The Rangers’ recall of Matthew Robertson on Friday night set up a familiar kind of puzzle in Ottawa - one injury-related opening, a blue-line shuffle, and a chance for the wrong veteran decision to creep in.
Robertson was brought up from the Hartford Wolf Pack ahead of Saturday’s matchup, but that does not necessarily mean he’s the one who’ll draw into the lineup. The more likely path points to Scott Morrow finally getting his season debut, with Sean Durzi’s status hanging over everything.
Durzi sat out practice on Wednesday and again on Friday because of maintenance, and while he still logged 20:09 in Thursday’s 5-4 regulation loss in Toronto, he was clearly dealing with the effects. Asked about the situation, Mike Sullivan didn’t have much to offer.
#NYR head coach Mike Sullivan also didn’t offer much when asked if there was concern over Sean Durzi (maintenance) playing tomorrow:
“I don’t know. He’s got a maintenance day right now. We’ll see how he is, and we’ll make a decision.”
- Mollie Walker (@MollieeWalkerr) October 23, 2026
That matters because Durzi has been one of the bright spots on the back end since arriving this offseason. Through 12 games, he has two goals and two assists while handling the breakout with Marcus Pettersson. The scoring pace stands out immediately when compared to last season, when Durzi had just five goals in 76 games.
If he can’t go against the Senators, the Rangers’ choice on the right side will say plenty about how Sullivan wants to use his defense.
Morrow is the obvious candidate to get the nod. He’s been scratched in every game this season after appearing in 29 games for New York last year, and the Rangers intentionally kept him on the active roster when the opening-night group was finalized. Robertson, by contrast, had to clear waivers and did so.
The appeal with Morrow is straightforward: he’s a right-shot defender with real puck-moving ability, and he showed enough in college and in the AHL before being acquired from Carolina to make this kind of opportunity make sense. If he gets the call, Pettersson is the cleanest fit beside him. Pettersson gives the pair structure and reliability in the defensive zone, the kind of steady partner that lets a more adventurous defenseman take a few risks and join the attack.
That’s exactly why the wrong choice would be to move Braden Schneider up the lineup instead.
Putting Schneider on the second pair would be the kind of detour the Rangers should avoid. It would also likely leave the team leaning on just two pairs for much of the night, since rookie Alberts Smits is being used carefully at only 14:51 per game.
Schneider has already had a shot in a bigger role before, when Adam Fox got hurt last season, and that move did not work out. Revisiting it now would be hard to defend.
His numbers through 12 games reflect the issue. Schneider is averaging 17:34 per night and has only two assists.
He brings physicality, with 27 hits and 15 blocks, but the puck movement has remained shaky. He has four takeaways and 10 giveaways, and he has repeatedly had trouble getting the puck out cleanly when pressure arrives.
Schneider signed a one-year deal this summer, and the front office’s choice not to move him for forward help is starting to look less and less comfortable as time goes on. Asking him to take on top-four minutes against Ottawa’s skill players would be inviting unnecessary problems.
Robertson’s recall also comes with a longer-term wrinkle for Chris Drury. The Rangers can keep him on the roster for up to 30 days or nine games before waivers become an issue again, but there’s a bigger incentive to get him into six games if they want to preserve his value beyond this season.
Robertson is on track to become a Group 6 unrestricted free agent on July 1. Because he is 26 and has three pro seasons under his belt, he needs to reach 80 career NHL games to stay under team control.
He currently has 74. Six more games would restore his RFA status for the summer.
He would still become a UFA the following year once he turns 27, but getting him to RFA status this offseason would give the Rangers more leverage. If they ever decided to move him, the acquiring team would also be buying into an extra year of control.
Durzi’s availability is what starts the ripple effect, and the closer it gets to puck drop, the clearer the decision becomes. The Rangers now have to decide whether to trust Morrow’s upside or retreat to a flawed alternative on the right side.
In Other News...
Rangers Fans Have A New Reason To Watch Hartford Closely
The Hartford Wolf Pack finally got a result they could build on, ending a five-game skid with a 2-0 shutout of the Providence Bruins. For Rangers fans keeping one eye on the affiliate, it was a notable night because James Reimer stepped in for his Wolf Pack debut and looked very much like a veteran stabilizer, while Hartford got goals from Liam Greentree and Carey Terrance to snap the slump.
Reimer stopped 35 shots and gave the Wolf Pack the kind of calm, steady performance they had been missing during the losing streak. The bigger payoff for Hartford, and potentially for the organization, came from the way the game tightened late before Greentree delivered the key goal on the power play in the third period, giving the Rangers' minor-league club something to build around after a rough stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Have An Oliver Bjorkstrand Problem They'd Love To Solve
Oliver Bjorkstrand has done exactly what the Rangers hoped he might do, only in a role that has made the fit look a little awkward so far. Even while skating on the fourth line, he has already scored multiple goals, giving the club a useful scoring punch from a spot in the lineup that usually does not produce much offense. For a team still sorting through its forward mix, that kind of production has made Bjorkstrand impossible to ignore.
Mike Sullivan has made it clear he wants to get Bjorkstrand on the ice more often, and the Rangers are looking at different ways to make that happen without creating another hole elsewhere. The addition of Luke Glendening was meant to help steady the center depth after Joe Veleno's injury, but it also adds another layer to the lineup puzzle as the Rangers try to balance veterans, depth needs and the best way to use one of their most productive scorers. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Face Another Big Road Test With Goalie Questions Lingering
The Rangers head into Saturdays game at Canadian Tire Centre looking for a steadier answer away from home, where they have gone winless in their last four road outings. They also remain without No. 1 goalie Linus Ullmark, who is on injured reserve, leaving another layer of uncertainty as they try to solve a road stretch that has become a little too familiar.
Ottawa, meanwhile, is set to turn the page in net with a new face, and New York is expected to have one of its own lineup changes as veteran Luke Glendening is poised to dress for the first time as a Ranger. For a team trying to get its footing on the road, the trip now comes with fresh personnel on both sides and a matchup that could hinge on which group settles in faster. [Read more 🡒]