Rangers Practice New Lines, Rempe Back to Hartford

The Rangers may have skated away with an important pair of points last night but it doesn’t change the fact that this team isn’t performing the way they want to. Across their last two outings, not only have they been bad defensively but they’ve averaged just over 13 shots on goal. In their last four, they only registered eight goals which is a massive drop off from the 5.17 they were averaging throughout their first six games of the season. 

Nevertheless, a shake up shouldn’t come as much of a surprise and frankly, getting experimental in game 11 of 82 isn’t anything to think twice over. Reminder, we’re talking about a team that is currently 7-2-1 through their first ten games. Here’s what’s being reported from Rangers practice today that features some pretty notable changes with the forward group and some recycled ideas on the back end:

There’s a lot to break down with the forwards but the most notable change is breaking up Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. While Mika looked much better last night than he has of late, giving him a good honest look with Artemiy Panarin and Alexis Lafrenière is a bit overdue. Especially now that we know Lafrenière is going to be here for the long haul, it makes sense for the Rangers to try this out as their top line. On paper, they are your three best players at each position and with such skilled wingers by his side, perhaps Zibanejad can focus more on his defensive responsibilities and hope the offense comes back naturally in the process. This will be the most critical line to watch tomorrow. 

Line two is where it gets really interesting. I’ll be honest, I was surprised to find Trocheck has eight points through ten games. He’s been a bit under the radar to start the season in my humble opinion but perhaps that’s fine. I mentioned this throughout the summer but Trocheck played and found success with Reilly Smith in Florida which makes the idea of them on the same line enticing. Not only that, but Will Cuylle plays the game with a similar edge as Trocheck which could make for a nice compliment to the chemistry between the other two. This will be one of the most interesting lines to keep an extra eye on tomorrow. 

As for the third line, or perhaps 2B line, this is a combination I’ve liked the idea of for quite some time. Kreider - Chytil - Kakko could be just as, if not more effective then the third line has been with Will Cuylle as the left winger. Not for nothing, but Chytil has been flying in these last couple of games. Put a guy with Chris Kreider’s speed on his side and the two could really make for something special. We know those two can score goals and if Kaapo Kakko can feed them, that can not only be a dangerous line but will help Kakko become the player the Rangers need him to be. This might be the more exciting line to watch tomorrow. 

Lastly, the fourth line is as expected with a healthy roster. Adam Edström has earned a full-time job in that role, Sam Carrick is going to stay there until he doesn’t and Jimmy Vesey is going to get first consideration due to his versatile skill set as well as his history with the team. Brodzinski is the staple 13th forward and as expected, Matt Rempe has been assigned to Hartford to continue his development process with actual ice time.

Defensively, there isn’t much to say about the changes. They’re three pairings we’ve seen before with the most noticeable change being Victor Mancini potentially being the odd man out. The Rangers have shuffled the D-pairs around a good amount since the season began both because of injury as well as by choice. In their game against Florida, we saw many of the defensive struggles we saw in the playoffs and it seems that many of those issues have carried over into the games that followed. 

The Rangers might be at a crossroads with their defense pairings as currently constructed, which is a much larger conversation we can and will have with a piece I’ll have coming early this week. For now, it’s the forward line shuffling that will take the headlines as the Rangers prepare for their upcoming matinee matchup with their big rivals, the New York Islanders. 

What do you think about the line changes and what are you most excited to see tomorrow? Let us know in the comments!