On Saturday, the Rangers took on the Islanders at UBS Arena in a makeup game due to Friday’s inclement weather. A late rally fell short in a 5-3 loss.

They were chasing the puck in a flat first period. It was brutal. Peter Laviolette had some other choice words to describe what he saw. He was blunt.

For a preseason loss, he wasn’t pleased. Laviolette brings a refreshing honesty to the Rangers that should help keep them focused. He isn’t here to pat guys on the back. If the team’s play is lackluster, he’ll let them know about it.

Even for preseason, the lack of compete from established stars was troubling. For those who echo, ‘It’s only preseason,’ that’s true. We won’t be able to judge the roster until the games start up in over a week. However, seeing disinterested play from Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, and Vincent Trocheck is unacceptable. They’re supposed to be team leaders. You wouldn’t know it from Saturday’s performance.

The biggest concern is the continued lackluster play of Alexis Lafreniere. After a 39-point season that at least saw him hit career bests in assists (23), points (39), and even strength points (13-22-35), he signed a two-year deal for $2.325 million per season.

He claims, ‘He worked hard in the off-season on his skating and strength.’ Where’s the improvement? In three showings, we haven’t seen much from the former 2020 top pick. He still forechecks effectively along the walls. But the skating remains average for a consensus number one overall pick. How many top picks don’t have that extra gear?

It’s getting harder and harder to defend Lafreniere. It’s Year Four. He turns 22 on October 11th. A day before the season opener at Buffalo. Isn’t it about time he actually plays like a former first selection? There’s not much hunger for a player who Hockey Canada hyped to the moon as if he were the second coming of Crosby. At some point, he has to start to resemble more than a third line support player.

To his credit, Laviolette has given Lafreniere a golden opportunity to play top minutes. However, he’s yet to take the keys out of the ignition. His lazy back check on Jean-Gabriel Pageau’s goal was awful. He stopped skating. Laviolette emphasized the importance of back checking following the game.

“Listen, backchecking is a universal language,” he said to reporters following Saturday’s game. “There’s no system involved there. Finishing your checks and competing for pucks is a universal language. Execution has to be a universal language. And so there’s no excuses for that.

“There are some systems things we’ll continue to look at and work at it. I thought that there were some mistakes defensively, some mistakes in the neutral zone, some mistakes at the offensive blue line. So we’ll look at that. But that doesn’t let them off the hook for the rest of it.”

This was directed not only at Lafreniere, who again wasn’t very noticeable until he actually hustled and picked up a late assist on a Barclay Goodrow goal. It was as much pointed at Panarin, Trocheck, and Zibanejad. All of whom had miserable games. The line that had Lafreniere with Panarin and Trocheck was caught on for three Islanders’ goals. They were broken up by the third period.

Panarin played in his first game after returning from an injury. If you want to say he was rusty, fine. But it was more of the same from him. He spent most of his shifts on the perimeter and didn’t hustle back on one of the Islander goals. There also was one of those giveaways that led directly to a Brock Nelson goal. He had a bad turnover that resulted in a Mat Barzal rush. But Matthew Robertson handled that well.

Braden Schneider hasn’t exactly been sharp, either. He’s been caught out of position on several plays, including a couple of goals. On the Pageau tally, Schneider didn’t close off the blue line. He allowed Anders Lee to get around him and find a cutting Pageau in front.

It might be that Schneider is still adjusting to Laviolette’s system. He’s a young player entering his third year. It’ll be his second full season. Hopefully, veteran Erik Gustafsson can help ease the transition. He knows Laviolette well and has looked good so far. Undoubtedly, he’ll be the sixth defenseman who should receive some time on the second power play.

Jonathan Quick hasn’t looked sharp. He gave up four goals on 25 shots. One of which he’d like back. The Bo Horvat wraparound that made it 3-0. It’s definitely going to be an adjustment for Quick to play as a backup behind Igor Shesterkin. He has to find a rhythm to be successful. Can the former Conn Smythe winner who won a pair of Stanley Cups adjust to playing sparingly at 37? That remains a question entering the season.

The Rangers did him no favors with their play. He made a few tough saves, including denying Barzal on a breakaway. Quick wasn’t at fault on three of the goals. But he can ill afford to allow one soft goal a game. He must be better.

If not, then what happens with the backup role? Louis Domingue was placed on waivers on Sunday. Dylan Garand was assigned to Hartford for his second pro season. The easiest decision for the future Ranger. He’s 21 and will likely need another year with the Wolf Pack before being considered an option. We’ll see what happens.

Although there wasn’t much to get excited about, the bright spots came from younger players. Both Brennan Othmann and Will Cuylle scored in the third period. Still seeking to make a roster that’s pretty deep, Othmann was able to stuff one home past Semyon Varlamov. It was his second goal of the preseason.

While the expectation remains that the Rangers will assign the former 2021 first round pick to the Wolf Pack for his first pro season, he continues to make things happen. There’s a lot to like about how he goes about it. From the skating to the work ethic, he gets his nose dirty. He also gave a good interview the other day. Othmann understands why he’s being given every chance. I like how he emphasized winning games. You can tell that he gets it.

After Goodrow got to a loose puck following some better work from Lafreniere behind the net, Cuylle struck with under a minute left. Garand was on the bench for the extra attacker. He made seven saves in the third period.

