Photo credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Mike Sullivan is shifting New York Rangers ice time toward development, and the Artemi Panarin trade noise makes every young shift feel like a tryout.
The Rangers are out of the playoff race, and the roster is already changing in real time. So the biggest question is no longer “how do they win tonight,” it’s “who matters next month.”
Sullivan’s answer is basically both.
He told reporters it goes hand in hand and that it’s already happening. That sounds like a coach who knows the standings, but refuses to coach like the season is over.
With #NYR out of the playoff race and trading away players, how much is Mike Sullivan tipping the scales toward development and increasing TOI for young guys vs. leaning on veterans to try and win?
“I think it goes hand in hand, and it’s already happening. These guys are already in elevated roles, and so it’s already happening out of necessity… It gives us an opportunity to assess where people are at and what we have and how we can help them improve… Will it continue to occur? I would envision it would, yes.”
Noah Laba, Brennan Othmann, and Scott Morrow are all a part of it too, with each player working hard and remaining in the Rangers lineup for a longer period of time.
Mike Sullivan confirms the New York Rangers choose growth
Sullivan’s point is that young players do not learn by standing beside the bench.
They learn by living through bad starts, ugly third periods, and the hard details that veterans usually clean up.
Matt Rempe is the clearest example of the tightrope, and he’s being asked to become usable, not just noticeable.
That means fewer “free” minutes, and more minutes that have to be earned with clean puck decisions.
New York is 22-28-6, and the next stretch is about finding who can handle stress when the game is going wrong.
If Sullivan keeps bumping young TOI now, the losses might continue, but the lessons stick into next fall. That’s the harsh reality, and it might be the only honest path left for this season.
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