Laviolette’s lineup tinkering is good for the Rangers

It’s been just two days of training camp, and we’ve seen two different looks at the Rangers lines. Both Blake Wheeler and Alexis Lafreniere were given looks on the top line, albeit with different center/LW combos, and we don’t know which way he will lean yet. What we do know is that he will continue to experiment with the lines until he finds not only what the final lineup will be, but what his backup lines will be if and when injuries occur.

Laviolette’s lineup tinkering with the Rangers was wholly expected to start camp. He has never been the type of coach to just go with what works. Laviolette has a history of adjusting his systems to the roster and adjusting his lines to fit that system. It’s a constant adjustment, and one that will come with growing pains. The preseason is just the start of the lineup tinkering.

This is all a good thing for the Rangers. While we can certainly point to Gerard Gallant going with ole reliable to his own detriment, there’s a human factor with the players that perhaps they’ve gotten too comfortable with their expected linemates. That’s not a negative, being comfortable is a good thing, but sometimes comfort can lead to occasional complacency. These guys are, again, human. Lineup tinkering simply keeps them on their toes.

By simply tinkering with the lines, Laviolette sends a message that they shouldn’t just continue with what worked previously. Even if it works, it can be improved upon. The internet worked fine with dial up –for those too young to know what dial up is, just listen to this and know that whenever someone picked up the phone, you got disconnected– yet here we are with fiber-optic internet and download speeds that are 100x what they were with dial up.

The goal is to get these dial up Rangers to high speed internet Rangers. This is the worst analogy I have ever written, so let’s move on.

What we have learned is that Laviolette has his eyes on what the roster looks like, something we already know, and is putting the competitions in plain view. Zac Jones vs. Erik Gustafsson. Jimmy Vesey vs. Barclay Goodrow. Alexis Lafreniere vs. Blake Wheeler. Kaapo Kakko vs. Kakko Kaapo.

Laviolette will tinker his systems to work with his roster. He will tinker the lines to work within those systems. These are all good things, even with the expected learning curve through November.