Noah Laba has settled into the Rangers’ third line alongside Will Cuylle and Eeli Tolvanen, and on paper it’s exactly the kind of group the team wants. They skate, they forecheck, they defend, they kill penalties, and they bring enough skill to create chances when they’re on the attack. The problem is that Laba still hasn’t given the Rangers much finishing touch.
Through 14 games, he has four assists and no goals. That’s the tension hanging over his start to the season, especially with Beaudoin coming up behind him. The line has clicked, but Laba’s spot is not exactly locked in if the offense keeps staying quiet.
That matters because the Rangers have spent a long time searching for help down the middle from within their own system. Over the last 26 years, they’ve drafted only five centers who became capable top-six forwards for them: Filip Chytil in 2017, J.T.
Miller in 2011, Derek Stepan in 2008, Artem Anisimov in 2006, and Brandon Dubinsky in 2004. Each of them was traded at or around the midpoint of his career, which is a rough backdrop for any young center trying to stick.
Laba is now trying to become the sixth name on that list, and he entered this season with a real chance to claim the third-line center job. He was coming off a 24-point rookie season in 74 games and began training camp in that role before emerging with clear chemistry next to Cuylle and Tolvanen.
The fit has been there. The production from Laba hasn’t.
And for a third line, the Rangers can live with some modest scoring, but they do need some secondary offense. Cuylle has been the main source of that so far, while Laba’s lack of goals has already started to raise the question of how safe that center spot really is.
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Rangers Season Already Hinges On A Problem This Roster Must Solve
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Rangers Finally Shake Up Their Most Frustrating Problem Area
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The change also fits the tone around the team, with Sullivan and Miller both openly recognizing that something had to give. For a Rangers power play that has been below expectations, the hope is that Perreault can bring a cleaner, more creative touch to a group that has been searching for answers. [Read more 🡒]