Mike Sullivan opening day lines reveal the plan for the Rangers new look offense

It may have only been the first day of training camp, but Mike Sullivan did not waste much time showing us how he currently envisions the Rangers' lineup to start the season.

New York opened as they ended last year with Gabe Perreault, Mika Zibanejad and Alexis Lafrenière together. Pavel Dorofeyev skated alongside J.T. Miller and Oliver Bjorkstrand, while Eeli Tolvanen and Taylor Raddysh joined Will Cuylle and Noah Laba at different points. Tye Kartye and Joe Veleno occupied the fourth line, with Jaroslav Chmelař and Matt Rempe also rotating through.

Naturally, we can only glean so much from one September practice. Training-camp lines can be mercurial, and one strong scrimmage can quickly change the outlook. However, Sullivan made it clear that these combinations were not arbitrary.

"We started there for a reason," Sullivan said, explaining that he plans to give the groups at least a few days to see how they That comment was quietly revelatory. These may not be the combinations the Rangers use on Opening Night, but they appear to represent Sullivan's preferred starting point.

Sullivan is prioritizing continuity

The decision to reunite Perreault, Zibanejad and Lafrenière should not come as much of a surprise. The Rangers found success with Nos. 94, 93 and 13 together late last season. Dorofeyev and Miller also established some chemistry, giving Sullivan a few reliable underpinnings as he installs his system during a condensed camp. Do these lines get the absolute best out of every player? Maybe not, but they are far from a worst-case scenario.

Keeping those established combinations intact means the Rangers do not have to manufacture chemistry across four entirely new lines. Sullivan can pair Bjorkstrand with Dorofeyev and Miller, evaluate his younger players in the bottom six, and adjust from there. The current top six also offers an interesting look at what the Rangers want their offense to become. Perreault brings creativity to Zibanejad and Lafrenière, while the Dorofeyev-Miller-Bjorkstrand line has the potential to combine shooting, forechecking, and puck retrieval. Cuylle remains the possible wild card. He opened camp outside the top six, but that does not mean he will stay there.

Will Cuylle came out flying

If the opening practice is any barometer, Cuylle intends to make Sullivan's decisions difficult.
He was one of the most noticeable players on the ice, moving well and taking the body whenever the opportunity presented itself. His performance was never sedentary. He brought energy to nearly every shift and helped set the tone during a surprisingly physical scrimmage.

Cuylle is coming off a season in which more was expected from him, so his placement on the third line makes sense as a starting point. Still, his blend of size, skating, and forechecking gives him a realistic chance to challenge Bjorkstrand for a top-six role.

That will be one of the more intriguing developments to monitor. Bjorkstrand brings more offensive polish, but Cuylle can alter a game physically in a way few Rangers forwards can. Sullivan will have to determine which skill set better complements Miller and Dorofeyev.

Dylan Roobroeck can make the fourth-line competition interesting

Most of Sullivan's forward group appears set, leaving fourth-line center as one of the few places where a player could genuinely upset the projected order. Joe Veleno remains the favorite. The 26 year-old has 367 games of NHL experience and gives the coaching staff a dependable option down the middle. However, Roobroeck has a puncher's chance to make him reconsider.

Scoring on opening day was a good way for Roobroeck to begin making inroads. His size at 6'7", 206 pounds is impossible to ignore, but the 2023 sixth round pick will need to show that he can process the game quickly enough to handle an NHL role. If he continues producing throughout camp and the preseason, the Rangers could find themselves in a real quandary.

That would be a welcome development. The Blueshirts need their young players to force their way into the conversation rather than waiting for injuries to create opportunities. The rest of the forward picture looks more settled. Kartye and Raddysh appear to have the inside track on the fourth-line wing positions. Rempe is unlikely to be placed on waivers before the season, though that doesn't necessarily mean he will play regularly.

Chmelař and Sýkora probably begin the year in Hartford unless one of them makes an overwhelming case. Rempe was comfortable handling the puck after dealing with thumb problems last season. His physicality already rules the roost when he is on the ice. The question is whether he can demonstrate enough malleability in his game to become more than a matchup-dependent option.

The Alberts Smits dilemma

The blueline featured Vladislav Gavrikov next to Adam Fox, Marcus Pettersson beside Sean Durzi, Smits paired with Braden Schneider, and Matthew Robertson alongside Scott Morrow. Fox, Gavrikov, Pettersson, Durzi and Schneider should all be considered locks. The real intrigue begins after those five. Can Smits do enough to pass Robertson for the final left-handed spot?

If so, Robertson could become the seventh defenseman while Urho Vaakanainen is pushed toward the waiver wire. How the Rangers handle Smits will matter. Two outcomes make sense for his development. Either he proves he belongs in the NHL and gets a capable partner, or he plays major minutes in Hartford.

The undesirable middle ground would be keeping him with the parent club only to confine him to 12 or 14 minutes per night on a sheltered third pair with Schneider. If he is ready, give him a meaningful opportunity. If he isn't, let him keep developing in a substantial AHL role.

It is easy to overreact to the first day of camp. Every line change becomes a proclamation, every goal becomes evidence of a breakout, and every mistake becomes a reason for concern. The reality is more complicated. All Thursday did was give the Rangers a clear foundation and hand the players fighting for jobs their first opportunity to subvert the expected hierarchy. Now we get to see who can sustain it.

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