Why Rangers can tweak this line combination even after big win
You’d think that New York Rangers coach Mike Sullivan has zero interest in messing with a good thing after their first home win of the season Monday night at Madison Square Garden.
But when the Rangers practiced Tuesday afternoon, Sullivan tweaked his third line, despite a strong showing in that 6-3 win over the Nashville Predators. Veteran wing Conor Sheary bumped up from the fourth line and swapped places with Taylor Raddysh, whose tied for the team lead with five goals.
Whether the Rangers stick with that change when the visit the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday is not known But Sullivan did make clear that the most important part of the third line right now is developing chemistry between Will Cuylle and Noah Laba. The coach made it sound like the third forward is merely a complement to these young forwards.
“We’ve liked how that pair has evolved. We’ve moved other people around on the other side there,” Sullivan explained Tuesday. “I think having [Vincent Trocheck] back allows us to put players in position that we envisioned putting them in. It gives us the balance that’s essential to win in this league.”
Trocheck returned Monday after missing 14 games with an upper-body injury. He reconnected with longtime linemates Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafreniere, allowing Cuylle to move out of the top six and play on the third line with Laba.
Sullivan likes that youthful option. A lot.
“It just gives us better balance on both sides of the puck,” Sullivan stated. “I think ‘Labs’ and Will are both good-sized kids that can really skate, you know, so it’s a speed-driven line. They’re good on the forecheck. They’re hard to play against, by nature of their size.”
Cuylle scored 20 goals last season, his second in the NHL. The 23-year-old has three goals in the past five games, with his fourth of this season set up by Laba on Monday night. After setting a Rangers record with 301 hits last season, he leads them again with 59 through 17 games in 2025-26.
Laba, the 22-year-old rookie, has three points (two goals, one assist) in his past five games, and six points (three goals, three assists) while averaging 12:17 TOI this season. Like Cuylle, he plays a committed 200-foot game and is already a lineup staple.
If Raddysh remains on the fourth line Wednesday, he will skate with center Sam Carrick and towering wing Adam Edstrom, who returned from a two-game absence and was a force against the Predators.
“We’ve got a lot of more-than-capable guys in this room here,” Carrick noted after practice. “We’re confident in our group.”
