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Noah Laba’s growing comfort could pay major dividends for the Rangers

After a quiet start, Noah Laba is beginning to look more at ease in his role — and his improving play could give the Rangers’ bottom six a serious boost.
ByJustin Bonhard|
Oct 7, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers center Noah Laba (42) skates against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the first period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Oct 7, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers center Noah Laba (42) skates against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the first period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The New York Rangers might be a wildcard team when it comes to scoring goals, especially when it is on home ice. One Rangers star might have already found his footing in his young NHL career, and it could be a very big benefit for this team.

Noah Laba, who won the Lars-Erik Sjoberg Award at the end of the preseason, has appeared in all five of their regular-season games so far. He has two assists as a part of the third line, alongside Juuso Parssinen and, most recently, Taylor Raddysh. He has also been stellar at the faceoff dot, winning 22 out of 34 draws. His underlying numbers are also strong. Laba has a 58.89 xGF%, a 50.99 CF%, and a 100 GF%, per Evolving-Hockey, all of which put in the top 10 on the team.

How has he grown in such a short amount of time, and how much will it help the Rangers this season?

Laba is a gamer

It is pretty clear that Laba is a certified gamer. The kid beat out some pretty big names in training camp, worked himself onto a very competitive third-line unit, and is standing out in the pack. Not bad for the rookie.

Laba has shown that he is more than an offensive threat. He has shown the ability to throw his body around at will, with six hits. That might not seem like a lot, but he has made them count.

High hopes for him

The Rangers have high hopes for Laba. Especially with the growing rumor of another Blueshirts prospect, Brennan Othmann, potentially being traded. As the Rangers are holding onto the hope that they can be a playoff-hopeful team for a couple more seasons, the youth is going to be an integral part.

Laba has proven with each game that he is getting the hang of it. The Rangers have a couple of players who are slowly gaining traction this season, and really, the entire team needs to learn how to play the game of hockey when they do their cardio session on the Madison Square Garden ice.

With time, Laba will be very beneficial for the Rangers. Give the kid some time, he has some potential attached to him, and his overnight success was not a fluke.

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