The median height of the Rangers organization has increased substantially in the last few years.
One look around the rink at MSG Training Center in Tarrytown over the last month and it’s impossible not to take notice.
A 6-foot-6, 235-pound defenseman in Ben Harpur, who joined the Rangers in 2022 by way of a PTO with the AHL Wolf Pack, passing the puck up to the Rangers’ 178th-overall pick in 2023, the 6-7 Dylan Roobroeck.
Left wing Nathan Aspinall, all 6-6 of him, streaking down along the boards and shooting on 6-7 goalie Talyn Boyko, a fourth-rounder in 2021.
Rangers center Adam Edstrom (84) skates with the puck against the New Jersey Devils.
The Blueshirts may have found something in these vertically gifted players.
The 6-8 ½ Matt Rempe and the 6-7 Adam Edstrom are proving so.
Both organizationally grown forwards are in the mix to make the Rangers roster out of training camp, with Rempe leading the way as largely a mainstay with the main group.
Edstrom, on the other hand, has made more noise with his performances in the rookie games and the last three exhibition games.
Rangers center Adam Edstrom (84) celebrates his game-winning goal against the New York Islanders.
“I think they’re a little bit different players,” head coach Peter Laviolette said at the start of training camp. “When they’re next to each other, the size is the first thing you notice. They’re both really, really big individuals. So that’s the first thing that you compare. They both can skate well. They both can play a physical game. It’s different, their physical game, it’s a little bit different.
“The next step for both of those players would be to — now that the rookie games are over, or last season is over — you come into training camp, get a summer of training in training camp. You get into games and opportunities to show what you do to make an impact, so that’s what we’ll be looking for.”
Amid news that Jimmmy Vesey is going to miss a few weeks with a lower-body injury, Edstrom’s chances of making the team out of training camp have gone up.
Having played all but one of his 11 games with the Rangers last season on the fourth line, the 23-year-old is one of the first in line on the depth chart.
Rempe, Jonny Brodzinski and Sam Carrick are also vying for a spot on the fourth unit.
Since Edstrom played against the Devils on Monday night in Newark, the aforementioned three skated together in practice earlier in the day.
Operating under the assumption that Rempe is making the team, the fact that Edstrom is waivers exempt makes him a safer option than, say, Brodzinski, for the Rangers to send down to Hartford to start the season.
If Vesey, or Ryan Lindgren (upper body), go on injured reserve, however, they wouldn’t count against the 23-man roster and it would become a matter of fitting under the cap.
If one or both go on long-term injured reserve, the Rangers would then be able to exceed the $88 million salary cap ceiling.
Not only would that require said player(s) to miss a minimum of 10 games and 24 days of the season, but using LTIR means that cap space does not accrue.
The Rangers would presumably prefer to avoid that for trade-deadline purposes.
When asked how he weighs players benefitting from AHL playing time versus not playing as much but getting the experience of day-to-day life as an NHLer, Laviolette said Sunday that he thinks there’s a benefit to going down and playing — especially at the beginning of a season.
If Edstrom does start the 2024-25 campaign with the Wolf Pack, it’s safe to assume he would be one of the first recalls if the Rangers were to lose another forward.
He’s earned as much this training camp with two goals entering Monday night’s contest.
“I’m proud of myself,” Edstrom said after scoring the game-winner in the 6-4 comeback win over the Islanders. “I feel like I’ve kind of shown a new level of hockey. I feel like I came into camp very well prepared.”
Adam Edstrom #84 of the New York Rangers celebrates his game winning goal against the New York Islanders.
Edstrom scored his first goal in his NHL debut on Dec. 15, before he was sent back down to Hartford, where he subsequently suffered an upper-body injury and was unavailable for nearly two months.
He then got a run of 10 games with the Rangers from mid-February into early March, adding one more goal and bolstering the Rangers forecheck.
Laviolette has praised Edstrom for coming into camp in great shape, while also highlighting his skating and heaviness in battles.
Asked what he wants to see from Edstrom to know he can be a full-time NHLer, the second-year Rangers coach said he is looking for consistency from the Swede.
“I just overall feel like I’m faster and more explosive,” Edstrom said. “It’s kind of like a confidence thing going in there now. I know that I can play a little bit more on the edge now.”
