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Will Cuylle seized moment to secure Rangers’ roster spot

Regarding the Rangers, whose record quite thankfully reverts to 0-0 before Thursday’s opener in Buffalo.

1. Will Cuylle was probably the Blueshirts’ best forward — if not player — in Camp. He became the only player who did not skate with the varsity group on Day 1 back on Sept. 22 to earn a spot on the opening roster.

The 22-year-old winger forced his way onto the team and into the top-nine. This is an example of a young player seizing the moment.

Though this is only one guy, it shifts the dynamic. There is a fourth under-30 up front now, joining Filip Chytil, Kaapo Kakko and Alexis Lafreniere.

This is also a reflection of the hierarchy’s willingness to be open in its evaluations. And I would say it suggests that if Brennan Othmann has a strong month-to-six weeks in Hartford, there will be no hesitation to promote the 20-year-old if the need arises, and why do I think the need will arise?

Will Cuylle, pictured during the 2022 season, emerged as one of the Rangers’ best forwards during training camp.Getty Images
Will Cuylle, pictured during the preseason appeared in four games for the Rangers last season.Getty Images

2. The most material deployment change employed by head coach Peter Laviolette was removing captain Jacob Trouba from the point on the second power play, replacing him with Erik Gustafsson and/or K’Andre Miller.

Trouba has been a power play staple (either unit) since joining Winnipeg in 2013-14. The 1:03 per he received last season marked the lowest of his 10-year career, but that was a function of the Blueshirts’ first unit staying on ad infinitum.

Surprisingly (at least to me), no one from the coaching staff has talked to Trouba about the reasoning behind this decision.

“Nope … I’m ready if called,” the captain told The Post following Thursday’s final preseason tilt. “I obviously want to be out there, but I think my job is to do what I’m asked to do and what’s best for the team.

“There’s an adjustment that comes in a little bit where you’re used to getting the shifts and the repetitions. Now there’s a little bit of a break, so that’s different. It’s definitely an adjustment. It’s something you’ve got to be able to handle.”

3. Kakko is recognized as more than a dependable 200-foot player, substantial, even, and I wonder how much we can blame his first NHL head coach, David Quinn, for insisting the young Finn master all three zones before awarding the 2019 second-overall a steady top-six assignment.

4. If there is a particular concern coming out of camp, it relates to Jonathan Quick’s three outings in which the netminder recorded a .807 save percentage and 5.07 GAA in just over two full game’s worth of minutes.

The Blueshirts were generally lousy in front of the Connecticut Yankee, but they sure did not distinguish themselves in front of their other three goaltenders, either, and Igor Shesterkin went .913, 1.88; Dylan Garand went 1.27, .947 and Louis Domingue went 1.26, .923.

Quick starts the season with a clean slate, too, but the 37-year-old is attempting to transition to a full-time backup role for the first time in a decorated 16-year-career while coming off his worst season in which his numbers were among the NHL’s worst.

Jonathan Quick, the Rangers’ new backup goaltender, wasn’t sharp during the preseason.Getty Images

5. There have been a fair number of folks who have made reference to the 2013-14 Blueshirts’ 1-5 exhibition record in Alain Vigneault’s first camp behind the New York bench and look what they did!

But the less sanguine reference to that season applies to veteran Martin Biron, the then-36-year-old in his fourth year as Henrik Lundqvist’s backup, who chose retirement two appearances into the season after being torched by San Jose (you may remember a certain Mr. Tomas Hertl) and lit up in St. Louis.

Now, it is true that Biron had left the club for a short spell to engage with family matters to the extent that the Rangers belatedly invited Moose Hedberg to camp as insurance before sticking with the incumbent following his return.

It became an all’s well kind of deal, of course. Biron’s retirement opened the door for Cam Talbot, the 26-year-old (no typo) freshman who’d been signed a year earlier as an undrafted free agent, while the loquacious French-Canadian got a head shot on a career on the other side of the microphone.

Martin Biron’s sudden retirement gave Cam Talbot, pictured during a December 2013 game, an extended opportunity during the 2013-14 season.Getty Images

6. By the way, 2013’s training camp was chaotic. Part of it was held in Banff, the team traveled as if on a junket, playing exhibition games in Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and Las Vegas (the last two back-to-back) and if you ever have the time, ask Lundqvist what he thought about it.

That was the year that 22-year-old Chris Kreider, who had played 23 games the previous season and had 26 games of playoff experience over the previous two springs, did not make the opening roster.

J.T. Miller made it. Jesper Fast made it. Taylor Pyatt made it. Arron Asham made it. Kreider instead was among the final cut-group that included Marek Hrivik, Oscar Lindberg, Brandon Mashinter and Darrell Powe.

It wasn’t until Oct. 20 that Kreider was summoned from the AHL and slipped into No. 20 for good.

7. By the way. Who do you have, Hrivik or Evgeny Grachev? Essay of 100 words or less is due on my desk by Monday.



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Will Cuylle seized moment to secure Rangers’ roster spot

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