The excitement of their first preseason win over New Jersey is fresh. The Rangers looked good, and though it’s only one preseason game, there is some legitimate hype around some of the kids. But with the hype comes worries with the Rangers rushing prospects to the NHL, something that has plagued them the last few years. Though numerous kids have started camp with a bang, it’s easy to forget that the Rangers rushing prospects isn’t a good idea if they want to have more success in their next window.
1. The Rangers rushing prospects isn’t necessarily a new thing, especially with some high ceiling prospects. Kaapo Kakko is easily the biggest example, as the former #2 overall pick probably could have used half a year in Hartford, if only to get used to the North American game. K’Andre Miller comes to mind as well, jumping right from the NCAAs to the NHL.
The Rangers rushing prospects should be the biggest reason why we take pause on how some of the kids look. Gabe Perreault and Scott Morrow aside, both Noah Laba and Dylan Roobroeck are players that could have growth stunted without proper development in the AHL.
2. Morrow, and to a lesser extent Brett Berard and Brennan Othmann, is the only prospect that I would consider exempt from the risk of the Rangers rushing prospects. He’s got some NHL experience already with Carolina, 16 games plus five playoff games, and has looked the part of an NHL defenseman thus far. After what looked to be a rusty first prospects game, he rebounded nicely in the second prospects game and yesterday against New Jersey, showing he’s a step ahead of the rest.
Given Mike Sullivan’s comments that he could try Morrow on the left side, it seems Morrow already has the inside track. Urho Vaakanainen hasn’t played with NHL players yet in camp, so it seems Sully has Morrow ahead of Vaakanainen on the depth chart, which is the right call.
3. Othmann and Berard are at the point in their development where if they fail, it wouldn’t be blamed on the Rangers rushing prospects. Both have played significant time in the AHL and are at the cusp of beginning their NHL careers. Othmann needs to show a lot more than Berard, as his struggles through 25 NHL games are noteworthy, but his struggles are less about rushing him and more about whether he has the ability to take the next step.
Othmann will get a long look in preseason, perhaps playing in all six games. There may be some value in giving him a half season in Hartford, but if he breaks camp and it doesn’t work, I wouldn’t consider this an instance of the Rangers rushing prospects.
4. Berard seems to be penciled into a bottom six winger role as an energy player. It’s tough to project where he will play since we aren’t entirely sure what roles Sully has for all four lines, specifically the fourth line, but it’s assumed he has the inside track. He looked more NHL ready than Othmann, but that could just be due to his motor and some flashier plays. Playing 35 games and putting up 6-4-10 on last year’s train wreck helps a lot too, and puts him ahead of Othmann on the depth chart.
Personally, I think it would be hilarious to have the 5’9″ Berard play with the 6’7″ Adam Edstrom and 6’9″ Matt Rempe. But that’s just me.
5. Noah Laba has looked fantastic since camp opened, and he’s the guy that most falls into the “Rangers rushing prospects” category. Given Sully’s desire to use Juuso Parssinen as the shutdown 3C, at least for now, it seems that Laba will start the season in Hartford. This is likely the right call. We don’t yet know what the Rangers are, and throwing a rookie, even a promising one, into this situation could lead to disaster. Laba is the only high quality center prospect in the organization. Rushing him would be detrimental, falling just short of catastrophic, given his current trajectory.
6. Dylan Roobroeck had a solid 20-goal season with Hartford last year, but he’s just 21 years old. It looks like the Rangers want to keep him at center as well. It would behoove the Rangers to avoid rushing him as well. There’s a glut of bottom-six forwards that may be better short term options while both Roobroeck and Laba continue to get big minutes in Hartford. Perhaps Gabe Perreault as well, who has just 5 pro games under his belt.
The Rangers rushing prospects potentially killed their last window. Why rush the guys that don’t need to be rushed?
Instead of the Rangers rushing prospects, let the season play out
7. To mitigate the risk of the Rangers rushing prospects, the Rangers brought in Conor Sheary and Taylor Raddysh to complement Jonny Brodzinski as depth forwards. Raddysh has a guaranteed NHL spot at this point, and Sheary looks to be playing himself into one. Raddysh fits the bill for a shutdown winger with offensive upside, a role that may help Parssinen find footing as the 3C. A Cuylle-Parssinen-Raddysh line is certainly fine to start the season as Laba, Perreault, and Roobroeck cook in the AHL.
All three of Sheary, Raddysh, and Brodzinski can play up in the lineup in small spurts. There’s a reason why Sheary and Raddysh were brought in, and it’s hopefully to ensure that the risk of the Rangers rushing prospects is mitigated.
8. Remember, the lines that start the season are not the lines that finish the season. Ryan McDonagh started his first year in the AHL before being called up for the last 41 games. The rest is history.
It’s better to be safe than sorry. Berard, Othmann and Morrow aside, who are either already 23 or turning 23 this season, none of Perreault, Laba, or Roobroeck need to break camp with the Rangers. Even if close to NHL ready, the Rangers are in a position where they can have the luxury of sending all three to the AHL.
This training camp is more about Berard, Othmann, and Morrow. This trio is at the point where they need to show what they have. Why rush the younger trio when the older trio is still a bit of an unknown?