Mike Sullivan Makes Significant Line Changes In Hopes Of Jump-Starting Rangers’ Offense

With the New York Rangers on a prolonged six-day break in which they’ve managed to squeeze in three practices, Mike Sullivan has decided to make a significant shift to the line combinations.

Sullivan has shaken up the top-six forward unit numerous times this season, but he hasn’t tried putting Pavel Dorofeyev on a line with Mika Zibanejad and Alexis Lafrenière.

Zibanejad and Lafrenière have played alongside Gabe Perreault for much of the season thus far, and while their success from the 2025-26 campaign trickled into the start of this season, they recently hit a difficult stretch as a duo.

Despite leading the team with 42 shots on net, the Rangers have seemingly been unable to unlock Dorofeyev’s goalscoring abilities, as he has just three goals in 14 games.

Sullivan has placed Dorofeyev on a line with Zibanejad and Lafrenière through this extended break with the hope that Dorofeyev can find his scoring touch.

“We’re finding a way to capture Pav’s best game,” Sullivan said. “We're moving people around based on a number of different objectives. Number one, trying to help Pav capture his best game creates a balance through our lineup. I don't think Mika's line has been as effective most recently as it was earlier in the year. We just think the timing was right at this point to try to make this adjustment. I think it's the one combination that we haven't gone to yet with respect to Pav inside the top six, and so we'll see what it looks like.”

The Tye Kartye-J.T. Miller-Oliver Bjorkstrand line is one that was formed during the Rangers’ most recent stretch of games and has stuck over these past couple of practices.

Kartye was elevated into a top-six role early on in the season and has thrived in his new elevated position, as indicated by his 10 points in 14 games.

Meanwhile, Bjorkstrand has been utilized in both a top-six and bottom-six role, and Sullivan has continued to make it a priority to find ice time for the veteran forward.

Perreault now joins Noah Laba and Will Cuylle on a line that has largely been predicated on their abilities to take on difficult defensive assignments.

The trio of Laba, Cuylle, and Eeli Tolvanen have taken pressure off the Rangers’ top-six forward unit, primarily being utilized in a defensive role, as they’ve been trusted by Sullivan to match up against the opposing team’s top lines and play in critical defensive-zone situations.

Replacing Tolvanen with Perreault doesn't necessarily totally diminish the line’s two-way versatility, but it adds an offensive element that it was previously lacking.

“I think it adds an offensive dimension and the playmaking ability to that line because Gabe sees the ice really well,” Sullivan said. “I think Gabe's attention to detail away from the puck sometimes goes unnoticed. He's a pretty conscientious player defensively. He's in the right spots a lot. I think from that standpoint, he could fit in with that group. Without a question, brings playmaking ability to those guys.”

After kicking off the season with an impressive 7-3 record, the Rangers have lost six out of their last seven games, dropping them out of a playoff position.

Time will only tell if these new line changes can help jump-start a struggling Rangers team.