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SUNRISE, Fla. – The Rangers clawed their way to a 5-3 comeback win over the Florida Panthers on Monday at Amerant Bank Arena, but the final result is far less consequential than some of the big-picture concerns surrounding the second-to-last game of this dwindling season.
New York was eliminated from playoff contention on Saturday, leaving us to focus on topics that impact the future direction of the franchise.
Reevaluating the 2019 draft class
Nearly six years after being the second player selected in what was supposed to be a foundational draft for the Rangers, Matthew Robertson made his NHL debut under unceremonious circumstances.
The 24-year-old defenseman has toiled in the AHL for four full seasons, never reaching the ceiling the Blueshirts envisioned when they selected him in the second round of the 2019 draft. They coveted the 6-foot-4, 211-pounder for his size and mobility, but he’s lacked physicality and his feel for the game has lagged behind.
It took the Rangers being eliminated for him to finally get his chance, with long odds of sticking around – at least not in New York – and all that time in the minors reducing any trade value he once had.
Despite all of that, it was hard not to feel good for Robertson given his journey to this point.
“It’s been my dream to wear the red, white and blue since getting drafted in 2019,” he said. “There’s a lot of emotions going on, just stepping on the ice, wearing the jersey. There were a lot of emotions and a lot of nerves. I was just very excited and proud of my family and everyone who’s helped me.”
The Edmonton native, who was all smiles after the game, said his parents and girlfriend flew in for the occasion. Getting paired with former Norris Trophy winner Adam Fox made it that much sweeter.
“Just seeing that this morning, being paired with Adam Fox, he made it a lot easier for me to just jump in there and just focus on my game,” said Robertson, who finished with two shots and a plus-one rating in 15:24 time on ice. “He’s one of the best D-men in the league. It’s something I’ll remember forever.”
It was a feel-good story in a season that’s had too few of them, but the final judgment of that 2019 draft class won’t be kind to the Rangers.
It started with so much hope surrounding No. 2 overall selection Kaapo Kakko, who had flashes but was often buried in the bottom six and never quite blossomed in New York. His relatively disappointing tenure ended shortly after the Finnish forward aired his grievances about being healthy scratched on Dec. 15, leading to a trade with Seattle for a modest return of defenseman Will Borgen, plus third- and sixth-round picks.
He’ll be a case study for organizational development – or lack thereof – for years to come.
Kakko was one of eight Rangers’ selections in that draft, including four in the first 68 picks.
Robertson was the second pick at No. 49 overall, followed by fellow second-rounder Karl Henriksson at No. 58. The undersized Swedish center also underwhelmed and failed to rise above AHL Hartford, where he posted only 40 points (18 goals and 22 assists) across 134 games before returning to the SHL this season.
Next up was Zac Jones, who soon surpassed Robertson in the defensemen pecking order but has struggled to earn the trust of multiple NHL coaches. He was scratched in six of the previous eight games before returning to the lineup Monday, but he’s never appeared in more than 45 games across five seasons due to coach’s decisions.
There’s a decent chance that all but one member of that draft class will be elsewhere by the time next season begins, with the lone holdover being sixth-round forward Adam Edström (No. 161 overall).
Who would have thought?
Othmann and Perreault return; Berard scratched
After inexplicably scratching the organization’s top-two prospects the previous two games, head coach Peter Laviolette reinserted Brennan Othmann and Gabe Perreault in Florida.
They both played in the top six, with Othmann reuniting with Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck while Perreault slotted onto a line with J.T. Miller and Mika Zibanejad. The former trio posted strong results in their previous four games together, outscoring opponents, 6-0, with a 77.11% xGF and 15-2 advantage in high-danger scoring chances, according to Natural Stat Trick. That made the initial decision to remove Othmann that much more puzzling.
“You don’t really like sitting out at any time, but we have a lot of forwards here,” said Othmann, who finished with two hits, one giveaway and zero shots in 12:34 TOI. “We have a lot of guys, and a lot of guys deserve some opportunity and some chance. … You’re not overly happy, but decisions are made, and it’s kind of what you’ve got to sit with.”
While Laviolette righted that wrong Monday, another puzzling lineup choice came to the forefront.
Brett Berard, who scored a pair of goals in Thursday’s 9-2 win over the Islanders and earned praise from the coach as being “real noticeable” lately, took his turn on the healthy scratch merry-go-round.
Meanwhile, a couple other 24-and-under forwards – Matt Rempe and Juuso Pärssinen – each scored goals.
Pärssinen now has five points (two goals and three assists) in the last three games after sitting out the previous six.
“It’s just about that impact in the game,” Laviolette said. “You see it at times, and I think becoming consistent with that, I’ve noticed that the last three games that he’s been in here. He’s on the puck, he’s making plays. He’s being responsible defensively. He’s a young player, a big guy, and he’s played some good games.”
Calvin de Haan fallout
One player who’s consistently gotten the short end of the stick is Calvin de Haan, who was scratched for the 19th consecutive game.
The 33-year-old defenseman − acquired in a Mar. 2 trade with Colorado − expressed displeasure with his situation via X on Sunday.
The lengthy post read: “I am frustrated, and any competitor who says that they would be happy in this position would be lying to you. After playing 3 games for the team and going 2-0-1, I thought I maybe would have got an opportunity to jump into the lineup and help win some games.
“Did I help win those games I played, maybe? Maybe not? But we still won and collected some crucial points to climb the standings,” he added. “I understand the youth movement in the nhl, and I’m getting older in hockey years and I may not play every single night. I feel like I can still contribute and help teams win. I know I’m not going to play 20 minutes a night in the role I’ve been in the past few years, but again I feel like I can still keep up and help a team in certain facets of the game.”
“I’m not trying to be the villain or gain attention or throw shade on the organization. I would have preferred a scrum setting to chat about how my time with the rangers has gone. As a player you have to respect the lineup decisions whether you like them or not, it’s just been frustrating not being able to compete and do what I love to do. I hope everyone understands.”
Laviolette was asked prior to Monday’s game if he’s spoken with de Haan since.
“I did, and I’ve had conversations with him the whole time,” the coach said. “And, so, I get it. We had a good chat yesterday. He’s frustrated he’s not playing. All players want to play.”
The thing is, de Haan’s disgruntlement is far from a one off.
He’s one of several players who have vocalized frustration this season, whether it be over ice time or how they’ve been treated by an organization that continues to take PR hits. The list of those who have gone public with their discontent includes Jones, Kakko, Jimmy Vesey and traded captain Jacob Trouba, fueling curiosity over whether there are others who have yet to speak up.
Laviolette defended the lines of communication between the coaching staff and players, but it stands to reason that there is angst directed at team president Chris Drury, as well.
“Some of the players have expressed it because they want to play, and I get that. … You don’t want players sitting out being perfectly fine not playing,” Laviolette said. “I understand (de Haan’s) frustration, as well. But there were plenty of conversations before that, just to talk about why. I’m not going to get into those, but there were conversations that we had just to explain things.”
Vincent Z. Mercogliano is the New York Rangers beat reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Read more of his work at lohud.com/sports/rangers/ and follow him on Twitter @vzmercogliano.