Why Rangers face dilemma with imperfect center options on 3rd line
The New York Rangers biggest variable heading into next season is what to do at the third-line center position.
If the end of last season has any carry over to 2025-26, it would seem Juuso Parssinen and Jonny Brodzinski are the likely candidates to play 3C, with Mika Zibanejad playing right wing on J.T. Miller’s line, where he flourished down the stretch.
But would the Rangers be better served if Zibanejad remains at his natural center position and Vincent Trocheck fills the 3C hole to give them a more balanced attack?
The lines are bound to change throughout the season. And what must be factored into the equation is the NHL readiness of one or more of their young forwards: Brennan Othmann, Brett Berard and Gabe Perreault. Who’s ready to land a top-nine job out of training camp? Who will contribute later in the season?
As of today, newcomer Taylor Raddysh, signed after playing 80 games with the Washington Capitals last season, appears set to play right wing on the third line. The other two spots are up for grabs, largely dependent on who plays in the middle.
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Rangers best options to center 3rd line
Juuso Parssinen
After coming over in the Ryan Lindgren trade with the Colorado Avalanche ahead of the NHL deadline, Parssinen was given an immediate but short-lived shot on the third line. After a few games, the only notable stat came in the form of a respectable fighting major against Washington Capitals defenseman Matt Roy on March 5, defending a hit against Othmann. With no offensive production, though, Parssinen became a regular healthy scratch soon after.
Parssinen returned to the lineup down the stretch and made the most of the opportunity. In his first game back after two weeks in the press box, Parssinen recorded a goal and two assists against the Islanders on April 10. The 24-year-old then had a goal and an assist against the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers two games later.
Ending the season with a respectable five points in his final three games helped Parssinen give the Rangers something to think about. The Rangers quickly signed him to a two-year extension at $1.25 million per season. The salary cap hit is minimal, but how quickly the Rangers jumped to sign the restricted free agent left some scratching their heads.
It appears that the Rangers view Parssinen as a talented young forward, who can play center or on the wing, and might be a late bloomer. If he pops as a regular, especially on such an affordable contract, it’s a big win for the Rangers. If not, it’s easy to bury the player and his salary in the AHL.
With each of their top centers on the wrong side of 30, perhaps the Rangers are intrigued as well by Parssinen’s age, just as they are by his size (6-foot-3, 212 pounds), versatility and soft hands.
Whether he has an inside track on the 3C role remains to be seen. Plus, there’s the possibility he could be a fit on the wing, should he not land a regular role in the middle.
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Jonny Brodzinski
The former Hartford Wolf Pack captain, turned Swiss Army knife for the Rangers, always seems to be ready when his number gets called. Like Parssinen, Brodzinski is versatile, having played center and wing. Plus, he’s proven capable of filling in up and down the lineup.
The question is whether the respected 32-year-old serves the Rangers better in a 13th forward role or as an 82-game regular on the third line. He’s a capable two-way player and was one of the few who rose above the muck of the train-wrecked season a year ago.
As others failed around him, Brodzinski scored an NHL career-high 12 goals and tied his career best with 19 points in 51 games. That’s right around a 20-goal pace over 82 games. That’d work just fine on the third line.
New coach Mike Sullivan will give Brodzinski a fresh look with a different set of eyes. Perhaps he sees a full-time regular in Brodzinski, whereas Peter Laviolette saw a jack of all trades that could step into any situation and excel when called upon, but wasn’t quite a lineup regular.
Then again, Sullivan could see more potential in a player like Parssinen, making it the safe bet to have Brodzinski waiting in the wings, again.
Vincent Trocheck
Now here’s an option if Sullivan decides to keep Zibanejad at center and completely utilize the Rangers high-end depth at the position. Of course, there’s risk here, too, since moving Trocheck to the 3C role takes him away from Artemi Panarin, and ostensibly Alexis Lafreniere.
You may recall each of those players recorded career-best numbers two seasons ago as one of the top forward line combinations in the NHL. Sure, things got a bit stale last season. But why wouldn’t Sullivan want to give it another look next season?
The thing is Trocheck has all the ingredients you want to center a third line. His excellence winning face-offs, consistency on the forecheck, commitment to playing a 200-foot game, all while producing offensively behind Miller and Zibanejad down the middle is very enticing. He would make that third line one to be reckoned with.
He played a similar role under Sullivan for the United States at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February. So, why not here on Broadway?
But is that what’s best for the Rangers? Or is lining up Panarin – Trocheck – Lafreniere the play here?
Moving Trocheck to the third line only works if one or more of the kids is ready to assume top-six minutes on the wing (essentially replacing Zibanejad, who’d be back at center). Othmann or Parssinen could be the most likely options. Berard could get a look, too, though he seems more like a bottom-six forward. The wild card is Perreault. If the 2023 first-round pick proves he’s ready right away for a top-six role — a leap considering he’s 20 years old — then that Zibanejad/Trocheck decision becomes easier in a way.
Perhaps even a deadline trade for an upgrade at wing makes this even more possible. For now, let’s assume all the kids even took a small step forward in their development heading into the season opener against the Penguins on Oct. 7. Here’s an example of how the Rangers could line up:
Panarin-Miller-Othmann
Cuylle-Zibanejad-Lafreniere
Berard-Trocheck-Raddysh
Edstrom-Carrick-Rempe
Perreault may play into this off the bat or in-season by call-up. Othmann and Lafreniere would each be on his off wing in this scenario. And Miller and Zibanejad could arguably be interchangeable in the middle. But considering Panarin’s rapport with Trocheck, this lineup seems more like a goal than a reality, at least to start.
While this seems like a relatively balanced attack, it seems fair to foresee Sullivan asking more of Miller, Panarin, Zibanejad and Trocheck off the hop. They’ll want to set the tone after a demoralizing season, and sometimes if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
So, another potential (safer?) opening-night lineup could be:
Cuylle-Miller-Zibanejad
Panarin-Trocheck-Lafreniere
Othmann-Brodzinski/Parssinen-Raddysh
Edstrom-Carrick-Rempe
Right now, it’s all guess-work. Sully hasn’t tipped his hand publicly and, perhaps, is going to let things play out in training camp, the preseason and maybe even into the regular season before settling on set lines, including who plays 3C. There’s nothing wrong with that. But this Rangers debate will remain a hot topic until the lineup is resolved.
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