On the first day of training camp, coach Peter Laviolette told the New York Rangers that even with a crowded roster, players still have room to make some noise. Take whatever you want, he told his group.
“There is always an opportunity for you to jump out of your shoes, knock us in the head and say, ‘I am here, I have arrived,’” he said. “I think those are good things to have in an organization, people who are ready to knock down the door.”
Despite Laviolette’s words, the Rangers roster has few spots up for grabs. That doesn’t preclude borderline NHLers from proving themselves in preseason practices and games. Perhaps they won’t make the opening night roster, but strong play could help their cases for midseason call-ups.
The Rangers have had an eventful start to preseason with a 3-2 win Sunday against Boston and a 6-4 comeback victory Tuesday against the New York Islanders. Artemi Panarin (lower-body injury) and Ryan Lindgren (upper-body injury) both left the Islanders game early.
Plenty of players have stood out through early action. Here’s a look at some who have improved and some who have hurt their standing with roster decisions on the horizon.
Stock up
Filip Chytil
After missing all but 10 games in 2023-24 because of a concussion, the most important element of Chytil’s preseason is for him to come out of it healthy. So far, so good, though he had a scare against the Islanders.
Midway through the first period, Chytil absorbed a hit from Scott Mayfield. He struggled to get back to his feet as Lindgren fought Mayfield in defense of his teammate, which likely led to his upper-body injury. The hit didn’t earn a penalty, but Mayfield and Lindgren both got fighting penalties. Lindgren also got a misconduct and instigator penalty, so the Islanders got a power play.
Vincent Trocheck and Brennan Othmann helped Chytil off the ice, and he didn’t put weight on his left leg. By the end of the period, he was back on the ice. He took a shift before the first intermission.
“If I can play, I will play,” Chytil said. “I’m not saying this was the best game for myself, but at least in my head now I’m happy I came back and worked through that.”
Hockey-wise, Chytil is off to a solid start. He looked confident and strong against the Bruins, scoring a goal and adding an assist in 22:34 of action. Given his tumultuous 2023-24, seeing him perform that way and withstand some hits was a big win for the Rangers, even if Boston’s top players weren’t in the game. He scored again against the Islanders after a feed from Chris Kreider on a third-period power play, and he also led a two-on-one rush with Panarin earlier in the game.
Victor Mancini
Heading into NHL training camp, Mancini said he didn’t want to put limitations on himself, and perhaps no one has raised their stock more than the young defenseman. A 2022 fifth-round pick, he looked like a potential NHLer in his first preseason game, showing strong skating ability and scoring a goal against Boston. He played 23:06, leading Rangers skaters.
At 6-foot-4, Mancini has NHL size, and Laviolette noticed him during New York’s rookie games against the Philadelphia Flyers.
“He’s big, he’s strong, he skates,” the coach said. “He seems to be able to protect the puck from players trying to get it away from him. He’s able to use his speed and size to put it to an area where he can make the next play.”
Laviolette also mentioned Mancini’s shot. His goal against Boston came from the high slot.
You love to see it. pic.twitter.com/bZcew7L3jI
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) September 22, 2024
Zac Jones and Chad Ruhwedel seem like the favorites to make the NHL roster as the Rangers’ sixth and seventh defensemen; Mancini is not a candidate to break camp with the NHL roster. The team will almost certainly want to see more from him at AHL Hartford before giving him a shot in regular-season action. If he shows well there, though, he could put himself in the group with Ben Harpur, Connor Mackey, Casey Fitzgerald and Matthew Robertson as candidates for a call-up when NHL regulars inevitably get hurt. He has a potential edge as a right-shot defenseman. Harpur, Mackey and Robertson are all left shots.
Mancini got a taste of pro hockey after leaving Nebraska-Omaha at the end of the 2023-24 NCAA season. He joined the Wolf Pack and had six points in 17 games between the regular season and playoffs. He believed that was beneficial going into the Rangers rookie games and now his first NHL camp.
“It’s going to start for me in the defensive zone, being able to shut down plays, win puck battles and then get the puck into the forwards’ hands,” he said “The offense will come from being that second player, joining the rush.”
Matt Rempe and Adam Edström
At exit interviews in June, Rempe vowed he had “a big plan” for the summer. He wanted to come into this season and exceed expectations.
The 22-year-old started the offseason in Calgary, then went to Connecticut midway through the summer to work with trainer Ben Prentiss. He power skated “pretty much every day,” and the results showed.
“He came in in excellent shape,” Laviolette said.
On the first day of camp, Rempe paced his practice group, mainly consisting of AHL players, in conditioning tests. On Saturday, up with the main group, he was among the leaders in sprints at the end of practice.
Rempe made his 2024 preseason debut against the Islanders, and his line with Edström and Jake Leschyshyn had a few shifts of sustained offensive zone time. The trio looked overmatched one shift against the Islanders top line (Anthony Duclair–Bo Horvat–Mathew Barzal) as Duclair cut through the Rangers defense and fed Barzal for a goal. But the line got the goal back when Edström sprung Zac Jones on a breakaway and the defenseman converted. Edström scored another goal in the final minute to give the Rangers a 5-4 win.
“They worked to possess the puck and win the battles,” Laviolette said. “They did some good things.”
At this point, there’s little doubt that Rempe will be on the opening night roster, even if he’s a healthy scratch. Edström likely won’t be either if the whole team is healthy, but he’s putting himself in position for an early season call-up.
Zac Jones
Jones was up with the NHL group all last season but was primarily the No. 7 defenseman, playing in only 31 games. With Erik Gustafsson gone in free agency, the 23-year-old entered camp as the favorite to claim the No. 6 defenseman spot. He helped his case in his first preseason game against the Islanders by scoring two goals, one on a breakaway and one on a slap shot.
“That’s his game: To be able to step up and make plays,” Laviolette said. “He kind of sprung and got behind everybody on the one and then walked into a bomb on the second one. Part of generating offense is it’s a five-man unit. It’s not just about moving it up to the forwards. It’s about getting the D involved and active.”
Stock down
Matthew Robertson
The 2019 second-round pick suffered a lower-body injury against the Bruins and is day to day. He played only 8:13. That’s not his fault, but it does no favors to his already long-shot odds to break camp. The 23-year-old is still awaiting his NHL debut. He got called up to the NHL in January but did not get in a game before returning to Hartford.
Brennan Othmann
Othmann laid a big hit Sunday on Boston’s Parker Wotherspoon, and the two fought later in the game, but he hasn’t jumped out offensively through two preseason games. That’s not a major reason for concern. He’s still a developing player. But to push for an opening night roster spot — already a difficult task because of how many players are in set lineup spots — he likely needs to, as Laviolette said, knock down the door. He hasn’t done that so far. Through two preseason games, he has no points, two penalty minutes, a minus-1 rating and only one shot on goal. The 21-year-old has shown flashes — he had a good shift in the third period against the Islanders, nearly leading to an Edström goal — but will need to find more consistency.
“(That’s) the key to taking the next step: To be able to do it shift after shift, game after game,” Laviolette said, discussing his team’s young players. “That’s what those guys are working towards.”
(Photo of Adam Edström celebrating a goal against the Islanders: Luke Hales / Getty Images)
