3 takeaways from Mike Sullivan on eve of his Rangers coaching debut
Mike Sullivan will step behind the New York Rangers bench as head coach for the first time on Sunday afternoon when they open their preseason schedule against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center.
Sullivan didn’t divulge his lineup, but it’s apparent from his session with the media Saturday that the lineup the Rangers ice in Newark isn’t likely to have a lot of familiar names. One player who’s all but certain to be watching in street clothes is their top scorer, Artemi Panarin, who didn’t practice after leaving practice Friday with a lower-body injury. He’s listed as day to day.
The objective heading into the preseason opener, according to Sullivan, is twofold.
“We want to supply an opportunity for players who are challenging for a roster spot, to give them an opportunity to show what they can do and why they’re deserving of making the New York Rangers,” he said Saturday. “The other objective is that we have to get the group ready for Game 1. There’s always going to be those two objectives that we’re trying to balance.”
There will be 13 fewer bodies available for the six preseason games; on Saturday, the Rangers pared their camp roster from 61 to 48.
Game 1 is Oct. 7 at Madison Square Garden against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the team Sullivan coached for the past 10 seasons. He led the Penguins to the Stanley Cup in 2016 and 2017, but they missed the playoffs in each of the last three seasons. Sullivan and the Pens reached a parting of the ways in late April, and the Rangers hired him on May 2. As much as Sullivan would like to have his team win Sunday, his focus is having his current team ready when his old team comes to town in a couple of weeks.
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3 takeaways from new coach Mike Sullivan as preseason nears
1. Three is the magic preseason number
So what’s the ideal number of preseason games for an established player? And why?
For Sullivan, the answer is three.
“We’ll talk that through with some of our players and we’ll give them what we think are sufficient games that we think is ideal to set them up for success,” he said. “I like to see our established players get into three games in a perfect world. If we can get them into three games, maybe one of the games we mix the groups and give them a chance to play with some of the younger kids and some of the guys who are challenging for spots, and then as we get closer to the end of camp, we start to work them into combinations that we might potentially see for Game 1.”
The new coach also noted that there’s really not a lot of time between now and the opening of the regular season.
“When you look at the amount of practices we have between now and opening night, if you take away the game days, we’re down to single-digit practices,” he said. “It may seem like it’s a long time, but it really isn’t.
“We’re going to start paring down the group – the first few days there were three teams. Now we’ll break down to two teams after (Sunday’s) exhibition game, and we’ll go from there. … We’re trying to give guys an opportunity to show what they can do, to challenge for a roster spot, and we’re trying to get the team ready for Game 1.”
2. ‘A line in the sand’ on puck management
It’s no secret that the Rangers managed the puck well at times last season, while more often even their top players seemed to have no idea what they were doing.
Sullivan has plenty of experience coaching top-level talent – including 10 seasons with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. He said it’s important to find the right mix of letting his talented players do their thing without being too careless.
“My philosophy has always been that we don’t want to take the sticks out of our best players’ hands,” he said. “I think if we did that, we don’t allow them the opportunity to do what they do. That’s what separates them from others. So why would I create an environment where they are reluctant to act on their instincts?
“But having said that, there’s inherent risk in playmaking. I think my job – and I’ve had this conversation with my guys already – is to define that line in the sand. We don’t want to play reckless hockey. We want them to act on their instincts. We want them to play a game with confidence. But there’s a fine line – we don’t want to play a reckless game because it’s hard to win that way. It’s my job, I think, to define that line where that game begins to become reckless.”
3. Thoughts on some of the kids
You can count Sullivan as a fan of Matt Rempe, whose game continues to grow along with his size. It’s been a “getting to know you” exercise, but Sullivan has found several things to like with what he’s seen at camp.
“I think it’s pretty clear what he brings to the table,” he said of the 6-foot-8 forward. “He’s a big, strong guy. He’s an intimidating presence. He sticks up for his teammates. He’s tough as nails. We know all that about him. I think what I’ve learned being his coach is that, No. 1, he’s a terrific person. His enthusiasm for the game – he loves to play, he loves to be on the ice. He’s an enthusiastic learner, which is the type of player we like to have. He’s eager to learn and he wants to engage in hockey talk all the time. That’s what I’ve learned since I became his coach that I didn’t know.”
Sullivan has also been pleased with other young players – most notably forwards Noah Laba, Gabe Perreault and Brett Berard, who played as a line at practice.
“I think Laba’s a guy we think could develop into a real solid two-way center iceman,” he said. “He’s got an NHL body. He’s strong, he skates well, he brings good speed, and from what I’ve seen so far, he has a two-way game. He has some offense to him, and he also has the ability to defend.”
He also likes Perreault’s smarts and skills.
“Perreault obviously is a talented player with great offensive instincts,” he said. “He has the ability to make plays.”
Sullivan likened Berard to one of his former Penguins, Conor Sheary, who signed a PTO with the Rangers in July and is trying to make the team.
“I’m trying to learn Brett’s game a little bit more,” he said. “What I have noticed is that Brett brings a lot of energy – he’s a buzzsaw out there on the ice. He’s got a good motor. I think they (Berard and Sheary) are similar in that regard. You can see the energy Brett brings to the table, his motor and his ability to get after pucks.”
