On a night that will be remembered in part for one of the New York Rangers’ big free-agent signings authoring his first moment in front of the Madison Square Garden crowd, it was the performance two of the lesser-profile pickups that might prove just as important in the long run.
Because while Blake Wheeler delivered his first goal in a Blueshirt during the Rangers’ 4-2 victory over the New York Islanders in the archrivals’ preseason opener Tuesday, new coach Peter Laviolette saw signs that his team might have the makings of a long-sought versatile fourth line that can contribute.
Laviolette sent out free-agent bargain signings Nick Bonino and Tyler Pitlick along with holdover Barclay Goodrow, and the trio impressed as a steady, impactful forward trio which might give the coach a unit that can be deployed effectively in a number of situations in 2023-24.
Yes, it was only preseason, and both teams were playing plenty of youngsters with little chance of making their respective team, along with veterans who won’t all find themselves on the opening-night roster. Yet the numbers for the ostensible fourth line were encouraging nonetheless: All three players finished with a plus-1 rating, while Pitlick scored a goal and Goodrow recorded an assist. Bonino won half of his eight faceoffs, while Goodrow won both of his. Most importantly, the possession numbers were pretty, with the line posting a 61.1 Corsi for percentage and 64.6 expected goals for mark.
Bonino-Goodrow-Pitlick Unit Brings Defense, Intensity, Experience
It was perhaps fitting that the Rangers would get a strong fourth-line performance against the Islanders, a team that for years has benefited from consequential “Identity Line” of Matt Martin, Casey Cizikas and Cal Clutterbuck providing outsized value from the bottom of the forward corps. The Blueshirts, by contrast, have for years found fourth-unit effectiveness only in fits and starts, and they head into another season trying to unearth some of what the Isles have been able to count on consistently.
“I think it’s probably trying to find chemistry with that type of a line and the fact that they do multiple things out there,” Laviolette said of putting the three forwards together. “You’ve got a couple of faceoff guys, you’ve got guys that defend well, that are penalty killers that can get you out of tough situations in your own zone.
“I think players like that and lines like that when they’re together, they really take pride like that’s their job. I thought for the first showing of them being together, I thought it was a really good line for us.” (From ‘Rangers Regulars Score In Solid Preseason Win Over Islanders’, New York Post, 9/26/23)
Bonino looked sharp, the 35-year-old with a couple of Stanley Cup rings from his time with the Pittsburgh Penguins who also played for Laviolette with the Nashville Predators, putting his sound defensive game on display. Pitlick, now with his eighth NHL team, is big, can skate and goes to the net, also dishing out five hits in showing off his physical edge and relentless motor.
Add in Goodrow, the Swiss Army Knife wing/center who’s often maligned by the fan base due to his expensive contract, and Laviolette might have a group that can go up against an opponent’s top lines occasionally in addition to the traditional fourth-line energy role.
The Rangers are desperate for that kind of impact from the bottom of their forward group. Martin-Cizikas-Clutterbuck has made a difference against them for years, the Blueshirts usually unable to match the unit’s physicality and cycling ability in the offensive zone. The club has also been unable or unwilling to construct a worthy checking unit over the long term; the Carolina Hurricanes’ line of Jordan Staal, Nino Niederreiter and old friend Jesper Fast, for example, smothered opponents two seasons ago, and Staal and Fast remain in Raleigh as the basis of a shutdown unit.
Rangers Have Failed For Years to Forge Effective Fourth Line
It’s probably a tall order to expect Bonino-Goodrow-Pitlick to have the effect the Islanders trio does. There’s also no guarantee that Laviolette will go into opening night Oct. 12 at Buffalo with those three players as his fourth line, with last season’s PTO revelation Jimmy Vesey a candidate to grab a spot on the bottom unit depending on how the rest of the forward competitions shake out. That said, it had to be encouraging that low-cost signings Bonino (one year, $800,000) and Pitlick (one year, $787,500) performed so well in their partnership with Goodrow, even if it was just one preseason game.
Related: Rangers May Need Blake Wheeler More Than They Thought
“It’s nice to get (a goal) right away, get a little confidence, but yeah, just gotta keep going and do the little things that I do, to show what I can bring,” Pitlick said.
This trio could be boosted by the hiring of Laviolette, who demands structure, attention to detail and relentless and committed play. His fourth line will have a defined purpose – which will be a departure from Rangers’ fourth lines of the recent past that often seemed to lack a clear role, and not coincidentally, effectiveness.
There’s something to like about the unit of Bonino, Goodrow and Pitlick so far. Laviolette seems to like it too. With a new coach, a new system and new on-ice philosophy, the Rangers might also have a new forward group that can finally solve their long-running fourth-line issues.
