Blake Wheeler moved to Rangers' top line; Kaapo Kakko dropped to third
Kaapo Kakko of the Rangers plays the puck during the second period against the Hurricanes at Madison Square Garden on Thursday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
GREENBURGH, N.Y. – Peter Laviolette was committed to giving the combinations he’d started with a chance to work. But after 11 games, the last of which was a stinker, the Rangers coach decided it was time for a minor tweak.
Injuries to No. 1 defenseman Adam Fox and second-line center Filip Chytil had forced a couple of changes already, but at Monday’s practice, Laviolette decided to make one more, unforced change, moving veteran right wing Blake Wheeler up to the top line, with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider, and dropping youngster Kaapo Kakko down to the third line, where Wheeler had been playing.
“I think from a 5-on-5 standpoint, you try something, and you let it go, and you see how it does,’’ Laviolette explained. “I think I'm just looking for a little bit more out of that [top] line – out of all the lines, really. And things have been layered differently, because of injury. [Vincent] Trocheck moves up [into Chytil’s spot], and that's more out of necessity, because of what happened.
“But then, I think, too, at some point… if you're not getting the results that you're looking for from a 5-on-5 standpoint, with regard to a line, or a ‘D’ pair, or a team, I think you look at what maybe you could do to see if it gives it a different look,’’ he continued. “I think, more than anything, I just wanted to change the scenery, for Blake, and for Kaapo, and for Mika. Just change the scenery a little bit, and see if that does anything.’’
“Try to push the pace,’’ Wheeler said when asked about what he hopes to do with his opportunity on the top line. “I think those two guys (Kreider and Zibanejad) skate really well. And if we're playing together, we’ve got to be playing fast, going ‘North.’ And hopefully that translates into some offensive looks, and offensive zone time, and creates some chances.’’
Wheeler, the long-time Winnipeg Jet who signed with the Rangers this summer as a free agent after being bought out by the Jets, admitted on his return to Winnipeg last week that he had not been himself in the Rangers’ first six games. He’s felt a little better since then, beginning with an energetic performance in the 3-0 win over the Oilers in Edmonton Oct. 26. He had four shots on goal in that game, and hit the post with another shot.
And in the Rangers’ last game, Saturday’s 5-4 shootout road loss to Minnesota, Wheeler earned his first point of the season, an assist on Erik Gustafsson’s goal that gave the Rangers a 3-0 lead.
“Historically, I’m a slow starter,’’ Wheeler said. “It's something that I always find I have to work myself into it. And it's just a matter of, kind of bringing confidence into a new year, and you're always trying to prove yourself, and all those little things. So, yeah, it's always taken me a little bit of time.’’
Wheeler, 37, has 312 goals and 923 points in his 16-year career, including 16 goals and 55 points for Winnipeg last season.
Blue notes:
G Igor Shesterkin, who missed Saturday’s game due to soreness, following last Thursday’s win over Carolina, took part in the first 25 minutes of practice, then left. Laviolette said Shesterkin’s status is considered “day-to-day.’’
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.
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