Rangers considering lineup, power play changes ahead of game vs. Red Wings
Fourteen games into the 2025-26 NHL season, the New York Rangers are still searching for answers to kickstart a scuffling offense.
It’s not for lack of trying. The Blueshirts consistently generate high-quality chances and boast the fourth-best 5-on-5 expected-goals-for percentage in the NHL. It just hasn’t translated to the score sheet for the Rangers, as they sit dead last in the League, averaging 2.21 goals per game.
The struggles are particularly glaring at home, where New York has yet to record a win in six games (0-5-1). After a 3-0 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday, the Rangers have been shut out four times at Madison Square Garden and tallied multiple goals there just once — a 6-5 overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks.
Chief among the concerns is a languishing power play that’s converted on just four of 36 opportunities — good for a League-worst 11.1 percent success rate.
New York’s lineup has seen plenty of changes through the first month of the season, and coach Mike Sullivan unveiled a few more at practice Thursday. Here’s what to watch for when the Rangers visit the Detroit Red Wings on Friday.
Will Cuylle replaces Alexis Lafreniere on top power-play unit
Much like 5-on-5, New York’s underlying metrics on the man advantage are strong, ranking fourth in expected-goals-for percentage. But that’s little consolation for a unit that ranks last in the NHL and is 0-for-its-last-13.
Something needed to change, if for no other reason than to experiment with a different look. That’s what Sullivan did on Thursday, replacing Alexis Lafreniere with Will Cuylle on the top group.
Despite ample chances, Lafreniere has yet to score a power-play goal, and scored just once at even strength in 14 games, shooting a career-worst 3.1 percent. For now, he’ll return to the second unit, where he spent most of his six-year Blueshirts tenure.
It was a slow start to the 2025-26 season for Cuylle, who scored 20 goals last season, but the 23-year-old forward has looked much sharper of late, notching a goal and five points in his past five games.
Cuylle positioned himself net front at practice — a spot manned by longtime Rangers forward Chris Kreider in seasons past, most memorably to the tune of 26 power-play goals in 2021-22.
The Blueshirts could use a stable presence in front of the goaltender, since Kreider was traded to the Anaheim Ducks this offseason. Mika Zibanejad and J.T. Miller each received a shot in that spot but the results aren’t there. Cuylle, meanwhile, thrives close to the net, and it allows Zibanejad to set up for one-timers in the left circle.
Vincent Trocheck made the trip to Detroit and could, but won’t play against the Red Wings. But the 32-year-old could return from an upper-body injury as early as Saturday, so Cuylle’s stint on the top power-play unit could be short-lived. Still, it’s worth seeing if the swap yields more favorable results.
Jaroslav Chmelar expected to make NHL debut
The Rangers recalled Jaroslav Chmelar from Hartford of the American Hockey League on Sunday, when they sent Brennan Othmann back down. The 22-year-old forward was a healthy scratch Tuesday against the Hurricanes, but joined Sam Carrick and Juuso Parssinen on the fourth line at practice Thursday, bumping Adam Edstrom to likely his first scratch of the season Friday.
After tallying 12 goals and 29 points in 71 games at Hartford last season, Chmelar has two goals and five points in nine games to open his 2025-26 campaign — including a goal and four points in his past three games.
If he gets the nod, it will mark his NHL debut after 87 games across parts of three seasons in the AHL. Chmelar is a big-body winger, standing at 6-foot-5, capable of playing a physical bottom-six game.
Trocheck’s looming return could make for a short stay, although it looks like Chmelar will get an opportunity to impress Friday.
Connor Mackey could slot into lineup on Friday
Urho Vaakanainen was absent from practice Thursday after missing the game Tuesday with a lower-body injury. Sullivan revealed that Vaakanainen will make the trip to Detroit, but it’s unclear if the 26-year-old defenseman will be able to play.
Matthew Robertson joined Braden Schneider on the third defensive pairing against the Hurricanes, returning to the lineup after three straight games as a healthy scratch. Robertson was minus-one in 14:02 TOI, trailing all other Rangers defensemen in time-on-ice.
Should Vaakanainen be unavailable Friday, Sullivan may pivot to 29-year-old veteran Connor Mackey. Though the defensive pairings rotated at practice, Mackey spent considerable time alongside Schneider and could replace Robertson against the Red Wings.
Mackey has 42 games under his belt at the NHL level, including three with the Blueshirts. He memorably sparked life into a scuffling 2023-24 Rangers squad, dropping the gloves with Brady Tkachuk during a January game against the Ottawa Senators.
New York has found success with Sullivan’s defensive structure, but the third-pair left-side D-man has been a revolving door to open the season.
