The New York Rangers’ first legitimate roster squeeze of camp, according to Mike Sullivan, has Jacob Battaglia headed to Hartford.
By assigning Dylan Roobroeck, Brody Lamb, Spencer Martin, Battaglia, and Callum Tung to Hartford, the Rangers removed five players from the NHL squad in one action.
This kind of transaction alters the atmosphere in the camp. When five lockers vanish, practice groups get smaller, and the remaining players instantly notice fewer bodies between them and a position on opening night.
Because there is a little extra mystery associated with every young player who is sent down, Battaglia is the star of the group. Although his mission does not put an end to the issue, it does clarify the Rangers’ short-term goals.
Sullivan’s present combination is losing two more developing forwards, as Lamb and Roobroeck are moving in the same direction. The field of competition up front has narrowed considerably.
Tung travels with Martin to Hartford, which also reduces the amount of goaltending options. New York solved several roster controversies in one afternoon.
The Rangers roster is being streamlined by Mike Sullivan.
Although this isn’t a huge surprise, September transfers like this are important since they reveal where the coaching staff is establishing its initial limits.
Sullivan can now evaluate the players who are still battling for bottom-six employment, depth positions, and extra roster spots more closely. The fewer athletes that rotate through practice, the more difficult it is to overlook each repetition.
For Battaglia, the lesson is clear: Hartford is the way forward. In order to achieve this, he must earn minutes, push himself into more important circumstances, and ensure that the Rangers have a motive to think about him again later.
The same pressure applies to Roobroeck and Lamb. When a player begins to produce and injuries start to change an NHL depth chart, the AHL’s development period might go quickly.
Additionally, there is a larger roster impact. The Rangers limited Sullivan’s options and brought the remaining bubble players closer to a decision in addition to sending five players down in New York.
Although Sullivan and Chris Drury still have work to do before the roster is finalized, this was the first wave of departures that was noticeable.
And the NHL dream didn’t vanish on Thursday for five hopeful Rangers. It just went to Hartford, which is to the north.
