The Rangers Must Do What's Best For Brett Berard's Development

It might be best for the New York Rangers to send Brett Berard back down to the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League at this point. 

Berard has been scratched out of the Rangers’ lineup over the past two games and even when he does play, his role is limited to just fourth line minutes. 

While Berard has shown flashes of promise through his first stint where he played 19 games and since getting called up again, the opportunity and trust from Peter Laviolette don’t seem to be there right now. 

With Sam Carrick out for personal reasons on Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Kings, Laviolette elected to replace him with Nicolas Aube-Kubel instead of Berard. 

Understandably, the Rangers are in the middle of an intense battle for the playoffs and Laviolette wants to put out the best possible lineup in his eyes. 

However, it’s unacceptable to have this talented 22-year-old watching games from the press box when he could be getting valuable experience with the Wolf Pack. 

For the sake of Berard’s development, the Rangers should send him back down to the AHL, which will allow the young forward to play an expanded role, which will only help him grow as a player.

Given how much progress he’s already made, Berard has a legitimate chance to not only make the Rangers’ roster next season, but also slot into a prominent spot. 

In 28 games with the Rangers this season, Berard has recorded four goals, four assists and eight points while averaging 10:41 minutes.