Rangers' roster moves giving young guys a chance to make a mark

There has been a lot of change around the Rangers this season. There have been injuries and there have been trades, the most recent of which came on Saturday when general manager Chris Drury dealt pending free agents Ryan Lindgren and Jimmy Vesey to Colorado and brought back Juuso Parssinen, Calvin de Haan and two draft picks.

But with change comes opportunity for some of the players who have been waiting their turn.

With Adam Fox and Chris Kreider going on injured reserve and Reilly Smith being kept out of the lineup while Drury attempts to deal him, spots have opened up, creating chances for young guys such as Zac Jones (24), Brett Berard (22) and Brennan Othmann (22).

“Yeah, I feel like there’s definitely some opportunity,’’ Othmann said Sunday morning before the Rangers’ 4-0 win over the Predators. “Obviously, losing Vese and Lindy, it’s upsetting . . . But there is a little bit of opportunity now coming in these next couple of games, and I’m looking forward to it.”

On Sunday night against Nashville, Othmann moved from the fourth line into Vesey’s spot on the third line and replaced Smith on the second power-play unit. Berard, who played in his first game with the Rangers since Jan. 9, scored the final goal against the Predators.

Smith also was held out of the lineup on Monday night as the Rangers hosted the Islanders. “Reilly was a really good player for us and did a lot of good things,’’ coach Peter Laviolette said. “And this is just where it’s at right now.’’

Fox’s shoulder injury has presented opportunities for multiple young defensemen. Jones, who has been frustrated because of a lack of playing time as the club’s little-used seventh defenseman, stepped into Fox’s role as the point man on the first power-play unit.

K’Andre Miller, 25, a pending restricted free agent looking to earn himself a big contract in his fifth season, has replaced Fox as the Rangers’ No. 1 defenseman. Urho Vaakanainen, 26, has the chance to step up from the third defensive pair and show what he can do in a top-four role.

“Sometimes the opportunity comes in different ways,’’ Laviolette said after Sunday’s game. “You could be a new player to the team; you might not have been playing [and] you come in. And sometimes you’re in the lineup and this opportunity presents itself where you’re now taking all of the big minutes.”

These aren’t meaningless, playing-out-the-string games. The Rangers are fighting to reach the postseason and need to have everyone in the lineup making significant contributions. Monday’s game against the Islanders wasn’t important only because of the teams’ intense rivalry. It was meaningful because the Rangers (two points out of a playoff spot entering Monday) and the Islanders (three points behind them) both needed to win.

While it’s out of necessity, Laviolette said it’s possible that throwing young guys hungry to prove themselves into the fire actually might help.

“I think those guys can provide a lot of energy inside of our team,’’ he said. “Certainly they can come in and provide some juice.”

For Othmann, the Rangers’ 2021 first-round pick, these games feel like something of a tryout. He spent all but three games last season with the Rangers’ AHL affiliate in Hartford, scoring 21 goals. He’s been in Hartford — and injured — for most of this season. Now he hopes to take advantage of this opportunity to establish himself as a full-time NHL player.

“I think every day for us, young guys who are getting called up is a tryout,’’ Othmann said. “You want to make sure that you leave the rink every day [knowing] that you made an impression on them that day.

“I’m hoping I could be up here for all [remaining regular-season] games. If not, whatever games I do get, I know I’m going to go out there and hopefully be noticeable every game and do my all to prove that I can play in this league consistently every night.’’

Notes & quotes: The Islanders dressed 11 forwards and seven defensemen for the second time this season. Coach Patrick Roy said having defensemen Scott Mayfield and Adam Boqvist in the lineup was somewhat a reaction to the Rangers’ ease at getting traffic to the crease in their 5-1 win at UBS Arena on Feb. 25. “I think it’s a bit of a response,” Roy said. “So Maysie in front of the net will help us.” .  .  . Rangers forward Matt Rempe escaped any supplemental discipline after taking an elbowing penalty Sunday against Nashville’s Nick Blankenburg. “We talked to Remp, just about it, and what happened [Sunday] night,’’ Laviolette said. “Conversations go on after the fact, and we  want to see him play hard. We want to see him hit clean. And if something is close where it warrants a penalty, or you’re thinking it might be, there’s conversations that go with that as well.’’

By Colin Stephenson

colin.stephenson@newsday.comColinSNewsday

Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.