The Rangers have plenty to sort out up front, and Noah Laba sits right in the middle of it. New York came into the season with more depth on defense and at winger than it had a year ago, but center remains a thin spot, and Laba’s slow offensive start has only made that more obvious.
Laba’s rookie season last year gave the Rangers a reason to believe. Drafted in the fourth round of the 2022 NHL Draft, he spent three seasons at Colorado College before joining New York.
At 6-foot-3 and 218 pounds, he brought a sturdy defensive game and enough skating to hold his own, and he fit well on the third line. He finished with nine goals and 15 assists in 74 games, won 50.8 percent of his faceoffs and averaged 13:28 of ice time per game.
That kind of steady two-way play is what made him such an important piece once the Rangers traded veteran center Vincent Trocheck to the Utah Mammoth this offseason. Even with Mika Zibanejad and J.T. Miller still in the middle, the move put more pressure on Laba to help carry the position.
So far this season, he has handled the defensive side of the job reasonably well. He has helped on the penalty kill, used his reach to clog shooting and passing lanes, made conservative decisions with the puck and tracked back hard at even strength. The problem is what has not shown up: offense.
Last season, Laba’s line was effective because it could get in on the forecheck, win pucks and drive to the net. He has continued to forecheck, but the chances have not followed.
His best outing may have come in the Rangers’ 7-4 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 24, when he won battles for the puck, set up linemates and picked up two assists. Even so, the bigger picture is hard to ignore: he has no goals and four assists in 16 games, with a 56.1 percent faceoff rate and 14:43 in average ice time.
That lack of production has already affected his role. In the Rangers’ 3-1 win over the St.
Louis Blues on Nov. 3, Laba was moved down to the fourth line, though he still logged 14:16 because of his penalty-kill work.
Head coach Mike Sullivan shifted winger Will Cuylle to center, and Cuylle responded by stealing the puck and assisting on Oliver Bjorkstrand’s goal.
For now, the Rangers can lean on Zibanejad and Miller, both 33, at the top of the center group. Each brings power-play and penalty-kill value, faceoff strength and a solid start to the season. Zibanejad has three goals and nine assists in 16 games, while Miller has four goals and eight assists in 16 games.
But that setup only works if the rest of the center depth holds up. Cuylle at center is a temporary fix, not a permanent answer, and the Rangers would be in real trouble if Zibanejad or Miller missed time. Joe Veleno, who opened the season as the fourth-line center, is also on long-term injured reserve with a lower-body injury.
The Rangers trusted Laba enough to move on from Trocheck, and that makes his slow start even more frustrating. He has done the defensive work, but New York needs more than that from him. The team needs him to generate chances, score some goals and settle back into the version of himself it saw late last season.
In Other News...
Rangers Just Took An Important Step Toward Goalie Relief
The Rangers have taken a meaningful step toward easing their goaltending squeeze by sending Joonas Korpisalo to the AHLs Hartford Wolf Pack on a conditioning loan as he works back from a lower-body injury and foot infection. The move is designed to get him back into game shape without taking him off the NHL roster, a small but important bit of roster management for a team that has been navigating life without Igor Shesterkin.
Under the NHL collective bargaining agreement, the loan can run for as long as 14 days while Korpisalo remains on the NHL payroll, giving the Rangers a short window to evaluate where he stands physically. His eventual return would offer some relief in net, but for now the bigger question is how quickly he can regain the form and availability New York needs from him. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Trade Search Just Zeroed In On A Crucial Need
The Rangers search for help down the middle is starting to look like one of the more important items on their list as the season unfolds. Will Cuylle has been asked to bridge a gap at center, but that arrangement is viewed more as a stopgap than a long-term answer, which is why the front office is believed to be keeping a close eye on the market for younger options who could fit the roster better over time.
Among the names being floated are Ryan Hartman, Josh Norris and Cole Sillinger, a mix that reflects both the need and the uncertainty around what might actually be available. The Rangers are clearly trying to solve a real roster issue, but the challenge is finding a center who fits their timeline and can be pried loose without overpaying, which makes this one of those trade searches that could linger for a while before anything concrete happens. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers May Have Found An Unexpected Answer To Their Center Problem
The Rangers have spent much of the season searching for stability down the middle, and injuries forced them to try something a little off the board against the Blues. Will Cuylle was shifted to center for the first time in his professional career, a move born more out of necessity than design, with Eeli Tolvanen and Oliver Bjorkstrand flanking him on the wings.
The results were encouraging enough to keep the idea in the conversation. Cuylles line drove play well, posted strong expected goal numbers and helped the Rangers control key stretches in a 3-1 win over St. Louis, giving the club at least one plausible answer in a spot that has been a problem for much of the year. Whether the look sticks beyond one game is still the bigger question. [Read more 🡒]