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After the Rangers’ three trade-deadline acquisitions joined the rest of the team for morning skate on Tuesday, head coach Gerard Gallant joked that it looked like training camp out there.
In all seriousness, however, it kind of is.
The Rangers have 18 games left in the regular season to figure out how their four new additions — forwards Frank Vatrano, Andrew Copp and Tyler Motte, as well as right-handed defenseman Justin Braun — fit best into the lineup.
Since president and general manager Chris Drury brought in three new forwards, all have seen time on different lines with several combinations. Vatrano joined the club last week against the Islanders, while Copp and Motte made their Rangers debuts in the egregious loss to the Devils on Tuesday that saw Gallant shuffle his lines in the third period.
It’s going to take some trial and error, but the Rangers are committed to finding the right lineup.
“They’re going to change every day,” Gallant quipped following practice Thursday.
After Vatrano spent his first handful of games on the right wing of the Artemi Panarin-Ryan Strome duo, the 28-year-old forward skated on the top line with Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad in practice Thursday.
Copp took his place on the wing of the Bread-and-Butter unit, while Alexis Lafreniere was bumped to the left wing of the third line next to Filip Chytil and Barclay Goodrow. Motte lined up on the left wing next to Jonny Brodzinski and Dryden Hunt. As of now, the odd players out are Julien Gauthier, Greg McKegg and Ryan Reaves — but that could change at any minute.
Plus, the hope is that forwards Kaapo Kakko and Kevin Rooney will be ready to return by early April. Gallant will then have two more options up front to take into consideration.
“It’s a positive for some and it’s a negative for some players,” the coach said. “You’re throwing things out there, different lines, different positions for certain guys, trying to get a feel. But it’s a good thing. It might hurt us some nights with guys playing off wings or with new line combinations, but you do the best you can.”
A little lineup competition never hurt anybody, and the Rangers haven’t had much of that this season due to injuries. It’s something Gallant felt the need to address at the end of practice. The coach’s message was to not only stay positive, but understand that every move the coaching staff makes going forward is to give the Rangers the best chance to win.
“You can never get too comfortable in the lineup,” Goodrow said. “Guys being moved all around the place, up and down the lineup — or even coming out — it’s good to have that competition. It’s good to have guys pushing you to keep getting better and stay on top of your game.”
Defenseman Libor Hajek did not participate in practice Thursday due to a non-COVID illness.
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