NEW YORK – The 2023 preseason concluded for the Rangers with a 3-1 loss to the Boston Bruins on Thursday at Madison Square Garden, dropping them to 1-5 overall in six exhibition games.
Much of it wasn’t pretty, but it’ll all be an afterthought once the puck drops for the regular-season opener in Buffalo on Oct. 12.
The Blueshirts have a week between now and then to clean up their mistakes and cram in more practice and classroom sessions with head coach Peter Laviolette.
“There are positives to take from it,” the new bench boss said. “I think that defensively there were a lot of good things that happened in the last two games. But then offensively, there’s still time to keep pushing and establish that identity in the offensive zone. For me, it hasn’t been something that you’re just noticing all the time where we’re in there and we’re pounding them down in the offensive zone. That’s not there yet. We need to get there.”
Vincent Trocheck: Center could shift to new role in Year 2
Let’s dive in with our final takeaways from the preseason slate of games:
Line combos coming into focus
I’ve been banging the drum for a Chris Kreider-Mika Zibanejad-Kaapo Kakko line since last season, and I’m not about to stop now.
Laviolette tested out about five other top-line combinations before finally landing on that one Thursday, with the results encouraging enough that they should garner serious consideration for opening night.
The highlight, of course, was Kakko’s first-period goal – a nasty top-shelf wrister from the high slot, setup by a sweet backhanded pass from Kreider. It was part of an impressive overall night that featured a little bit of everything from the 22-year-old, who finished with five shot attempts (two on goal), one hit and one blocked shot in 17:54 time on ice.
Kakko hadn’t previously wowed us during this training camp, but he’s been steady throughout. He’s physically stronger and has grown to be a reliable player in all three zones. Of the right wings vying for top-six minutes, he’s clearly the leader of the pack.
Not only did he look more comfortable playing with Kreider and Zibanejad – a spot where he feels he plays his “best hockey” – but the two veterans also showed some extra jump in their best games of the preseason. As a line, they generated five scoring chances at five-on-five, but also allowed six, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Whether we’re talking analytics or eye test, they’re best combo we’ve seen from the Rangers in the last 12 months. Laviolette should let them roll for a month or two and see where they take it.
“I think we played some real good games last year, so I felt good with them,” Kakko said. “Kreids is very good in front of the net. Mika is also a great skater. He can bring the puck through the O zone, keep the puck and he’s a good shooter. I feel we know what to do out there. I know my job. They know what I can do. I think it’s just easier for me. They trust me and let me do my job.”
There were also glimpses of the old Artemi Panarin, who was much more involved Thursday and nearly scored on a power-play shot that hit the inside of the far post in the first period. Whether it was lingering effects from a lower-body injury he sustained earlier in camp or simple rust, he had not looked like himself in his first two preseason appearances.
On the opposite wing from No. 10 was Alexis Lafrenière, who’s been a lightning rod for criticism of late. His struggles have been apparent throughout the preseason, which may have cost him a chance at occupying that coveted RW real estate next to Kreider and Zibanejad.
Rather than burying him further down in the lineup and risking further damage to his confidence, though, Laviolette seems to be leaning toward a second-line opportunity. There was some good and some bad on Thursday, but it’s in the Rangers’ interest to put the former No. 1 overall pick in a position to succeed. They need him to take a step forward this season, and a bottom-six checking role probably isn’t going to do the trick.
The Panarin-Lafrenière line was centered by Barclay Goodrow, who seems like a fairly obvious placeholder for Filip Chytil. Laviolette has maintained a hopeful attitude about the 24-year-old center being ready for opening night – and if he is, the coach may be inclined to give him some run with Panarin.
That left a third line of Will Cuylle, Vincent Trocheck and Blake Wheeler, who were statistically the Rangers’ most effective trio. They out-shot the Bruins, 7-0, as part of a solid all-around effort. The fourth line featured Jimmy Vesey, Nick Bonino and Brennan Othmann.
The Blueshirts were without Tyler Pitlick, who suffered an upper-body injury in Wednesday’s 5-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils. Laviolette didn’t sound concerned about the newly signed forward missing the start of the season, in which case he’ll likely slot in as the fourth-line RW.
“He had a really good morning,” he said. “I don’t see that being an issue.”
Will Cuylle setting up a tough decision
Even though he’s had some nice moments in the preseason, no one should be surprised if Othmann is sent to AHL Hartford at some point in the coming days.
The same can be said for Cuylle, but making that call is looking increasingly difficult. The 21-year-old power winger has done everything Laviolette asked throughout this camp and represented himself quite well.
I’ve already laid out my final roster projection and the reasons why I believe Cuylle will start the year with Hartford. In short, it’s because the 12 forwards likely to play on opening night are already in place and the Rangers would prefer one of their top prospects to play regularly in the AHL, as opposed to being a healthy scratch in the NHL. But has he done enough to make them reconsider that plan?
It’s a question worth asking after Cuylle looked like he belongs again vs. the Bruins, posting eight shot attempts (four on goal) and a pair of hits in 14:08 TOI. The 6-foot-3, 210-pounder scored twice in five preseason games and is clearly strong enough to play at this level, as evidenced by some of his crunching hits and ability to hold his ground around the net. He’s also been steady defensively and noticeable on the forecheck.
There’s little doubt that he’ll stick around if either Chytil or Pitlick isn’t ready to go by next week, and he’ll almost certainly be the first forward called on if anyone else goes down this season. But if everyone is healthy for the opener against the Sabres, there’s no shame in starting the year with Hartford while knowing that he made a lasting impression at this camp.
I still believe that’s the most likely outcome, but he’s given the Rangers a lot to think about.
“I thought they’ve had good training camps, but they’re different players,” Laviolette said of Cuylle and Othmann. “Now we’ll talk about where the roster is going to go and our status with our lineup and the players that are still at camp, then make decisions from there.”
Patience may be required
We’ve seen some wild overreactions on social media the last few days, so let’s get this out of the way before the craziness of the regular season begins.
If this preseason has taught us anything, it’s that there will be some growing pains associated with adapting to a new coach and learning a new system. My hunch is that some early-season games won’t look great, but it will be wise to reserve judgment until we allow for time to work out the kinks.
“It’s still an adjustment,” captain Jacob Trouba said. “It’s still something we’re going to work out, but I think guys are getting more and more comfortable with it. I think the last two games defensively weren’t all that horrible. The scores might tell you a different story, but with what we’re trying to do, I think we’re heading the right direction.”
Laviolette sounded like he agreed, noting that he’s been pleased with the progress defensively − the Rangers allowed only 33 combined shots on goal in the last two games − but is still not seeing a direct enough approach to generate consistent offense.
“I’d like to take it more down the ice, as opposed to across the ice,” Laviolette said. “I think that’s something that we can continue to work at and talk about in the offensive zone, off the rush, just playing a bit more north.”
Special teams are another area where the Blueshirts need to tighten up, especially on the penalty kill. They’ve allowed four power-play goals on eight attempts in the last two games. After much of the first half of camp was focused on learning Laviolette’s 5v5 system, we can expect more emphasis on specialty work in the coming week.
None of it will be an overnight process, but they’re hoping the payoff will come sooner than later.
“You’re not going to flip a switch and it’s going to be magic,” Trouba said. “It takes time to build that trust and those reads and where guys are going, and the communication is a little bit different, but I think it’s trending the right direction.”
Vincent Z. Mercogliano is the New York Rangers beat reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Read more of his work at lohud.com/sports/rangers/ and follow him on Twitter @vzmercogliano.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Final takeaways of the 2023 preseason for the NY Rangers
