"The Rangers are not very good. Unlike last year, the issue isn't effort. It's roster construction. We knew heading into the season that the Rangers would be relying, perhaps a bit too much, on veterans while hoping some kids would make the roster. That backfired as the only kid to make the team wasn't even many projected opening night lineups. With the roster in shambles and no cap space, is Chris Drury on the hot seat?"
"When the Rangers signed Taylor Raddysh, re-signed Juuso Parssinen, and added Conor Sheary on a PTO, it was assumed all three would be stopgaps. The trio was to hold down bottom six spots until any or all of Gabe Perreault, Brett Berard, and Brennan Othmann were NHL ready. Berard and Othmann have struggled to start the season in Hartford and have not earned extended recalls. Perreault was fine, but injuries forced him to be returned to Hartford in the short term."
"Only Noah Laba impressed enough to earn a spot on the roster, one he has been told he won't lose this season. But without at least one more kid earning a spot and the mounting injuries, One of the stopgap players or Jonny Brodzinski has been forced into a top six role. Without Perreault, Will Cuylle is forced into a top line role that may not suit him at this point in his career."
The Rangers' struggles stem from roster construction and overreliance on veteran stopgaps while expecting prospects to fill key roles. Taylor Raddysh, Juuso Parssinen, and Conor Sheary were signed as temporary depth while Gabe Perreault, Brett Berard, and Brennan Othmann were expected to be NHL-ready. Berard and Othmann have struggled in Hartford and earned no extended recalls, and Perreault returned to Hartford after injuries. Only Noah Laba secured a roster spot. Injuries and underperforming prospects have forced stopgaps and Jonny Brodzinski into top-six minutes and pushed Will Cuylle into an ill-fitting top-line role. Defensive prospect Scott Morrow is not NHL-ready, increasing minutes for Carson Soucy and Urho Vaakanainen, and limited cap space complicates fixes and raises questions about Chris Drury's job security.
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