The New York Rangers have relied heavily on rolling four balanced lines during coach Alain Vigneault’s tenure.
The fourth line played a vital part in the Rangers’ Stanley Cup appearance in 2013-2014. In an ideal scenario, Alain Vigneault likes to roll his lines evenly and attack with four lines that are fresh.
In the past, a team’s fourth line would be a bruiser line that’s main job was to be physical and cause disruption. Now, things have changed. The Penguins are back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions because of their offensive depth.
The Islanders’ fourth line a few seasons back of Matt Martin, Casey Cizikas and Cal Clutterbuck was one of their most effective lines since they were able to put points on the board while maintaining a physical edge. Fourth lines are expected to chip in offensively. The Rangers have had some notably productive fourth lines as well. Let’s see which have been the five best in Vigneault’s five years with the team.