Taylor Raddysh's place on the New York Rangers roster is no longer about whether he will be in the opening night lineup. After Matt Rempe played well in the Rangers' final preseason game and received glowing praise from his head coach, Mike Sullivan, it seems clear he'll be the forward to get the 12th spot. The question for Raddysh is whether he did enough in Sullivan's eyes to earn the 13th forward spot or if he will hit the waiver wire.
The competition in training camp has been Raddysh vs. Rempe vs. Jaroslav Chmelař for the 13th forward spot. With Joe Veleno occupying one-third of the fourth line, those three forwards were battling to see who would be on the right wing. With Rempe seemingly winning the job, Raddysh is the next-best option.
Raddysh has been very good in camp, but the issue is that all three are worthy of their place on the roster for varying reasons. It is an unfortunate result of the numbers game, but it doesn't seem like veteran Raddysh will be the odd-man-out because of the roster rules. With Chmelař as the only forward who can avoid waivers, he'll likely be the first to go to Hartford. What could happen, though, is Raddysh making the team but in line to be a healthy scratch.
Rangers' roster options could be a bad sign for Taylor Raddysh
New York's lack of roster flexibility is making any decision very difficult. With Alberts Smits likely stealing the sixth defense spot, that leaves both Scott Morrow and Matthew Robertson on the outside looking in on the opening lineup. The Rangers could have Raddysh as the 13th forward and two extra defensemen to avoid sending either Morrow or Robertson through waivers, but one of their moves this offseason makes that difficult.
Dylan Garand earned a spot in camp, but Joonas Korpisalo's offseason addition throws a wrench into those plans. Garand could've easily been Igor Shesterkin's backup, but now New York has to either roster three goalies or risk sending Garand through waivers if they don't want to bury Korpisalo in the minors. With things looking the way they are, sending down the veteran goalie is the move.
Raddysh did everything he could to earn the opportunity to stay on the Rangers' roster. However, one of Sullivan's options is not to carry any extra forwards. Does Chris Drury believe that, among Raddysh, Garand, Robertson, and Morrow, Raddysh is the player most likely not to be claimed? If so, it might be smart to stash him in Hartford until an injury opens a roster spot.
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