With the New York Rangers placing Adam Fox on long-term injured reserve, Mike Sullivan decided to implement a unique power-play system featuring five forwards.
Once Fox exited the Rangers’ Saturday afternoon game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Sullivan replaced him with Will Cuylle on the first power-play unit to go along with Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, J.T. Miller, and Vincent Trocheck.
During Monday’s practice, Sullivan kept his five-forward approach on the power play with Panarin playing the point in the quarterback role, Zibanejad and Miller at the two flanks, Trocheck slotted in the bumper, and Cuylle playing the netfront.
Having a power-play unit consisting of five forwards is rare, but other teams have utilized this strategy, including the Vegas Golden Knights and Los Angeles Kings, two teams that currently don’t utilize a defenseman on their first power-play unit.
Both Braden Schneider and Scott Morrow have played a role on the man advantage this season, which begs the question: Why didn’t Sullivan want to use one of these two blueliners on the first unit?
“We don't think that's the strength of their games to this point,” Sullivan said of why Schneider or Morrow are not playing on the first power-play unit. “We're trying to put a power play together that we think gives us the best opportunity to have success. Obviously, Foxy, I think, is an elite power-play defenseman, with how he distributes the puck up there, the way he sees the game. He's got really good instincts. We don't necessarily think that that's the strength of some of the guys you just mentioned.”
Panarin, who usually plays the flank position where he’s able to utilize his playmaking abilities and explosive shot, now moves to the point where he’ll be tasked with some similar responsibilities, while also having to adapt to a slightly different role.
As the quarterback of the power play, Panarin will be the main facilitator, a role he feels most comfortable in, positioned at the blue line.
“I think I have more options,” said Panarin “More play with the puck, which I like... It's probably the best position to see the ice, because you can go on both sides. From the right side or left side, it's hard to make it seam (passes) and all that stuff sometimes. We'll see. I don't want to say too much before we start playing like that. I hope I do well in that position. But like I say, on the ice, it shows everything.”
Miller, who is usually positioned in front of the net or at the bumper, moves to the flank, where he’ll be able to have more opportunities to showcase his shot.
Zibanejad, positioned at the opposite flank, brings an element of playmaking, and he’s a dangerous scoring threat given his powerful one-timer .
Trocheck has been accustomed to playing the bumper role, so it’s no surprise for him to be in that slot.
Having a strong netfront presence is extremely important to Sullivan, and he believes that Cuylle has the perfect physical attributes and traits as a player to be elite in the netfront role.
“I think it's a more skilled position than maybe all of us think,” Sullivan said on the netfront power-play position. “I think Will (Cuylle) has all the attributes to be that guy. He's talented, he's got a good stick, he's big, and he's strong, and so he's hard to handle.
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“There are guys historically around the league that, over the years, have scored a lot of goals in that area of the rink. The guy that comes to mind for me is Joe Pavelski. Nobody had a better stick than that guy, and he was around the net all the time. He scored a million goals. They're not highlight goals, but they all count the same, so I think that's an area where Will can help us.”
Using five forwards and zero defensemen could pose a problem if the opposing team goes on an odd-man rush because forwards are not as strong skating backwards compared to defensemen.
However, Sullivan is willing to make the gamble due to the high offensive upside that this five-forward strategy presents.
“We’re going to see how it plays out,” Sullivan said. “We are going to start there. Obviously, we need to have some conscience in rolling a power play with five forwards without a doubt, and that’s a conversation that we’ll have.”
This change to the power play isn’t necessarily going to stick through the duration of Fox’s absence, but you should expect to see five forwards on the man advantage during Tuesday night’s game against the Dallas Stars.