Juuso Parssinen was the healthy scratch in the Rangers 7-3 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. While it was the right decision to get Brett Berard back into the lineup, Parssinen's omission does not sit right with everyone affiliated with the Rangers. Some think there were better options, and it does reflect on Peter Laviolette. He made a change for someone the Rangers thought would be their long-term 3C, and the response from New York got them crushed by Columbus.
Parssinen sitting seemed to mess with the balance of the lineup, and ahead of the game against Winnipeg tonight, the importance of the mistake Laviolette made could come back to bite the Rangers again if he doesn't learn from it. He's been open about having two guys that can have faceoffs on the same line being a good thing for how the lineup works, citing Mika Zibanejad and J.T. Miller as a combination that works higher up the roster.
Since being acquired from the Colorado Avalanche, Parssinen has bounced around the lineup. He's played third-line center on that wing, and ultimately, he was scratched in favor of having Sam Carrick at 3C. That is extremely concerning since Carrick has been the fourth-line center for the Rangers all year, so Laviolette clearly feels there was no better option than moving someone he's not viewed as better than a fourth-liner up the roster.
With Filip Chytil traded in the deal that brought J.T. Miller back to New York, the Rangers are still looking for an answer at 3C. What Laviolette decides to go with tonight is yet to be seen, but it feels like the correct answer is some combination has to include Parssinen on that line. Whether he plays on the wing or as a center is one thing, but the Rangers don't have the overwhelming depth at center they used to.