The Rangers’ third line has been a bit of an enigma through the first six games of the season. Individually, all Noah Laba, Conor Sheary, Taylor Raddysh and Juuso Parssinen it went wellalthough Parssinen’s season numbers look worse because one of his two matches was quite tough. The problem is not with individual performance, but rather with cohesion and role. Compounding matters further is Rangers’ inability to score, placing more emphasis on the third line to provide tertiary attack.
What is the role for the Rangers’ 3rd line?
Initially expected to be a shutdown line with Juuso Parssinen under center, the Rangers’ third line had to be reevaluated after Noah Laba burst onto the scene and forced Mike Sullivan to rethink his plans. Laba is a solid two-way center, but putting shutdown responsibilities on a newcomer isn’t the best path to success.
That shutdown role has, interestingly enough, shifted to the JT Miller line. Miller was compared to Conor McDavid at home. Sullivan tried to get him out last night against Auston Matthews, and when he couldn’t, it was Mika Zibanejad who was there. Obviously, the Rangers’ third line won’t be a shutdown line at this point. This is probably a good thing in the long run, but for now it raises some concerns.
Notably, the Rangers are still not scoring, and the Rangers’ third line has played a role in this battle. As a collective unit, the Rangers third line has a score line of 2-4-6, with goals from Parssinen and Raddysh. Laba has a few assists. They’ve also gotten mostly offensive zone starts, which to me indicates this line should be a sheltered scoring line, much like the Zuccarello-Brassard-Pouliot line in 2013-2014.
Considering how well the Edstrom-Carrick-Rempe line has played, the Rangers can afford this luxury. Ideally, the Rangers’ third line can dominate at weaker depth, forcing teams to take notice. Right now, despite having a respectable 2-4-6 as a line, they’re not forcing teams to defend them. Instead, teams focus on the top six, and if the third line beats them, then so be it.
New staff had to change roles
The Rangers’ third line hasn’t been a shutdown line to start the season, and to be honest, that’s preferable. The new NHL needs three offensive lines, and a second defensive line didn’t seem ideal. The problem is that the current version of the Rangers’ third line doesn’t have enough offensive talent to truly be a sheltered scoring line.
This is the strongest argument for calling up Gabe Perreault, as he has the offensive skills the Rangers need in their top-nine forwards. Would Mike Sullivan put two rookies together in a sheltered role? Honestly, probably not, and not many coaches would. There is some wiggle room in restructuring the Rangers’ third line by borrowing from the top six, most notably Will Cuylle. This only works if the Rangers are healthy and only if Perreault shows he’s ready.
We won’t see these kinds of changes anytime soon, as Sully is still figuring out what he has in each of his players. At one point we could see Perreault playing with JT Miller and Mika Zibanejad, leaving the Panarin-Trocheck-Lafreniere line intact. That would leave Cuylle-Laba-3RW, which is two-thirds of a solid Rangers third line that can score, defend and be a nuisance. Sheary may be a better fit on that line than in the top six, as it appears he has a higher status with Sully than both Parssinen and Taylor Raddysh.
Brennan Othmann is a wild card here, and there’s always a chance he figures it out, trade rumors notwithstanding, and finds a home in an offensive zone sheltered from the Rangers’ third line.
There is time
Despite three losses, the Rangers are playing well. The process looks good, and a good process leads to good results. The Blueshirts just got bitten by a snake. A new Rangers third line with more offensive power would certainly help, if only to draw some defensive attention away from the top six.
It’s only October. We will see some lineup changes soon. Let the players figure out the new system and let the coaches figure out the players. The victories will come.
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