Rangers Roundup: Gerard Gallant talks how he will handle lineup; and Nils Lundkvist eyeing Broadway future
New York Rangers coach Gerard Gallant is ready to get going. He was a recent guest on The Power Play with Steve Kouleas and Marty Biron. During the interview, Gallant delved into what he may do with the lineup.
Gerard Gallant and the New York Rangers lineup
On pairing Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad:
“I think we have enough depth that I have no issue playing those two together. I think it’s going to take four lines to be competitive. If we’ve got to play them on separate lines – if we’ve got enough good players around those players then you could put two top lines out there.”
On if he sees Alexis Lafrenière playing in the top six:
“I’m definitely hoping for that. I don’t care – I’ll talk to the kid and sees where he feels most comfortable playing and try to get him over there. You can put him with different lines and different people. I don’t think he’s got one spot where he wants to play – he’s like any other kid, he wants to play a lot.”
On Igor Shesterkin and handling goaltending:
“I think we’ve got two really good young goaltenders. Everything Benoit Allaire told me is that we’ve got top young goaltending, and they can take another step. To be honest with you, I like when my goaltending coach takes me aside and says ‘here’s our schedule and we’ll go day by day, I’ll let you know if one guy looks tired or needs time off’ – That’s how I like to do things. Benoit Allaire has been there a long time, he knows the goalies better than I do, so I’ll lean on him for that.”
Nils Lundkvist getting ready for training camp
The New York Rangers announced the long awaited signing of Nils Lundkvist last month.The 20 year-old defenseman has had an amazing SHL career and is ready to make the transition to the NHL.
In a video produced by the team, Nils talked about his development, time in Sweden, and of course his future on Broadway.
“The plan is to be ready for training camp when it starts. I am going to stay home and train and do my best to be as ready as I can be,” he said. “It’s a bright future in New York and hopefully I can be a part of that too.”
NHL Rumors
Another batch of rumors is out. Get the latest on Seth Jones and Jack Eichel here.
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