Matthew Mugno and Jonny Lazarus' bold takes following the Ranger's outstanding November.
Brodzinski remains on the 1st line (Mugno): Shades of Frank Vatrano. Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad have benefited from energetic, shoot-first complimentary wingers. I'd like to see Brodzinski continue to receive the looks that he's earned on that top unit. Peter Laviolette has a lot of trust in Brodzinski and does not view him as a fourth-line run-of-the-mill call-up. If you look at his opposite winger Chris Kreider, he didn't notch his first 50-goal season until he was 30. He's had that potential since he entered the league at 19. "Hot Brod" might be a late bloomer and a player promoted within the organization that can alleviate New York's cap-stricken search for a right winger.
December might be a rough patch for the Rangers (Lazarus): As far as the strength of schedule goes, the New York Rangers have a tough one in December. Even though they're already 2-1-0 this month, the team's upcoming opponents are going to be tough ones to play against. Six of their next seven games are against the Washington Capitals, Los Angeles Kings, Toronto Maple Leafs (twice), Boston Bruins, and Edmonton Oilers. All five of these teams have been playing some very strong hockey as of late as they all have winning records in their respective last 10 games. It will be interesting to see how the Rangers stack up with these teams during this stretch, especially during the holiday season.
Kakko returns in early 2024 (Mugno): If you pay enough attention to someone's language, you can solve anything. The term "not skating" followed by the word, "yet" sounds more like Kaapo Kakko could be around earlier than "season-ending". The Rangers have exuded patience this season with injuries (i.e. Fox, Shesterkin, Chytil), and a great deal of patience has benefited the team in the long run. The team went 7-2-1 in Fox's absence (2021 Norris Trophy winner). It is encouraging to have not heard that Kakko had surgery and that he has not skated "yet." That means there is an expectation that he eventually will.
There will be a controversial healthy scratch this month (Lazarus): To this point, things have been mostly positive for the New York Rangers, but every year, especially this time of year, it seems like there is always a healthy scratch that sends a message to the team to get them checked back in. Around this time last year, Gerard Gallant had Alexis Lafreniere as a healthy scratch. I don't know who it would be at this point of the season, but I could see Peter Laviolette scratching somebody just to see how the team responds. During the holiday season, some guys tend to check out a bit because of a lot of outside distractions and in order to keep the team locked in, this is one of the ways to do it.
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