New York Rangers’ Third Line Could Be Their X-Factor This Season – The Hockey Writers – New York Rangers

Last playoffs, the New York Rangers did not get much offense from their third line of Will Cuylle, Kaapo Kakko and Alex Wennberg. They combined for just three goals in the Rangers’ run to the Eastern Conference Final. The big missing piece was Filip Chytil as he missed most of the 2023-24 season with injury and while he did come back for six playoff games, it was clear he was not 100% and he did not contribute any offense in those games.

With Wennberg signing with the San Jose Sharks as a free agent, the Rangers had a vacancy at third line center and now, Chytil is back healthy and centering the line with Cuylle and Kakko. Him being back gives the Rangers an offensive spark in their bottom six that was missing last season and this line could be a driving force that helps the team win their first Stanley Cup in 31 years.

Filip Chytil’s Return Is a Massive Boost

Many might not remember, but last season, the player who started as the third line center was Vincent Trocheck. It was Chytil who played on the second line with Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafreniere and the trio played 10 games together before Chytil went down with injury. Trocheck moved up and that line was the one of the best in the entire NHL for the rest of the season. Now, Trocheck remains on the second line while Chytil is back playing on the third line. While he might not be a third-line player, his presence on that line brings an offensive boost that was missing last season.

Players like Wennberg, Nick Bonino, Barclay Goodrow, and Johnny Brodzinski all had stints as the third-line center last season and one of them could ever bring any offense to that line. With Chytil back healthy, he brings his speed and scoring ability to that line and his ability to drive play is going to be very beneficial if the Rangers want to make a deep run in the playoffs. Every team that wins the Stanley Cup gets scoring from their bottom six and now, the Rangers are going to get some of that scoring with Chytil back. He even scored his first goal of the season in his first game back.

Will Cuylle’s Second Season Development Is Crucial

Cuylle forced his way onto the team last season after having a great performance in training camp. He played in 81 games, recording 13 goals and 21 points. He led all rookies in hits last season and was seventh overall in the entire league with 249 hits. He made his presence felt…