As the last-place Rangers continue to consider selling off additional pieces ahead of Friday’s trade deadline, there will be a slew of young players left behind looking to establish full-time roles for the future.
One rookie who seemingly has already done that during this lost season for the team has been third-line center Noah Laba, who has been a mainstay in the lineup since making the roster out of his first NHL training camp.
“Obviously, it was huge to make it out of camp, super proud of that, and I’m just trying to continue to progress and not be satisfied and continue to become a better player,” the 22-year-old Laba said after practice Wednesday in Tarrytown. “I just need to continue to work on all aspects of the game as well as try to chip in more offensively, as much as I can, and just overall help the team.”
The 6-foot-3 Laba, a fourth-round draft pick in 2022 before spending three seasons playing at Colorado College, has totaled six goals and 10 assists in 57 games for the Blueshirts after making 11 appearances for AHL Hartford last spring.
But the Michigan native also has been a regular contributor on the penalty-killing unit, while averaging 13:21 of ice time per game.
“I just think Lobs is very similar to [rookie winger] Gabe [Perreault] in just the fact that with every NHL game that he gets under his belt, he’s practicing with NHL players at an NHL pace, and I think that experience, in and of itself, is invaluable to helping a player grow and develop,” Rangers coach Mike Sullivan said. “Lobs is going through that process very much like Gabe is.
“As coaches, we try to cast them in a role that we think sets them up for success, where you can play to your strengths. We’re trying to help him grow and get better in different aspects of his game.”
Sullivan credited assistant coach and former NHL forward Joe Sacco with working one-on-one “a fair amount” with Laba this season on the nuances of his role.
“We think he’s growing in every aspect,” Sullivan said. “He’s doing a better job hanging onto pucks in the offensive zone. We think he’s doing a better job on the penalty kill. He’s winning faceoffs. He’s got a better understanding of how we’re trying to defend.
“And he’s big and strong. I think the one element that jumps out at me, that he’s really brought to our team is, just his overall speed. Lobs can really skate and in today’s game, speed is a competitive advantage. The game’s not getting slower, it’s getting faster.”
Artemi Panarin already was moved before the Olympic break, with Vincent Trocheck also potentially among those to be dealt before Friday’s deadline.
Laba believes the young players on the roster — such as Perreault, who scored twice in Monday’s game against Columbus, and others — can be part of the turnaround.
“For sure, I think the older guys have done a great job of mentoring us and continuing to pump belief into us,” Laba said. “So they’ve been huge, and we’re seeing a ton of growth in the younger guys.
“I think we just try to focus on our game and what we can put on the ice. All that other external stuff is in reality not in our control, so I think we’ve done a good job of staying internal and trying to focus on our game.”
