The initial response to the loss of Ryan Callahan
indefinitely is to move Matt Gilroy from defense up to right wing and go with
no spare forwards at the moment. Gilroy
has not played forward for any consistent time in years, so there is certainly
some concern over the move and questions as to why there is not a callup for
Kolarik, Zuccarello or even leaving Newbury here. I agree that this seems like an awful time to
start experimenting with new positions, but the reason this move might make
more sense than a callup is coach John Tortorella has gone with mainly three
lines for some time now. Thinking in
those terms one would have to figure Gilroy will be on the fourth line and
playing very limited minutes at even strength anyway.
What putting Gilroy in the lineup does do is give Tortorella
flexibility in terms of positioning if a defenseman is struggling on a given
night as he could move Gilroy in his spot or rotate defense to lessen the ice
load amongst the group. Gilroy also has
the ability to play the point on power play and having him as hybrid
forward/defender with limited minutes would allow him to play that role without
having to worry about any defensive concerns they have about him. He has not been great on the point, but he
has an upside for that position that could make it an option for the team in
the short term. The move also allows Tortorella the option to double shift Gaborik with Avery and Christensen to help dictate matchups and get Gaborik more ice time.
If the Gilroy experiment isn’t working or the Rangers need
more of a spark then the move can always be made later. In the meantime I would expect the following
lines for tomorrow’s practice:
Dubinsky-Anisimov-Gaborik
Prospal-Stepan-Wolski
Fedotenko-Boyle-Prust
Avery-Christensen-Gilroy
