Rangers demoting Taylor Raddysh for Jaroslav Chmelar is the right long-term play

The New York Rangers debuted sweeping changes to their forward lines at practice on Monday, headlined by power forward Will Cuylle shifting down the middle to skate as the third-line center.

The tweaks didn't stop with line rushes. The front office just announced a corresponding roster move to fill the spot opened on wing, sending veteran winger Taylor Raddysh back to the Hartford Wolf Pack and recalling 23-year-old forward Jaroslav Chmelař to take his place.

The transaction marks a quick turnaround for Chmelař, and the Rangers are banking on a short stint with the JV squad in the AHL to get the towering winger back on track as an everyday NHL contributor.

Jaroslav Chmelař earned his ticket back to the varsity squad

Chmelař endured a sluggish start to the season in October, skating just under 57 minutes at 5v5 across seven appearances without registering a point. His underlying numbers during that opening audition were pretty rancid and included a 0 GF%, a 44.65 CF%, and a 32.25 xGF% per Evolving-Hockey.

That sluggish stretch stood in stark contrast to the disruptive presence Chmelař displayed last season, where he logged 29 games with a 53.68 xGF%, a 48.31 CF%, and four goals in limited fourth-line minutes (9:09 a night).

Standing 6'5" and 238 pounds, Chmelař is another behemoth body that moves remarkably well for his size. At his best, he was an absolute menace on the forecheck who routinely intimidated opposing players into coughing up the puck before he even had to finish his check.

Upon his return to the Wolf Pack, Chmelař got his groove back. He contributed two goals and two assists for four points in seven games while maintaining a plus-3 rating.

His growth with the Wolf Pack has been steady over the past two seasons. In 2024-25, Chmelař posted 29 points (12 goals, 17 assists) in 71 games, but struggled defensively with a minus-37 rating. Last season, he notched 25 points in 46 games while cutting that mark down to a minus-7. While plus-minus isn't a stat that generally offers deep utility, an improvement of 30 is significant when evaluating AHL players with limited public tracking metrics.

Why demoting Taylor Raddysh makes sense despite sparkling metrics

Seeing Raddysh returned to Hartford after his recent recall might confuse some, especially considering how thoroughly he crushed his minutes.

In his return, Raddysh logged just over 45 minutes at 5v5 and posted an eye-popping 76.08 GF%, a 57.96 CF%, and a 61.73 xGF% across a small sample size. He picked up an assist, had three shots on goal, three blocks, and three hits.

However, Raddysh is in the final year of his deal and is an expiring veteran who simply doesn't factor into the team's long-term future. He was playing well with the Wolf Pack, as expected, and was the best option to promote at the time. But the Rangers are going to need strong and consistent contributions from their young players, and Chmelař has the chance to be an important part of the fourth line's identity moving forward.

A timely reunion to rescue Noah Laba on the fourth line

Monday’s practice lines revealed that sophomore center Noah Laba has been slid down to the fourth unit to accommodate Cuylle centering the third line.

Laba has struggled mightily to find traction to start the season, and dropping to the fourth line removes some of the heavy top-nine pressure. More importantly, reuniting him with Chmelař might end up being what's best for everyone involved.

Chmelař’s heavy forechecking and ability to win puck battles along the wall give Laba a physical north-south winger who can open up ice for his straight-line speed. If Chmelař can bring his AHL swagger back to the NHL, New York's fourth line could finally establish the gritty, hard-nosed identity Mike Sullivan has been searching for this season.

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