The Kid Line is back and should be here to stay

After a span of 2-3 games apart, the “Kid Line” as they have been so appropriately declared is back together, and it should stay that way.

When New York Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant made the switch in the second half of Game Three against the Carolina Hurricanes, the line was playing well.

The problem permeated in the fact that the rest of the lines were not providing much of anything in terms of sustained offensive pressure.

Well, here we are after Game Six in New York. Players on all four lines contributed on the score sheet with goals from Mika Zibanejad on the top line, Artemi Panarin on the second line, Filip Chytil on the third and Tyler Motte on the fourth line.

Let’s not forget the multi-assist effort from known-playmaker Igor Shesterkin.

Now that all four lines seem to have some juice heading into the final match of the series, it is essential for the Kid Line to stick together.

Playoff stats

Thus far in the postseason, the total underlying numbers don’t quite jump off the page for the young trio.

The line has played 94:15 of ice time together, with an equal six goals for and six against. They possess the puck a bit more than their opponents, owning a 51.85% Corsi For percentage.

For those who are not too familiar with underlying numbers such as Corsi, they generate more shot attempts than they give up, suggesting the puck is on their sticks more often than not (all stats at even strength, courtesy of Natural Stat Trick).

Individually, their point totals imitate their underlying numbers. Filip Chytil, the graybeard of the group at 22 years of age, has 5 points (4 goals, 1 assist) in 13 games this postseason; two of those goals came in a solid Game 6 performance.

Alexis Lafrenière, 20, has just one more point than Chytil (2 goals, 4 assists) in the same number of games.

The third member of the Kid Line, the middle child if you will, has put up the lowest point totals of the trio. Though Kaapo Kakko has been solid, the 21-year-old has a mere two points (1 goal, 1 assist) in these playoffs.

Stats are not the whole story

Yet, there seems to be something about this combination that the underlying numbers and point totals do not clearly represent.

It would be malpractice to simply write that the underlying numbers suggest the line is “par” in the grand scheme of things.

Those who adopt that thought process evidently have not watched the games.

For Lafrenière has brought his A game. He is making plays with a purpose, he is getting into the corners and battling hard for loose pucks.

He has concocted a style of play that mixes his skill and creativity with physicality (35 hits this postseason) and just a hint of agitation; not to mention a heck of a shot.

He has also been able to find more room for himself this postseason than he did throughout the regular season.

Lafrenière has been moving his feet more consistently, which explains the space he has found himself with more often.

Likewise, Chytil is also willing to mix it up in the corners. He is also just as willing to fly up the ice and move the puck to his linemates in an effort to create offense.

Not to mention, Chytil has been controlling the puck extremely well and using his big body to create space.

Kakko, while previously demoted to the fourth line for Games 2 and 3, has not been bad either. He is using that 6’3” frame to protect the puck along the boards, then looking to get the cycle going with his other two linemates.

While his skating has been a glaring issue, Kakko has been making up for it in his dominant puck control game and his ability to stick handle in a phone booth.

All three players have been using their own skill set and different elements of their game to create a line that features three unique playing styles.

Moving forward

Now that Game Seven is on the horizon, the production from the other three lines in Game Six should mean that the Kid Line is back together, and should stay that way going forward.

Whether this next game is their last for the season or if they continue onward to face the Tampa Bay Lightning who await the winner of this series on the other side, the Kid Line must remain intact.

Each player has proven during these playoffs that they are big game players. When the chips are down, these three young men show up.

In games where the rest of the team just doesn’t seem to have it, the kids do.

This postseason should cement Chytil, Lafrenière, and Kakko’s spots on the Rangers’ roster for next season. Throw any concept of moving one or more of these players in a trade into the wastebasket.

It is time to make the “Kid Line” a mainstay in the Rangers lineup.