{"id":276984,"date":"2025-10-04T11:12:13","date_gmt":"2025-10-04T11:12:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/276984\/"},"modified":"2025-10-04T11:12:13","modified_gmt":"2025-10-04T11:12:13","slug":"new-york-rangers-try-to-walk-fine-line-between-contending-and-developing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/276984\/","title":{"rendered":"New York Rangers try to walk fine line between contending and developing"},"content":{"rendered":"

You know the old saying about how two things can be true at once? That very much applies to the New York Rangers\u2019 pending roster decisions<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In reassigning forward Gabe Perreault and defenseman Scott Morrow to AHL Hartford on Friday, president Chris Drury and new coach Mike Sullivan seem to be leaning toward keeping a few unexciting veterans over some of the organization\u2019s top prospects, which is stoking angst among a frustrated fan base. The wound is still fresh from last season\u2019s faceplant, and diehards have witnessed years of draft misses and botched development plans. Their skepticism is warranted.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s critical for Rangers brass to recognize the moment. Of course, they\u2019re still trying to win \u2014 and there are legitimate reasons to believe the team can bounce its way back into the playoff conversation<\/a> \u2014 but last season served as a harsh dose of reality. A core that accomplished some impressive feats during a three-year span from 2022-24, including a Presidents\u2019 Trophy and two trips to the Eastern Conference final, had plateaued. Drury acknowledged as much through his actions, purging the roster with 10 trades over a seven-month period from early December to July 1.<\/p>\n

Whether the Rangers will be better for it remains to be seen, but they\u2019ve clearly slipped out of the NHL\u2019s top tier. That\u2019s why treating 2025-26 as a championship-or-bust campaign would be a mistake.<\/p>\n

The priority for this season should be both to make it back to the postseason and to work toward a sustainable future. Leading scorer Artemi Panarin will turn 34 later this month as he enters the final year of his contract, while J.T. Miller, Vincent Trocheck and Mika Zibanejad are all entering their age-32 seasons. Outside of 27-year-old defenseman Adam Fox and 29-year-old goalie Igor Shesterkin, there are very few proven building blocks with many prime years ahead of them.<\/p>\n

A quick fix could come via free agency or trade in 2026, when the Rangers are scheduled to be flush with salary cap space<\/a>. But that\u2019s a difficult lottery ticket to bank on, especially after one of the biggest potential UFAs, Kirill Kaprizov, inked a record-breaking extension<\/a> to stay with the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday. The Rangers need to fortify from within if they plan to extend their window of contention \u2014 and that will require hitting on a higher percentage of draft picks.<\/p>\n

At the same time, from a short-term perspective, sending Morrow and forwards Brennan Othmann and Perreault to Hartford should not be viewed as some catastrophe. In many of those instances \u2014 and even if the Rangers end up doing the same with forwards Brett Berard and Noah Laba, who remain on the roster for now \u2014 it may be the best thing for them.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe question is always, \u2018What\u2019s the path that helps those players become impact players in the most expeditious fashion?’\u201d Sullivan said. \u201cMy experience has been, every player is unique. You have to have those discussions on a case-by-case basis. Sometimes it involves playing (in the AHL). Sometimes it involves playing (in the NHL). Most of the time, it\u2019s a combination of the two.\u201d<\/p>\n

There have been several examples of the Rangers rushing the process that didn\u2019t turn out well.<\/p>\n

They whiffed on back-to-back top-10 picks in Lias Andersson (No. 7 overall in 2017) and Vitali Kravtsov (No. 9 in 2018), significantly setting the sustainability plan back. Andersson was thrust into the NHL before he turned 20 and struggled mightily, while Kravtsov transitioned from Russia to the U.S. at a similar age and clearly wasn\u2019t ready. Both probably wouldn\u2019t have panned out anyway, but the constant starting and stopping surely didn\u2019t help. Former Hartford coach and current Edmonton Oilers bench boss Kris Knoblauch once referred to it as \u201cthe yo-yo game,\u201d suggesting that placing players in the NHL too soon and inevitably sending them back down makes it difficult to rebuild their confidence.<\/p>\n

It would have been a hard sell at the time, but there\u2019s a valid argument that a couple of even higher draft picks, Kaapo Kakko (No. 2 in 2019) and Alexis Lafreni\u00e8re (No. 1 in 2020), would have benefited from AHL stints. Instead, they both went directly to the NHL and took years to find their footing. Neither blossomed into the star the organization once hoped for, with Kakko getting shipped to Seattle last year.<\/p>\n

