Here was Peter Laviolette following Thursday’s practice, six days before the season opener in Pittsburgh, discussing the impact of injuries that have sidelined Ryan Lindgren and Jimmy Vesey for “a few weeks” and now Artemi Panarin, “day-to-day” with a lower body issue he sustained in Tuesday’s match against AHL Utica.
The Rangers head coach touched on the opportunity created for younger players, perhaps Brennan Othmann, perhaps Matt Robertson, through injuries to returning lettermen. He touched on Alexis Lafreniere stepping in for Panarin on the traditional — and reconstituted — first power-play unit and he talked about giving Will Cuylle an opportunity to earn a spot on the penalty kill.
And Laviolette said this, alluding to it more than once:
“We want to try and keep players in the game a little bit more.”
Music to my ears.
And for those who are emotionally invested in the Rangers pursuit of the Stanley Cup, you should hear a symphony the very same way Diana Ross and the Supremes once did.
“When you’re on the top line, your five-on-five minutes are going to be elevated,” Laviolette said in addressing the decision to give Cuylle work on the penalty kill. “If you’re on the power play, you’re going to be elevated even more, and if you’re a penalty killer, you’re going to be one of the highest minutes guy on the team.
“Conversely, if you drop down in the order of the lines and you’re not on the power play and you’re not on the penalty kill, the minutes come down. That’s just math. We want to try and keep players in the game a little bit more.
“We feel like [Cuylle] could be a good penalty killer. It will keep him in the game and add minutes to his role.”
I don’t know if this necessarily represents a change in philosophy for Laviolette, who has a reputation of leaning on veterans perhaps too heavily, or whether this is simply a recognition of the promise of the young guys pushing up from below.
But that really doesn’t matter at all. The Rangers can only benefit by giving their young’uns enough air to breathe. This is the way this very good, veteran team can grow through the season. Kaapo Kakko working on PP2? You betcha.
Again, the Blueshirts have to take care of business through the marathon, but the hierarchy’s eyes should always be on the prize at the end of the rainbow.
The Rangers wrap up the preseason Friday at UBS Arena against the Islanders in what will be a dress rehearsal for the opener. Laviolette — at least publicly — gives more weight to exhibition games than any coach I’ve previously covered. He could not have been happy at all being required to play two games against New Jersey’s minor league team.
And in this one, opening night spots are on the line. Camp opened with a seemingly locked roster and pretty predictable opening night alignment. But then Lindgren (upper body), Vesey (lower body) and Panarin happened and here we are.
Thus, Othmann will skate in Panarin’s spot on the left with Vincent Trocheck in the middle and Lafreniere on the right. And Robertson, who sustained a lower-body issue in the first game in Boston on Sept. 22 and missed a chunk of time, will skate on the left with Braden Schneider as the Blueshirts take a look at a K’Andre Miller-Adam Fox first pair with Zac Jones and Jacob Trouba the other tandem.
Necessity is the mother of rookies getting a chance.
“If you’re asking me, would I rather all the players be available all the time, yes I would,” Laviolette said. “That’s where you get your game reps.
“There’s nothing you can do about that. There are things that happen inside of camp, so what I want is kind of irrelevant because this is actually what happened.”
Robertson’s absence from practice with the main group left the 2019 second-round, 49th-overall selection on the outside looking in as the Blueshirts gave auditions to Connor Mackey, Chad Ruhwedel (who skated Thursday in a non-contact jersey) and Victor Mancini for that vacant left side spot.
But the fourth-year pro has obviously inserted himself into the conversation. Similarly, Panarin’s injury may have paved a pathway for Othmann, 16th-overall in 2021, for a top-six role on opening night — if he can grab it.
Friday is going to count.
“There’s a point of what you have available, what you want to accomplish [against the Islanders] and what you want to get ready for in Game 1,” Laviolette said. “Sometimes [the final exhibition game] helps Game 1.”
The Rangers might go into Pittsburgh with important pieces missing. That creates an opportunity for youngsters to shine. It creates an opportunity for Lafreniere on PP1, and Cuylle on the PK.
It creates an opportunity for the orchestra.
Sweet dreams are made of this.
