting is that Kakko appears to have the inside track over Alexis Lafreniere, most likely due to being a natural RW.

That said, either of Kakko or Lafreniere will be fine there. Worth noting that Lafreniere-Filip Chytil-Blais was a solid line in limited minutes last year before Blais got hurt.

3. Something to watch: Vitali Kravtsov has skated with the extras for a few days while Vesey gets looks with Artemiy Panarin and Vincent Trocheck. This call, per Gallant, apparently came from “higher ups” which means Drury. This goes into Vesey being the every-man for the Rangers, which makes some sense. But it makes you question why it was Kravtsov specifically that was skating with the extras.

Kravtsov looked good in the first preseason game, but like the rest of the Rangers, his play nosedived in the last week or so. None of the Rangers really looked good, so singling him out seems odd. He survived the Rangers final roster cuts, at least for now, but whether or not he plays seems to be a valid question.

Many people took notice of Kakko being a healthy scratch in the playoffs. But this Kravtsov situation may be a bigger concern to watch. Hopefully it’s nothing. It’s most likely nothing.

4. But if it’s not nothing, then Drury making lineup decisions is objectively bad and a massive overstep. Again, something to watch, but not panic or make rash judgments on yet.

5. We harp on this a lot, but unless Libor Hajek has made a significant turn in his progress, he’s not an ideal 7D. There’s not much the Rangers can do right now that doesn’t involve swallowing pride and cutting their losses, so this may take a while. But with him surviving the Rangers final roster cuts…over Jarred Tinordi…he’s on the team for now. He’s the first man up in an injury situation. Given his past performances, he’s a significant downgrade on every other option.

Hajek will also spell Zac Jones from time to time. Jones has definitely won the 6D role, which is good, but Hajek is going to get games even with a fully healthy roster. The 7D doesn’t need to be the best player in the world, just needs to be replacement level. Hajek is not that.

6. It will be interesting to see how the powerplay units shake out. Replacing Ryan Strome as the bumper on PP1 is a more difficult ask than people give credit. He was a good bumper, and Rob Schremp went into detail about what makes a good bumper.

As of now, Trocheck is getting the first shot here. I don’t believe his skill set, which is more of a net front presence, is ideal for the bumper role. Perhaps Panarin’s is, but he’s fine on the RW, even if it’s not his off-hand. Given the need for patience, play reads, and subtle moves to create space, Lafreniere would likely excel in this role. Perhaps Kakko as well.

If Trocheck works, then great! If not, let’s hope it’s a short leash. The Rangers will need PP1 to click while they figure out if the kids are taking the next steps.

7. Unrelated to the Rangers final roster cuts, Jaro Halak should solidify the backup goalie spot. Alex Georgiev was not a backup, and now he’s starting on the defending Stanley Cup champions. It’s a specific mindset, and Halak has it. Hopefully this means more stability in spot starts and more rest for Igor Shesterkin.

8. Also unrelated to the Rangers final roster cuts, it would be beneficial to the Rangers to limit PK time as best they can for players like Adam Fox. Fox struggled a bit in this spot, and with K’Andre Miller turning into something special, he’s their best bet to possibly even improve the PK while also giving Fox much needed rest. If the Rangers can keep Fox to 20 minutes while increasing Miller’s minutes to about the same, it’ll keep him fresh for the playoffs.

Ditto Kakko and Kreider.

9. This is a Rangers team filled with potential. If they hit it, watch out.

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