Rangers eye better depth scoring with healthy Filip Chytil
The New York Rangers are off to a fast start in 2024-25, starting with a dominating 6-0 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night. There were plenty of positives to take away from the victory, from 5v5 scoring, to Igor Shesterkin’s shutout, to new defense pairs clicking on all cylinders.
What really made a difference, and could be a major factor this season, was New York’s depth production from their third and fourth lines. Most important was the play of Filip Chytil, Kaapo Kakko, and Will Cuylle on the third line. And most key to that particular line is a healthy Chytil, who missed all but 10 regular-season games last season because of an upper-body injury believed to be a concussion.
Chytil logged 15:08 of ice time in the victory, with 59 seconds coming on the power play, the rest at even strength. He was responsible for the Rangers fourth goal of the contest, threading a shot over the shoulder of Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry for his first regular-season goal since March 28, 2023. Cuylle had the assist on the play, driving the puck into the offensive zone before leaving it for Chytil.
Chytil was all over the ice, playing with considerable jump just as he did in the preseason. He led the Rangers with nine shot attempts and tied for the team lead with five shots on goal. The 25-year-old was a difference maker and a matchup problem for the Penguins, who already had to contend with the Mika Zibanejad and Vincent Trocheck lines in the top six.
And it wasn’t just Chytil on that third line. Cuylle wired a right-wing goal of his own in the first period after a slick feed from Kakko. However, the play was ruled offsides by a fraction of an inch, taking away what would have been another goal from this line.
Kakko had five shots on goal and two glorious scoring chances, including a second-period breakaway that was snuffed out by Jarry.
Related: 3 Rangers takeaways from dominating 6-0 win in season opener
Rangers hoping for improved depth scoring in 2024-25
Consistent bottom-six scoring is something that the Rangers desperately needed more of last season, and the issue stemmed mainly from not having Chytil available to center the third line. Cuylle had a solid rookie season, with 13 goals and 21 points in 81 games, but he wasn’t a play drive. Kakko had 13 goals and 19 points, missing 21 games with a knee injury. He started the season on the first line before landing on the third line. It was an admitted poor season for the 23-year-old.
Alex Wennberg was a serviceable center, but had just one goal and four assists in the regular season after he was acquired by New York ahead of the trade deadline. He scored only once in 16 postseason games, as did Cuylle. Kakko had one postseason goal in 15 games. Chytil returned in the playoffs but was held scoreless in six games.
Depth scoring was something that really could have helped the Rangers when they went deeper into the playoffs, and is one of the reasons why they were eliminated once again in the Eastern Conference Final.
The trio of Cuylle-Chytil-Kakko breathes new life into the Rangers lineup. If Chytil can stay healthy, which is a big if, the Rangers could be looking at an even better offensive season than 2023-24, when they finished seventh in the NHL in both goals (278) and goal differential (+52) on their way to a franchise-record 114 points.
Riddled with head injuries during his NHL career, Chytil has yet to play a full 82-game season and is now in his seventh full year with New York. His NHL career high is 75 games played in 2018-19, and just two seasons ago reached 74 games played, when he established NHL career highs with 22 goals and 45 points.
All four lines scored in the season opener Wednesday, accounting for five even-strength goals. The Zibanejad line got two from Chris Kreider, including a shorthanded tally. The Trocheck line received one each from Trocheck and Alexis Lafreniere. And the fourth line scored the first goal of the season when newcomer Sam Carrick deflected a Jacob Trouba shot past Jarry less than three minutes into the game.
It was the first of 82 games in the regular season, but the Rangers have already shown signs of improved depth scoring, making them an even tougher team to play against in 2024-25.
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