With just one preseason game remaining, the Rangers came closer to an opening night roster by assigning defenseman Scott Morrow and winger Gabe Perreault to Hartford. The move brings the training camp roster to 25, meaning that at least two more cuts are coming.
Perhaps the biggest factor in the reassignment was the ability to send the pair down without having to pass through waivers, and for a team that has some depth challenges already, it is likely that Chris Drury wants to keep his options open as long as he can before he puts any of his veterans at risk.
There’s also the case of 33 year old Conor Sheary who came to camp on a PTO and appears to have done enough in the eyes of the Rangers, to earn a contract. Having played the majority of last season in the AHL, Sheary will likely come in with a one-year near minimum value, on a third line that is very much undefined even at this last stage of camp.
That would at least two more cuts from a pool that includes forwards Johnny Brodzinski, Juuso Parssinen, Taylor Raddysh and Noah Laba, and defenseman Matthew Robertson. If the Rangers were to send Robertson down, that would leave them with just six blueliners on the roster and three extra forwards.
Robertson has to pass through waivers, so might be retained on the roster if the Rangers want to go that route, or they may simply be waiting as long as they can to reduce the chance of him being claimed. Of the other three, both Parssinen and Raddysh were signed to new contracts over the Summer, and Brodzinski provides utilitarian abilities, perhaps reducing – though not eliminating – the likelihood that Drury is ready to place them on waivers.
Which leaves Laba, who has had a very noticeable preseason and leads the Rangers in points. He’s also perhaps been the best third line center option despite the initial plan having been to try Parssinen in that role. Unfortunately for Laba, he is the only player in that list that doesn’t require waivers, and that may ultimately be the reason he gets sent down.
With that said, Drury hasn’t been shy about dispatching veterans that didn’t perform, with the likes of Ryan Carpenter, Tyler Pitlick and Nick Bonino all being pushed aside during the season when it was clear they didn’t have enough left to make a difference in the NHL. That suggests that even if Laba is sent down, there’s a high probability we’ll see him again at some point this year.
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