This certainly isn’t unique to the Rangers, with at least half of all 32 NHL teams dipping into long-term injury relief to stay compliant under the cap during the 2023-24 season.
But the truth is that coach Peter Laviolette has not had the opportunity to use every player on his team since Nov. 2, when Filip Chytil suffered a suspected season-ending concussion in the 10th game of the season. are not given.
But right now, and at this most opportune moment, are the Blueshirts well-equipped and GM Chris Drury not even needing to resort to cap-related shenanigans?
The Rangers are healthy, or as healthy as any team is expected to be at this stage of the season, which is likely a byproduct of the relative rush the team experienced when it arrived at the Garden on Wednesday for Game 1 of the conference finals against Florida.
This wasn’t two years ago, when the Rangers needed seven games in each of the first two rounds, ended up playing 20 playoff games in 40 days, and only once had more than two days between games. Ta. These Blueshirts needed just 10 games to dispatch the Caps and Canes in the qualifiers, with six days between rounds. Paddy Tatts only needed one more game to defeat the Lightning and Bruins.
Of course, Cityl returned for Game 3 of the Carolina series after being sidelined for 188 days, but then missed the final three games due to a combination of illness and soreness. He entered this game when Artemi Panarin deflected in overtime, which ended with Blake Wheeler slamming the glass from the outside in street clothes and a celebration in the corner.
Wheeler missed this game just as he has missed since suffering a gruesome leg injury in his 54th game for the club on Feb. 15. For most of the time, the winger was forgotten and forgotten about, but not within the organization.
So Laviolette has options, and he seems like a better option than earlier in the season when the coach was choosing between Nick Bonino and Tyler Pitlick. For the first time, coaches have the opportunity to create lineups based on potential needs revealed by the opponent, and in this case, the powerful Panthers, who tend to do that to you.
Chytil is an option for speed and skill. Chris Kreider and Mika Zivagined are size and chemistry, so Wheeler is an option. Matt Rempe is a smashmouth option. Rempe has been healthy throughout but has missed three of the last four games against Carolina. Johnny Brodzinski, who played in the last two games against Carolina, is an alternative.
“I think depth is really important on that long road to the playoffs,” Laviolette said. “Sometimes you lose pieces along the way, but we’ve been trying to get pieces back and a lot of those pieces have become available options and it seems to give us depth in the lineup.”
The Post follows coverage of the Rangers in the NHL playoffs.
“When a player becomes available, you have to make difficult decisions. You make decisions based on how the team is playing, how individuals are playing, what you need in the series, etc. There’s a lot to it.”
There isn’t a hypothetical lineup that doesn’t include a healthy Chytil as part of the spotlight. This, you will certainly remember, is the center that was located between Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafreniere in the second row when he moved down.
Chytil will bring elements of speed, skill and creativity to the lineup, primarily for defensive and faceoff-related reasons, even if Alex Wennberg is placed in the center and Kaapo Kakko is placed on the right, slotting in on the left wing of the third line. is bringing.
If Citill can stay in the lineup, it’s hard to imagine a role for Wheeler unless they replace Jack Roslovic with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider on the right side, but Laviolette likes the veteran presence, and if freshman Will Quill can get single-digit ice time on the fourth line, who knows.
Though we can all agree he looked clunky at times, with Wheeler on the right wing, the BFF produced goals at a higher rate than any of his linemates (except Panarin, who is not a realistic permanent option), recording 3.53 goals per 60.00. Roslovic’s regular season figure was 3.06 per 60.
Wheeler operates differently than Roslovic, creating a kind of chaos when he rushes to the corners with his 6-foot-5 frame. He’s good at getting to the net, but Roslovic uses his speed and intelligence to create open ice at the line. Wheeler, a deadline acquisition, had a strong night in Game 6 at Carolina and was a factor in the cycle.
Rempe, well, he does things differently than Wheeler and Roslovic and Chytil and Brodzinski and most people. If the Panthers went on a rampage against the Rangers like they did in the 1974 semifinals, and Dave Schultz had a chunk of Dale Rolfe’s hair in his fist, Laviolette would probably be converted to No. 73.
Like the coach said, it’s good to have options.