The track record beyond those top picks isn\u2019t great, either. None of the 17 combined picks made in 2017 and 2018, including five first-rounders, remain with the organization. And only two \u2014 defenseman Matthew Robertson (second round, No. 49) and forward Adam Edstr\u00f6m (sixth round, No. 161) \u2014 remain from what was supposed to be a foundational 2019 draft.<\/p>\n

The 2020 draft has been a notable exception, with Lafreni\u00e8re, defenseman Braden Schneider (first round, No. 19), forwards Will Cuylle (second round, No. 60), Berard (fifth round, No. 134) and Matt Rempe (sixth round, No. 165) and goalie Dylan Garand (fourth round, No. 103) all either locked into roster spots or likely to make an impact this season. But since Drury took over in 2021, they\u2019ve yet to select another player who\u2019s solidified an NHL role.<\/p>\n

There have been some noticeable changes in developmental strategies, though. Hartford was once a wasteland for fading prospects and minor-league veterans, but this regime has made a concerted effort to turn it into a stepping stone for young talent. For the last few years, the Wolf Pack roster has been littered with recent draft picks and legitimate prospects.<\/p>\n

Cuylle is their biggest recent success story. He spent his first full season in the AHL, then hit the ground running as an NHL rookie in 2023-24. The key is replicating that formula to produce the next wave of Rangers.<\/p>\n

Perreault and particularly Laba had their moments this preseason<\/a>, but it\u2019s important to remember that most of those exhibitions came against fragmented lineups that were missing major pieces. They weren\u2019t nearly as effective in Thursday\u2019s 3-1 loss to a much more complete New Jersey Devils team. Both were in college at this time last year and didn\u2019t turn pro until March, so a little time to adapt and grow in Hartford seems like a logical springboard.<\/p>\n

Berard, Othmann and Morrow are further along in their development, combining for 250 career AHL games to this point. Berard remains in camp and has an outside shot to make the team, but both Othmann and Morrow have specific areas to improve if they\u2019re going to earn Sullivan\u2019s trust, mainly on the defensive side.<\/p>\n

If it\u2019s been determined they need more seasoning, now is the time to do it. All five of those prospects are still on their entry-level contracts, allowing them to pass freely between the AHL and NHL without requiring waivers.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can just throw guys in the lineup and say, \u2018Figure it out,’\u201d Sullivan said. \u201cOr we can try to be a little bit more calculated and more proactive in trying to influence that development process so that player progresses in an optimal way.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the meantime, it\u2019s reasonable for Drury to protect his depth by holding onto veterans such as Jonny Brodzinski, Conor Sheary and Urho Vaakanainen, who would have to be waived or outright released in order to be sent to the minors. Even younger players such as Juuso P\u00e4rssinen, Matt Rempe and Matthew Robertson would be exposed to waivers before being cleared for an AHL assignment, allowing any team to claim them. The chances may be slim in most cases, but why risk it at this early juncture?<\/p>\n

Injuries will inevitably strike, at which point whichever prospect is playing best and fits the positional need can be recalled. And if some of the aforementioned veterans stay healthy but still aren\u2019t getting the job done, a switch can be made as well.<\/p>\n

So while there was surely disappointment after Othmann, Perreault and Morrow were cut, with Berard and\/or Laba possibly up next, the message is to use their AHL time constructively and stay ready. The hope is they\u2019ll be better for it in the long run.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, the Rangers can\u2019t afford to wait too long. It\u2019s one thing for these prospects to miss out on opening night, but most should get looks sooner than later. Debuting in November or December would still provide plenty of runway to make an impression and gain valuable experience, but it would be short-sighted if Drury and Sullivan let the season go by without finding out what they have.<\/p>\n

The future depends on it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a big responsibility,\u201d Sullivan said. \u201cWe\u2019re entrusted to help these young players become the best versions of themselves, so ultimately, they can maximize their careers and help the Rangers win. That\u2019s the goal.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Photo of Gabe Perreault: Bruce Bennett \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"You know the old saying about how two things can be true at once? That very much applies…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":276985,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5122],"tags":[5229,405,403,1302,5226,5225,5228,5227,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-276984","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-new-york","10":"tag-new-york-city","11":"tag-new-york-rangers","12":"tag-newyork","13":"tag-newyorkcity","14":"tag-ny","15":"tag-nyc","16":"tag-united-states","17":"tag-united-states-of-america","18":"tag-unitedstates","19":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","20":"tag-us","21":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/276984","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=276984"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/276984\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/276985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=276984"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=276984"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=276984"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}