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Published June 1, 2024 at 5:12 pm ET
SUNRISE, Fla. – The Rangers didn’t fall behind in the Eastern Conference finals against the Panthers due to some inconsequential personnel decisions, but they certainly became a factor in the playoff race.
When Peter Laviolette opted to insert Filip Chytil into the lineup for Game 3 of the Blueshirts’ second-round matchup against the Hurricanes, the Rangers head coach justified the move, which was made when his club was 6- 0 in the postseason, saying it was about maximizing his bench.
It gave the Rangers a jolt in the moment and allowed them to earn a double overtime victory, their seventh straight playoff victory, but it also ultimately became another thing for Laviolette to handle.
After his triumphant return after a more than six-month recovery period for a suspected concussion, Chytil fell ill, as something passed through the room and affected other players as well, and was unable to return to the ice two mornings later to the match. 4 against Carolina.
Filip Chytil has been in and out of the Rangers lineup since returning from a concussion. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST
He was later too sore to play in Game 5.
Jonny Brodzinski, who returned to the lineup Saturday night for Game 6 against the Panthers, stepped in.
Then it was Matt Rempe.
Then Brodzinski again.
For Games 1, 2 and 3 of the conference finals, Chytil played in all of them, but Kaapo Kakko was healthy in the second game before Jimmy Vesey suffered an upper body injury in the first game in Florida.
The injury opened the door for Blake Wheeler to return to the lineup for the first time since suffering a gruesome lower-body injury on Feb. 15, but the loss of Vesey on the fourth line became another hurdle to overcome.
Kaapo Kakko was a healthy scratch in this series. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
Vesey, who participated in the morning skate on Saturday in a red non-contact jersey, was a staple on the fourth line all season and into the playoffs.
He became part of that unit’s identity, providing a scoring touch and serving as a reliable skater.
Follow The Post’s coverage of the Rangers in the NHL Playoffs
However, in the second game in Florida, the Rangers kept Chytil out of the lineup in the name of load management.
It quickly became clear that the Rangers valued Chytil at a lower capacity than their other options, which is understandable, but it’s still a balancing act when trying to put a player in a position to succeed.
Entering Game 6 on Saturday night, with his team trailing 3-2 and his season on the line, Laviolette was expected to wear a different lineup for a 10th straight game, dating back to Game 3 of Round 2.
And for a team that largely had continuity in both line combinations and defensive pairings for most of the season, it became something to consider.
New York Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette reacts on the bench after a penalty during the third period of Game 4. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
Between Chytil’s inconsistent availability and use of the Czech forward, as well as Rempe’s deployment and comfort level with how to use Rempe, Laviolette went from barely having decisions to make to having an excess of decisions to make, at one point. in which team play had to be the priority.
The Rangers were never going to go 16-0 on their way to winning the Stanley Cup, but the postseason became considerably more difficult the moment changes were made.
In theory, involving Chytil and Wheeler was important to the longevity of the Rangers’ career, but it also played a role in the team’s current situation.
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