The Rangers don't have many open positions in the lineup, but head coach Peter Laviolette has issued a challenge to his expanded team to step up and get the head coach's attention.
In a lineup loaded with prospects for Boston on Sunday night, it was Victor Mancini who made an impression.
Mancini scored the team's first goal and assisted on Filip Chytil's game-winner at the end of the first period, and also played a key role in multiple segments of the game and provided strong defense in a 3-2 win over the Bruins.
Mancini, the 159th overall pick by the Rangers in 2022, played his first professional hockey game last season with Hartford.
After spending three seasons at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, where he totaled four goals and 19 assists in 110 games, the right-handed defenseman appeared in seven games with the Wolfpack in 2023-24, recording three assists.
Mancini, 22, is expected to get top-four playing time for Hartford this season, and he also recorded three assists in 10 AHL playoff games.
Scrutiny was also directed at Brennan Osman, to whom Laviolette's message was undoubtedly directed.
Osman struggled with the Bruins' Parker Wotherspoon on Sunday night and landed some big hits.
“He had a good year last year,” Laviolette said of Osman, who had 49 points in 67 AHL games with the Hartford Wolfpack last season. “Get those points in. He'll have a chance to make an impact when he comes into camp this year.”
Osman, who has the skill set of a top-six player, has a path to a lineup spot that is hindered by the Rangers' first two lines being fairly locked down.
Mancini also ranks low in terms of defensive depth, but he improved last year.
Chytil recorded one goal, one assist and six shots in the preseason opener.
Alex Belzile, who scored the winning goal, is yet to play for Rangers despite signing a two-year contract until July 2023.
Back in Tarrytown, another promising player was trying to make a buzz of his own.
Brett Berard, the 134th overall pick by the Rangers in 2020, was a standout performer during the Blueshirts' intrasquad scrimmage on Sunday.
“He's a hard worker,” Laviolette said of Berardo, who has yet to make his NHL debut. “He's very competitive. He goes out there and battles and plays with a lot of energy. He had a really good year offensively last year and became a guy that teams looked to him for. Even last year, I thought he had a good year going into training camp. I think this year he's looking to make an impression.”
“He [into an exhibition game] He's going to have an opportunity to prove himself and we're going to put him in the right situation.”
Berardo, 22, appeared in 71 games with the Wolfpack last season, scoring 25 goals and 23 assists for 48 points, his first full pro season after three seasons at Providence College.
The Rangers' lineup on Sunday featured just six NHL regulars: Chytil, Kaapo Kakko, Will Caille, Jimmy Vesey, Braden Schneider and Johnny Brodzinski.
The Rangers are off on Monday before returning to preseason action on Tuesday against the Islanders at Madison Square Garden.
