Adam Edstrom, Victor Mancini might have shown enough to make Rangers' roster
Adam Edstrom at Rangers rookie camp at the MSG Training Center. Credit: James Escher
Halfway through the preseason, things are starting to get interesting with the Rangers.
Coming into training camp, there didn’t seem to be many — if any — openings on the roster for the youngsters.
The goalies were Igor Shesterkin and future Hall of Famer Jonathan Quick, and the forward group looked to be pretty set. Technically, there were openings on defense for the sixth and seventh spots, but Zac Jones appeared a lock to claim the sixth spot, and Chad Ruhwedel seemed the favorite to win the seventh.
However, coach Peter Laviolette did insist early on that young guys would have a chance to earn a roster spot if they proved they deserved it; and a couple are giving the coach something to think about.
Adam Edstrom, the 6-7 Swedish forward, got off to a flying start by scoring three goals in two rookie games against the Flyers before the main training camp even started. And he’s stayed hot, scoring two goals — a game-winner against the Islanders on Tuesday and an empty-netter that sealed a win over the Bruins on Thursday — in his two preseason games.
And rookie defenseman Victor Mancini has certainly impressed with his strong play, including a goal and an assist in the preseason opener against Boston.
Ryan Lindgren will be sidelined a few weeks with an upper body injury suffered in a fight with the Islanders’ Scott Mayfield on Tuesday, so Mancini is getting more of a look now as Laviolette considers alternatives to replace Lindgren for the short term. Connor Mackey, a veteran lefthanded shot, played alongside Lindgren’s regular partner Adam Fox in Thursday’s game against the Bruins. Mancini, a 22-year-old righthander, partnered with Fox in Friday’s practice, playing on the left side.
“I've played on the left side before,’’ Mancini said. “I'm going to do whatever I can do to best help the team. And if they want me to play on the left side, I can do that.’’
Edstrom practiced Friday with the Hartford group, rather than the main squad. But Laviolette said the 23-year-old “catches people’s eye, the way he’s playing.’’
“He's played well,’’ Laviolette said. “He's big, he can skate. He came to camp in great shape, but his skating is really good. He's physical in his own way. He's heavy in battles, heavy on pucks. He can play the body. He's hard to control at the net, like you saw [against the Islanders] when he scored the goal. He's produced. He's put up points.’’
If Edstrom makes the team he would necessarily take a spot away from someone. Right now, the 12th forward appears to be 6-8 fan favorite Matt Rempe, and the 13th looks like Jonny Brodzinski, a versatile player who can play center or wing. It’s highly unlikely the Rangers would keep two extra forwards.
Brodzinski, 31, played a career-high 57 NHL games last season, but he started the season with AHL Hartford after Will Cuylle forced his way onto the roster and stole a spot from him. Brodzinski said he isn’t worried he could get sent to Hartford again this year if a youngster like Edstrom convinces the Rangers to keep him.
“No, no,’’ he said Thursday, after he’d scored a goal in the game against the Bruins. “I've been in this situation so many times that it's — what happens, happens. I'm going to give absolutely everything I can to this organization, and they know that. And I think I can provide something . . . I’ve got a really powerful shot, [and] I’m not going to take a shift off. So I can give a lot.’’
Preseason game strategy
Three preseason games remain for the Rangers, a home-and-home against the Devils Monday and Tuesday and the preseason finale Friday against the Islanders at UBS Arena.
How much they will get out of the two Devils games is uncertain, as the Devils roster figures to be all minor leaguers, with the team’s NHL players going to Czechia this week to open their regular season with a pair of games against the Buffalo Sabres Friday and Saturday in the NHL’s Global Series.
Based on the way Laviolette has used his goaltenders so far — Shesterkin and Quick split Tuesday’s game and Quick played two periods Thursday — Shesterkin likely will play two periods Monday and then Quick will play the full game Tuesday and Shesterkin the full game Friday, to get ready for the regular season, which begins a week from Wednesday.
As far as the lineup, it will be interesting to see how Laviolette handles the back-to-back, and how many, if any, players play in both games. Presumably, the lineup for Friday’s game will be close to what the lineup will be on opening night.
Roster cuts
The team was off on Saturday, but three players, forwards Alex Belzile and Jake Leschyshyn and defenseman Ben Harpur were assigned to Hartford. The cuts leave 43 players in camp.
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.
