Jonny Brodzinski #22 of the New York Rangers high fives...

Jonny Brodzinski #22 of the New York Rangers high fives teammates after scoring a goal against Chicago during the first period at the United Center on Jan. 5, 2025 in Chicago.  Credit: Getty Images/Michael Reaves

Last month, when Filip Chytil was out of the lineup for a couple of games with an upper-body injury and Jonny Brodzinski was temporarily stepping into his spot as the Rangers’ third-line center, it was suggested to Brodzinski that he had become a “fill-in’’ for Chytil.

“No pun intended,’’ Brodzinski quipped.

None indeed. But with Chytil now gone, shipped out to Vancouver last Friday with prospect defenseman Victor Mancini and a first-round pick in the trade for J.T. Miller, Brodzinski now finds himself not filling in for Chytil, but actually replacing him, for the moment at least.

Coach Peter Laviolette’s decision to shift former No. 1 center Mika Zibanejad to the wing on a line with Miller meant Brodzinski was needed to step in as the third-line center, behind Miller and Vincent Trocheck. That’s where he was expected to be again Wednesday, when the Rangers played the Boston Bruins at Madison Square Garden.

In his first game in the role, Saturday in Boston against the Bruins, Brodzinski, playing between wingers Chris Kreider and Will Cuylle, scored a goal that pulled the Rangers within 5-3 in a game they would eventually lose, 6-3. It was his first game since Jan. 11 after being a healthy scratch for eight straight games.

Brodzinski, 31, has established himself as a valuable reserve player for the Rangers since signing with the team as a free agent before the COVID-shortened 2021 season. While he’s never been able to lock down a regular spot in the lineup, the Ham Lake, Minnesota, native has flashed some skills when he’s gotten the opportunity to play, producing 13 goals and 18 assists in 123 games for the Blueshirts before Wednesday.

He had six goals and 13 assists in a career-high 57 games last season, when he got an extended run in the lineup due to the presumed concussion that caused Chytil to miss the last 72 games of the season. And he entered Wednesday’s game with four goals, three assists and a plus-5 rating in 22 games this season.

But he admitted sitting around waiting for the chance to play has not been easy.

“It is tough,’’ he said. "In the beginning of my career, I was a lot more upset about it, because I wanted to be the guy every single night. And I still think I can be that guy. But I think now in my career, I just want our team to succeed as much as possible. And when I do get in, we need wins right now. And I'm just happy to be . . . doing my part and trying to push this team to getting two points every single night.’’

Having depth you can rely on is something every coach needs, and Laviolette appreciates what Brodzinski can do for the team.

“He's come in and he's played well at center for us if needed,’’ Laviolette said of Brodzinski. “He's done that before. So that is a strong attribute for a player when they can come in and play multiple positions. If they can play either wing, if they can play the middle, if they're a penalty killer — the more boxes you check, the more valuable you know you are to a team.’’

Still, the Rangers, who were six points out of a playoff spot before Wednesday’s game, are looking to not only climb the standings and earn a postseason berth, but to do big things once they get there. And so, they’ll be looking to bolster their roster with more deals before the March 7 trade deadline.

Even after acquiring Miller and his $8 million cap hit, the Rangers are flush with salary-cap space — Puckpedia says they have over $9.6 million in current cap space and project to have $16.5 million available at the deadline — so there is room to make roster upgrades. No doubt, a legitimate, every-night, third-line center would be one of the needs they’ll be looking to fill.

In the meantime, Brodzinski will be happy to fill in. And if and when the Rangers do acquire someone who will come in and replace him, Brodzinski will quietly understand and deal with that.

“I want everybody to succeed,’’ he said. “Even the guys that come in for me, I want them to be scoring goals. I want our team to be winning.’’

Blue notes

D Zac Jones played his first game since Dec. 23. Urho Vaakanainen was ill, so Jones took his spot on the third pair next to Braden Schneider … Igor Shesterkin started in goal for the Rangers against Boston’s backup Joonas Korpisalo.

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