The New York Rangers skated into the 2022-23 NHL season with the hopes that their young core of players would take a big step in the development and put the team on the path to a championship.
It hasn’t exactly worked out that way though.
Inconsistent defense mismanaged pucks and an inability to score has appeared to halt the growth of many of the Rangers’ top young pieces. On a team brimming with star potential, the lack of production from the young players is a key reason why New York is on the outside looking in on the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
That certainly changed on Monday night.
Trailing by a goal heading into the third period, head coach Gerard Gallant shifted his lines to have Alexis Lafreniere and Kaapo Kakko on the first line and saw the results almost instantly. The Rangers scored three unanswered goals in the third period en route to the team’s 6-4 win over the St. Louis Blues that can easily be seen as a season savior, and coach savior.
“After the second, I wasn’t liking what I was seeing so I wanted to try and spark something. It made all three lines better.” Gallant said after the game.
It was just Lafreniere (who had the game-winner Monday) and Kakko that showed out Monday night. K’Andre Miller’s massive wrist shot tied the game at four and provided much-needed positivity for a young player who has been on the ice for a lot of goals given up.
“I know me and (Jacob) Troubs haven’t had the best bounces this year, but I think just staying with it and knowing that those bounces are going to come and sticking to the program…I think we’ve hit the reset button off the ice and in practice with different ways we can bond a little more and get the results we want.” Miller told reporters.
The kids were a major part of the team’s win on Monday night, just as they’ve been a major reason for the team’s early struggles. With the Rangers now turning to win-now mode with teams like Vegas, Colorado, and New Jersey upcoming, New York is looking for their young players to play a brand of hockey that has been tried and tested through the years.
“It’s a simple game but when you put pucks to the net, you keep it simple, usually good things happen. I hope we can maintain that for whatever we have left. They were really good tonight, they showed good signs.” Gallant said.
The Rangers’ head coach isn’t wrong. Young talent like Braden Schneider, Miller, Lafreniere, and Julien Gauthier played key roles in the win. Mixed with the standout stars of Adam Fox, Mika Zibanejad, and Artemi Panarin, they showed how good of an offensive juggernaut they could be.
That doesn’t mean New York is out of the woods yet though.
As well as someone like Kaapo Kakko has played, luck hasn’t been on his side to start the season. If the Rangers aren’t careful, their upcoming three-game stretch against the league’s best teams could be the final nail in the coffin of the young season.
The Rangers’ kids were a huge part of the team’s win on Monday. Whether fans like it or not, they hold the key to a potential turnaround…for better or for worse.
