DALLAS — The New York Rangers had gone six straight games with the same lineup entering Saturday’s 2-0 loss to the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center, with coach Mike Sullivan suggesting it could remain that way for this three-game road trip to close out the season.
“We’re walking that line where, obviously, there’s been a lot of young kids in the lineup that are getting opportunities to play,” he said prior to the game. “The other aspect of it is the team has played extremely well over the last number of games, so when you say that the lineup hasn’t changed a whole lot, that’s a big reason why. I think it’s an important message that performance matters, and there’s a measure of accountability.
“When guys are deserving to stay in the lineup, what message is that if I take them out?”
Shortly after making those comments, Sullivan made the contradictory call to scratch rookie defenseman Drew Fortescue.
It cost the 20-year-old an $80,000 performance bonus that would have triggered if he appeared in 10 games this season — he’s at seven and now won’t be able to exceed nine — but the decision may have been less about saving money and more about protecting an asset for future seasons.
According to the NHL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, opposing teams can extend offer sheets to any Group 2 restricted free agent. To qualify for Group 2 status, a player who signed their entry-level contract between the ages of 18 and 21 — like Fortescue — must have three years of professional experience. Players must appear in 10 games in a season for it to count toward one of those years, otherwise they’ll be classified as a 10.2(c) RFA when their first contract expires and be ineligible to sign an offer sheet or apply for salary arbitration on their second deal.
In short, sitting Fortescue on Saturday ensured that the Rangers won’t have to worry about the offer sheet possibility when his ELC is up in the summer of 2028. But if that was the reason, Sullivan didn’t let on after the game, instead framing it as a teaching moment.
“One of the tools that coaching staffs use is when a guy sits up top and has an opportunity to look and have a different vantage point,” he explained. “He’s talked to (assistant coach David Quinn) about certain things to look for. They’re going to go through the film, but this is all part of the learning process. I’ve done this in the past with some young players that have come into our lineups. One of the biggest challenges that we feel is the size and strength of the players and the speed of the game. Those are usually the two biggest obstacles. Dallas is one of the bigger, stronger teams in the league that can really skate, so they present both challenges — size and speed. So we thought this was an opportunity to give Drew a chance to, after having a handful of games underneath his belt now, to see it from a different vantage point.”
Fortescue has registered two assists through seven games while averaging 14:58 time on ice, mostly while paired with defenseman Braden Schneider. His on-ice results have been largely positive — New York is outscoring opponents 8-3 through 102:57 at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick — but a 42.31 percent expected goals-for rate shows there’s some tightening up to be done.
There’s a very real chance the 6-foot-2, 195-pounder continues his development by beginning next season with AHL Hartford, but that may depend on who else the Rangers bring in this offseason.
‘One of the closest groups I’ve been on’
Saturday marked the 10th shutout loss of the season for New York, the most in the league, and tied the 1928-29 team for most in franchise history.
“The team’s played really good,” said a defiant Sullivan when asked about that distinction. “I’m really happy with how we’ve played here down the stretch.”
The Rangers (33-38-9) did put up another respectable showing against a Stars’ team that owns the NHL’s third-highest points total and has allowed the second-fewest goals. Igor Shesterkin was sharp when called upon, making 17 saves, with the low shot quantity stemming from a sturdy defensive effort both ways.
“We came in kind of having to accept this was gonna be a low-event game,” defenseman Adam Fox said. “That’s kind of the way they play. They have firepower, but they’re stingy (on) defense, and they’ve got a lot of big guys back there. It just turned out that special teams ended up being the difference.”
New York went 0-for-5 on the power play, snapping a streak of three straight games with a PP goal, while Dallas cashed in on a late opportunity when Jason Robertson scooped up a juicy rebound and made a nice move to a backhanded finish. That broke a scoreless tie with 7:11 to play, with Robertson later adding an empty-netter for his 44th goal.
The loss ensured the Rangers will finish the day no worse than fourth in the race for the league’s best draft lottery odds, with a chance to move into third if the Calgary Flames defeat the Seattle Kraken. The players, on the other hand, viewed it as another opportunity to band together late in a season that’s gone terribly wrong but has also seen them play hard at a time when they could have easily packed it in for the summer.
The latest example came when both captains dropped the gloves late in the second period. Stars forward Jamie Benn hit Rangers defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov from behind along the boards, with J.T. Miller immediately going after Benn to take exception.
“I just think all good teams have that,” Miller said. “It’s not really a decision. It’s just part of the pack mentality type of thing. There’s going to be hits that happen in the course of the season that people don’t like. It’s a fiery game. It’s supposed to be this way. It’s been a part of the game for a long time, and I think our team’s done a good job over the last little while of sticking up for each other. There’s like an automatic thing to it. Now you just don’t think. We’re all really close in here. So, yeah, it’s a no-brainer, and obviously we’ve got a lot of guys doing it, so it’s awesome to see.”
Added Fox: “This is one of the closest groups I’ve been on, and things like that are important. You don’t want J.T. fighting all the time, but obviously, it’s good that he was willing to get in there. It was obviously a dangerous hit. I think that’s what good teams do and tight teams do. They stand up for each other. Obviously, it’s good when your captain’s doing things like that.”