The question of the day, since Vitali Kravtsov and Ryan Carpenter were full participants in practice Tuesday at MSG Training Center, was whether Kravtsov has a spot in the Rangers lineup when everyone is healthy.
Head coach Gerard Gallant said as long as the two previously injured players continue to progress, both Kravtsov and Carpenter will be available to play Thursday, when his predecessor, David Quinn, and the Sharks venture to Madison Square Garden. Available is the key term here, for it is not a guaranteed reinsertion into the lineup.
There are things to consider, such as the fact that the Rangers’ offense has been humming primarily due to the current alignment of the top six, which is where Kravtsov started — on the second line with Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck — before he suffered an upper-body injury three shifts into the season opener against the Lightning. Kravtsov never really got a look, and Gallant pointed that out.
“We’ll see how the team is playing,” he said Monday night when asked if Kravtsov will go right back into the lineup. “I mean, it wasn’t fair to the guy; he played a minute and a half the first night, and he gets hurt. We’ll see. We’ll see how we’re going.”
Kravtsov filled in for Chris Kreider, who along with Jacob Trouba took a maintenance day on Tuesday, on the top line with Mika Zibanejad and Kaapo Kakko. That could be an indication the Russian winger may be scratched in Thursday’s game, but he could find himself on another line when Kreider likely returns to practice Wednesday.
The other option would be to put Kravtsov on the third line with Sammy Blais and Filip Chytil, which would bump Barclay Goodrow back down to the fourth line and likely edge Dryden Hunt or Ryan Reaves out of the lineup. Still, it all goes back to whether the Rangers want to risk disturbing the lineup that has amassed 17 goals through a 3-1 start.
One thing is for certain: Gallant is pleased with Alexis Lafreniere in that right-wing spot next to Panarin and Trocheck. Unsolicited, the head coach said he’s happy with the 2020 first-overall pick, who has three points (one goal, two assists) since assuming that role from Kravtsov.
“I don’t see any drastic changes,” Gallant said.
Now that the Rangers are nearing full strength again, it also begs the question whether they should continue to carry 23 players on the roster or send someone down. The Rangers may want to keep 23 as insurance for potential injuries down the line, but they also have to consider their cap situation in preparation for the trade deadline later this season.
If Kravtsov is the odd-man out of this lineup, would the Rangers consider trying to pass him through waivers to AHL Hartford? That’s what nearly severed the relationship last season, when Kravtsov refused his assignment to the Wolf Pack and instead went home to play in the Kontinental Hockey League.
Plus, the Rangers still need to find out what they have in Kravtsov, so it may be too early to be considering such a demotion.
If Kravtsov isn’t scratched, then it would likely be between Hunt, Reaves and Jimmy Vesey. Hunt, who started the season as the 13th forward, has stepped into the lineup and done his job effectively in wake of the Rangers’ pair of injuries. Vesey and Reaves, who both rotated in on the fourth line during practice Tuesday, also bring their own styles of play that influence the bottom six.
Having options with a healthy lineup is beneficial, but the Rangers are now charged with making the right decisions that won’t disrupt the good thing they’ve got going.
“It’s early in the year, we’re 3-1, we’re playing pretty good hockey overall,” Gallant said. “I’m not going to mess with things that are working.”
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