Rangers' depth at center position is a problem for Noah Laba's development

It has been a quandary for Rangers coach Mike Sullivan and his staff all season long: With three top-6 centermen on the roster, is it better to play one on the wing, so they can all fit into the top two forward lines, or play them all at their natural position, meaning one would be playing on a third line?

“That’s been the fundamental question that we’ve wrestled with all year,’’ Sullivan said this week before the Rangers played the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night at the Garden.

For most of the season, Sullivan chose option A, and most of the time, it was captain J.T. Miller on the wing, riding shotgun for Mika Zibanejad or Vincent Trocheck. But when rookie Noah Laba missed five games last month with a lower-body injury, Sullivan moved Miller back to the middle, playing between wingers Tye Kartye and Conor Sheary. And the line clicked.

So when Laba returned to the lineup on March 29, Sullivan kept the Kartye-Miller-Sheary line together. That meant Laba, the third-line center for most of the season, was dropped to the fourth line.

And that is not optimal for the continued development of the 22-year-old.

“It’s probably a fair assumption to say that when you play more, you have more of an opportunity to develop,’’ Sullivan said when asked about that.

Laba, a first-year pro who came out of nowhere in training camp to win a roster spot for Opening Night, is not complaining about it.

“I think for me, I just try to focus on what I can control,’’ Laba told Newsday when asked about the reduced minutes that come with a fourth-line role. “Where I’m put is . . . kind of out of my control. I just try to do the best I can at that position, and again, have a lot of gratitude within that. I try to just perform the best I can no matter where I’m put.’’

With few games left in the season and the focus shifting toward the future, the Rangers have been giving young players such as Drew Fortescue, Jaroslav Chmelar, Adam Sykora and Dylan Garand significant ice time in recent matchups. And their performance has provided excitement around the team and the fan base.

But because of Miller’s move back to center, Laba, who had nine goals and 13 assists in 67 games entering Thursday, has seen his role and ice time diminish somewhat (he does still kill penalties and get time on the second power-play unit).

Miller said playing center is good for his own game.

“I think I’m a better center,’’ he said Wednesday. “I’ve been playing center for a long time. Like I’ve said a lot of times, if I’m playing with Troch or Mika, it’s not like I’m a winger; I’m 50-50, depending on who takes the faceoff. But it feels good to be back in the middle and taking control of the [faceoff] circle on both sides.

‘And I definitely am playing better when I’m at center. I think I’m more engaged [and] I think I’m a better version of myself than at wing. But that being said, there’s scenarios where you’ve got to do what’s best for the team and play where you need to play.’’

And that’s the problem that faces Sullivan these last few games: how to balance what’s best for the older players who are the current drivers of the team with what’s best for the younger players who will make up the future.

On Wednesday, Sullivan danced around the question of whether Garand — the 23-year-old goalie who made his NHL debut last week and has played two impressive games (1-0-1, 1.44 goals-against average, .944 save percentage) — will play again before the season is over. Sullivan said Igor Shesterkin, who started against Montreal, is “going to play games because he has a desire to play.’’

Miller, who has battled injury all season and subsequently has not had a great season, would benefit from finishing strong and being able to take that finish into the summer and next season. And if playing center helps him do that, it would be important to the team’s immediate future, even if it comes at the expense of some of Laba’s development.

“When Labs got hurt and we constructed the lines the way we did, we’ve liked some of what we’ve seen,’’ Sullivan said. “We’re trying to help J.T. capture his very best game, and that’s an important element for us for a lot of reasons. ‘We’re trying to help Labs continue to develop as a young player, and that’s important to us also. So I don’t think it’s as simple as asking one question . . . ‘Is it best for this individual?’ We’ve got multiple objectives in mind that we’re trying to accomplish.’’

Rangers fall to Canadiens. Adam Fox scored his 70th career goal to tie Dave Maloney for seventh most by a defenseman in franchise history, but the Rangers (31-36-9) lost to the Canadiens, 3-2. Will Cuylle scored his 17th goal to tie it at 14:08 of the third period, but Cole Caufield scored his 49th goal of the season (and second of the game) 47 seconds later.

By Colin Stephenson

colin.stephenson@newsday.comColinSNewsday

Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.