Why Rangers sitting rookie Morrow vs. Montreal: ‘We’d like to see growth’
Scott Morrow’s roller-coaster ride with the New York Rangers continues.
The 23-year-old’s season-long streak of five consecutive games played is expected to come to an end Saturday night, when the Rangers host the Montreal Canadiens.
Morrow was absent from New York’s defense rotation at practice Friday, replaced by Urho Vaakanainen on the bottom pair. Vaakanainen headed off the ice with the regulars after the morning skate Saturday, while Morrow stayed behind with the other projected scratch, forward Jonny Brodzinski.
Coach Mike Sullivan declined to confirm the change, but all signs point to Morrow coming out of the lineup.
“The lineup will be game-time decisions, as you know,” Sullivan asserted, adding, “‘Vaaks’ might get a look.”
Vaakanainen has been a healthy scratch for seven straight games; his last appearance came Nov. 26 in a 4-2 road win over the Carolina Hurricanes.
Morrow has manned New York’s third pair alongside Matthew Robertson for the last five games — an arduous stretch in which the Rangers went 2-1-2 with overtime losses at home against the Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights.
But after an uninspiring 3-0 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday, Sullivan is opting for a change on the bottom pair, inserting Vaakanainen back into the lineup and shifting Robertson to his off (right) side.
Rangers coach emphasizes ‘details’ in Scott Morrow assessment
Morrow was an AHL All-Star last season, his first as a pro, after putting up 13 goals and 39 points in 52 games with the Chicago Wolves. He also scored one goal and finished with six points in 14 NHL regular-season games with the Carolina Hurricanes, who took him in the second round (No. 40 overall) of the 2021 NHL Draft.
In addition, Morrow played five games during the 2025 Eastern Conference Final, getting the chance to play after an injury to Jalen Chatfield.
New York acquired Morrow from Carolina on July 1; he was the headliner in the package the Blueshirts received for defenseman K’Andre Miller. He shows flashes of why the Rangers wanted him — but not enough consistency.
“As far as my assessment of what he’s brought, I think there’s been some good, and then there’s been moments where we’d like to see growth,” Sullivan explained Saturday. “I don’t think that’s atypical of any young player, especially a young defenseman.”
The offense-minded blueliner has struggled to replicate his production from last season. Morrow has three points (one goal, two assists) in 12 AHL games with the Hartford Wolf Pack — and in nine games with the Rangers, he has one point, a primary assist on an empty-net goal by Alexis Lafreniere against the Boston Bruins on Nov. 28.
Still, Sullivan remains complimentary of his abilities with the puck.
“We like his ability to move the puck. We think he sees it pretty well,” the coach said. “He’s pretty good along that offensive blue line. He has an ability to get shots through. He’s good at finding sticks.”
Sullivan singled out a play on Wednesday against the Blackhawks when Morrow found captain J.T. Miller in the slot for a tip on net.
“Really good look, good vision, good awareness along the blue line by Scotty,” Sullivan said “He changes his angle to open up that opportunity to create that play — that’s what we like about his game.”
Those qualities should make Morrow a natural fit on New York’s power play, although Sullivan has been reluctant to thrust the 23-year-old into such an important role. Morrow got a chance to quarterback the top unit on Wednesday but failed to spark a scuffling power play.
Now he finds himself out of the lineup entirely.
“The other element of it is making decisions with conviction and having good reads, getting inside the dots when he’s coming off the offensive blue line, and defending the rush aggressively,” Sullivan explained. “His play at the net front in our own end, killing plays in the D-zone, in the corners. Just closing, taking away time and space, going stick to puck, when to have one hand on your stick or two hands on your stick — stick details are such an important element of being a good defender in today’s game.”
That laundry list of areas needing improvement is a big part of the reason Morrow has yet to earn Sullivan’s complete trust.
The underlying metrics don’t reflect kindly on Morrow.
Morrow has a 20 percent goal share through nine games (one goal for, four goals allowed). His 42.68 expected-goals-for percentage, per Natural Stat Trick, is last among Blueshirts’ defenders and fourth-worst of any Rangers skater this season.
On Hockey Stat Cards, Morrow’s -0.6 defensive net rating is the worst on the team. His -2.4 net rating is second-worst, trailing only Braden Schneider (-2.8).
“Those are all the things that we’re working with him about,” Sullivan added. “We love his enthusiasm for the game. He’s a great kid, he loves hockey, he’s invested and we love that aspect of him.”
Rangers’ defensive corps suffering without Adam Fox
The absence of Adam Fox further complicates matters. The Rangers’ top defenseman was placed on long-term injured reserve after sustaining an upper-body injury on Nov. 29 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
At the time of his injury, New York was limiting opponents to the fewest high-danger chances per 60 minutes (9.09) and the fourth-fewest expected goals allowed per 60 (2.35) at 5-on-5, according to Natural Stat Trick. Both metrics are down dramatically in five games without Fox.
That could also factor into the timing of Morrow’s scratching.
Vaakanainen’s 46.65 percent expected goal share doesn’t make the 26-year-old a vast improvement over Morrow. But the Finnish defenseman has played more than 200 games in the NHL and began the season in the top six. Scratching the rookie indicates Sullivan favors Vaakanainen’s experience and play in the defensive zone over Morrow’s potential.
That said, the move leaves New York without much skill on its back end.
Vladislav Gavrikov and Carson Soucy have been pleasant offensive contributors, but neither can come close to replicating the playmaking Fox delivers on a game-by-game basis. Morrow’s offensive profile aligns closest to the 2021 Norris Trophy winner — albeit to a much lesser degree. There’s simply no replacing a dynamic defenseman like Fox, as evidenced by a power-play that’s 0-for-11 without him.
In theory, Morrow’s development could benefit from assuming some of Fox’s responsibilities. But he’ll need to tighten up his defensive play to let his offensive skills shine through.