On the six on five, Cuylle was able to score in front after some solid work from Jimmy Vesey. Cuylle has done everything right during the preseason. He is always noticeable because he uses his speed and grit to make life difficult for opponents. If he doesn’t make the roster, it’ll be due to the numbers. He’s 21 and will likely be sent down. If anything happens, he’ll probably be the first player called up.

Jonny Brodzinski remains in camp. He’s played in all four games. Laviolette continues to praise the play of the fourth line forward. I’m beginning to wonder why they even signed Nick Bonino. He’s proven and should help the penalty kill. But he’s 35. Hopefully, the old vet still has something to give. He’s a former Stanley Cup winner.

If the Rangers decide to keep 22 players, it probably will be 13 forwards, 7 defensemen, and 2 goalies. Unless they really want to keep Ben Harpur as an eighth D with Zac Jones no longer waiver eligible. Maybe Jones becomes a trade candidate. He could play for another team as a sixth defenseman. It’s looking less and less likely that will be the case with the Blueshirts.

On Sunday, the Rangers trimmed the roster to 27. There weren’t any surprises. Both Domingue and Connor Mackey were put on waivers. Previously, Ty Emberson was claimed by the Sharks. He will join former bench boss David Quinn. Good luck in San Jose.

Updating things, both Domingue and Connor Mackey cleared waivers and were assigned to Hartford. So. They’re down to 25.

Here’s how the current roster breaks down:

Goalies (2): Igor Shesterkin, Jonathan Quick

Defensemen (8): Adam Fox, Erik Gustafsson, Ben Harpur, Zac Jones, Ryan Lindgren, K’Andre Miller, Braden Schneider, Jacob Trouba

Forwards (15): Mika Zibanejad, Filip Chytil, Vincent Trocheck, Nick Bonino, Chris Kreider, Artemi Panarin, Jimmy Vesey, Barclay Goodrow, Kaapo Kakko, Alexis Lafreniere, Blake Wheeler, Tyler Pitlick, Jonny Brodzinski, Will Cuylle, Brennan Othmann

One more item before I wrap up. Filip Chytil skated by himself. It sounds like there’s a little concern about his current status.

Chytil always seems to have injuries. He turned himself into a well-rounded player in 2022-23. That resulted in setting career highs in goals (22), assists (23), and points (45). The Rangers rewarded him with a new contract that averages out to $4.4 million.

If he can’t stay healthy, that’s a reason to have concern. Chytil is 24, entering his sixth season. He still has to prove that he’s capable of becoming a second line center. That’s what training camp is for. Unfortunately, they’re not going to know if he works well with Panarin and whatever player slots in on the right side. If he can’t start the season, Brodzinski could slot in unless Laviolette goes with Trocheck.

I know there’s probably going to be some opposition. But I have a suggestion. It’s basically an idea that could be worth exploring. Shane Pinto remains unsigned with the Senators. They’re being cheap.

Pinto had a good rookie season, scoring 20 goals and 35 points in 82 games. He also won over 50 percent of face-offs and had more takeaways (38) than giveaways (32). He finished with 71 hits and 49 blocked shots.

Stylistically, Pinto is a different player than Chytil, who isn’t overly physical but has improved overall. They’re two years apart due to Pinto’s birthday being in November. The Franklin Square, New York native turns 23 in November. He’s more of a shoot first center while Chytil is more creative.

The idea of swapping Chytil for Pinto is interesting. But the Senators are close to the cap, which is why they’re squeezing Pinto, who doesn’t have any leverage. His entry-level contract (ELC) expired, making him restricted. Ottawa is offering around one million. According to Elliotte Friedman, Pinto reportedly wants in the neighborhood of $2.5 million.

Seeing the potential he has, Pinto is worth it. He has a good shot that’ll probably allow him to score 30 goals. Like Chytil, he’s a former high pick. However, the Senators took him at number 32 in the second round of 2019. Ottawa is trying to free up the space to keep him.

One could argue that the season hasn’t even begun. That’s true. That’s why it’s only a suggestion. Swapping one center for another is intriguing. Both are under 25. What about including Zac Jones and receiving either a similar prospect or second round draft pick? Jones’ days look numbered. Unless they plan to hang onto him like Libor Hajek, whose value became nil.

Of course, the likelihood of such a trade being made is unlikely. But, it’s entertaining to consider. A couple of diehard fans in our Twitter aka ‘X’ thread were enthusiastic about it. JD and Chuck.

Having a healthy discussion on such things is fun. Even if I feel like I’m talking to a wall when it comes to Lafreniere with Jesus. He’s an eternal optimist. There’s nothing wrong with that. We all want Lafreniere to succeed. Hopefully, he gets it soon.

That’ll do it for this post. I tried to cover a lot. I hope you enjoyed it.

There are two exhibition games remaining. They’re on Wednesday and Thursday this week. The Rangers visit Newark to face the Devils on October 4. That can be seen on MSG. They will host the Bruins the following night. TNT will have that one at 7:30 EST.

Once those wrap up, there will be some more practices in preparation for the season. By next week, we’ll know what the final roster will be.

I’ll have more either Wednesday or Thursday. Thanks for reading.

Derek

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