One generous journalist gave Jack Roslovic a chance to incorporate a healthy 15-game scratch into his Rangers career Sunday and decided, “Is it just a rotation problem?” Head coach Peter Laviolette seized on the moment by declaring, “It’s just a rotation thing.”
This is an interesting way of saying “bench”.
Publicly criticizing players is not Laviolette’s style. In this first season, the coach may not have ever pointed a finger at a player or sent a pointed message behind the bench in New York.
Certainly he wasn’t going to start with Roslovic. Roslovic has been a steadying influence on the right side alongside Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad, but he’s starting to feel more responsible, taking more seats in Friday’s 4-3 win at Detroit. Since then, I had secured my seat before watching these five games. -2 Garden victory against Habs in street clothes.
Laviolette talked about how having 13 healthy forwards on the roster imposes personnel call-ups every game. The manager said matchups could be part of the equation in defining the club’s toughest lineup heading into Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs.
However, it was generally assumed that the final decision would be between Matt Lempe and Johnny Brodzinski as the 12th forward. When he was taken out of the lineup as a healthy scratch against the Panthers on March 23, 22-year-old Will Quill really thought he needed rest a month before the playoffs, in the most literal sense of the word. Mysterious Laviolette was the only one I had.
Leaders are under the illusion that they are completing the GAG Line Redux by acquiring Roslovic from the Jackets before the March 8 deadline in exchange for a 2026 third- or fourth-round pick. There wasn’t. I don’t think anyone thought Roslovic would end up being the Vic Hadfield of Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad and the Rod Gilbert of Jean Ratel.
But there’s a sense that the temporary position on BFF’s right side, which had been filled at various times earlier this year by the likes of Kaapo Kakko, Blake Wheeler, Brodzinski, Quill and Jimmy Vesey, has been filled, and that’s where the problem lies. It was an area. Laviolette and staff no longer have to worry about it.
And Roslovic initially brought speed and hockey IQ as a complementary addition to the unit. However, his effectiveness had declined over the past week or so. He wasn’t strong enough with the puck and wasn’t responsible enough defensively with or without the puck. The unit was listed again, if not because of Roslovic. By Friday, Kakko, Barclay Goodrow, and Jimmy Vesey were being replaced after a particularly poor defensive zone change led to a goal loss against Detroit.
And on Sunday, Vesey was in line as the Rangers continued their charge to the goal line for their eighth win in nine games. Of course, it’s worth remembering that this isn’t the first time this versatile Harvard product has been named to a top-six role.
In fact, after Wheeler went down with a season-ending lower-body injury on Feb. 15, when the Canadiens were on-site to play in the field ahead of their last outdoor game against the Islanders at MetLife, Laviolette Vesey was the first candidate to take over the position. .
After an outdoor practice two days before the game, several waves of media members approached Vesey’s locker. He was asked about the chemistry between Zibanejad and Kreider, who played 17 times last season under then-head coach Gerard Gallant. Vesey, who is used to being shifted up and down the lineup, graciously answered all questions.
And knowing that.
After all, when No. 26 finished his time in the spotlight, he looked up and said to no one in particular, “You can call me again in about two weeks.”
By then, as Vesey expected, they were back in the bottom six after five games in the top half. His value goes beyond his 13-13-26 stat line. He can play at the top. He can kill penalties. He can play a matchup role. That was his job in this work. All of them.
Vesey was outstanding against the Habs, leading Zibanejad and Kreider to their best night of the year. The line finished with an overwhelming advantage in attempts and shot share, with the Zibanejad native scoring in 10 minutes, 54 seconds while posting an 82.97 percent xGF rate. Vesey also participated intermittently on the checking unit with Goodrow and Brodzinski, posting an xGF of 64.37 in 3:25.
“clearly [Vesey] He can play with anyone and we’ll be with him for a while. I’m used to it,” said Zibanejad, who scored one point each on the power play and five-on-five. “We were hunting.
“He’s a good skater. He makes a lot of good plays — a lot of right plays at the right times. He was great today and I thought our line was very good.”
We have four games left and four more rehearsals. Perhaps Laviolette will give Roslovic a chance to prove he was paying attention Sunday, when Zibanejad scored his third goal in a 5-on-5 game since Christmas.
“Solar eclipse [Monday]” Zibanejad said. “It’s also rare.”
