Scott Morrow Seizing His Opportunity After Long Stretch As Rangers Healthy Scratch

After serving as a healthy scratch for the first 14 games of the season, Scott Morrow has been a pleasant surprise for the New York Rangers.

Despite making the Rangers’ opening-night roster out of training camp, Morrow served as the Rangers’ extra defenseman with all their blueliners healthy.

“I wouldn’t call it difficult necessarily,” Morrow said on not playing at all to start the season. “I feel blessed to be here, be a part of this group. Just trying to stay ready, have a positive attitude, and be ready for my chance to play.”

An undisclosed injury to Sean Durzi opened up a spot in the lineup, and Morrow has seized his opportunity through three games thus far.

Playing alongside Alberts Šmits, the 24-year-old defenseman has looked comfortable, not only showing off his quick skating and offensive intangibles but also showing notable improvement defensively.

“Scotty has played well,” Sullivan said. “I think his pace is better. I think he's quicker. He's closing on people. I think his stick detail, just disrupting plays, getting his stick on the puck, things of that nature. I think that continues to evolve and improve and get better. I think he's making pretty good reads defensively. I know Scotty is making a real concerted effort on the defensive side of the puck to try to continue to evolve and improve.”

The Rangers acquired Morrow from the Carolina Hurricanes in the summer of 2025 as part of the sign-and-trade deal that sent K’Andre Miller to the Carolina Hurricanes.

Playing in 29 games for the Rangers last season, Morrow showed inconsistencies in his game, specifically from a defensive standpoint.

In a short three-game sample size, Morrow already looks more assertive and confident on the ice, which has helped translate at both ends of the ice.

“I think last year I played way too tentative (offensively),” Morrow said. “Over the summer it was definitely something; when I look back at my season, I wish I was a little bit more aggressive. I’m glad that side of my game is coming out a bit.”

The Rangers placed Durzi on injured reserve, retroactive to Oct. 26, as Sullivan emphasized that he may not join the Rangers for their upcoming four-game road trip initially, but he could rejoin them at some point over the course of the trip.

When Durzi eventually is ready to return to the lineup, Morrow’s spot will be in jeopardy, but Sullivan made it clear that Morrow could still earn playing time through his play, regardless of who is healthy.

“Of course there is. Performance matters. Guys that make an impact — a positive impact on the game — are going to be in the conversation for being in the lineup. We have these discussions before every game as a coaching staff,” Sullivan said.

“Which 12 forwards and six defensemen give us the best chance to win tonight, and why? I always start with that question. I know it sounds simplistic. We drill into a whole lot of detail after that, but that's the question that we're trying to answer every single day.”