Rangers Coach Sullivan to Stick with New Top Line Against Kraken

New York Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan announced today he will continue to deploy a newly formed top line of Artemi Panarin, J.T. Miller, and Mika Zibanejad when the team faces the Seattle Kraken tonight.

The decision comes after the line showed promising results during the third period of Thursday night’s overtime win against the Edmonton Oilers, inspiring Sullivan to adjust the rest of the forward lines. “We thought we’d practice with it again today and see where it goes,” Sullivan said Friday. “Obviously, the response we had in the third period may warrant giving it a chance.”

The second line will consist of Will Cuyle, Noah Laba, and Alexis Lafreniere, with Laba centering after recent strong performances. The third line features Conor Sheary, Juuso Parssinen, and Taylor Raddysh, while the fourth line remains unchanged with Adam Edstrom, Sam Carrick, and Jonny Brodzinski. Sullivan explained the rationale behind combining the team’s top offensive talent, stating, “They’re three of our most talented offensive players…we’ve been talking for a number of days about potentially putting them together to see if maybe we can help them break out of it a little bit.” The Rangers have historically performed well against Seattle, earning points in seven of their eight meetings since the Kraken joined the National Hockey League in 2021-22.

This line change is a significant move for the Rangers, who are currently seeking more consistent offensive production. Sullivan indicated the team will evaluate the line’s performance against the Kraken and determine if the new configuration will continue moving forward. More sports coverage can be found here.