Five Former Mike Sullivan Players the Rangers Could Target Via Free Agency
With Mike Sullivan behind the bench, could the Rangers target familiar faces this offseason? Here are five players who’ve thrived under their new coach.
The New York Rangers have a new head coach. And it’s not just any new head coach; it’s the guy they’ve been after for quite some time.
Mike Sullivan is regarded as one of the top coaches in the National Hockey League. He’s won championships, just coached Team USA in the 4 Nations Face-Off, and is highly regarded for bringing out the best in his players. As the Rangers begin to navigate an off-season where a great deal of turnover can occur, it’s worth taking a look at some players that have a history with Mike Sullivan and who could be available to the Rangers via free agency or potential trades.
In the first of a two part series, let’s explore five unrestricted free agents the Rangers could consider who have spent time playing under Mike Sullivan in the past.
Matt Grzelcyk
Talk about a match made in heaven. Matt Grzelcyk is a U.S. National Development Team graduate, one season of which was spent alongside J.T. Miller. From there, Grzelcyk spent four years at Boston University, one of which with Jack Eichel, who will surely be atop the Rangers’ priority list in the event he becomes a UFA next season. Drafted in the third round by the Boston Bruins in 2012, Grzelcyk spent six seasons in Boston where he established himself as a strong skater who can move the puck, play in a number of different roles, and contribute offensively. He’s almost like a Zac Jones if the team that drafted him actually played and developed him to become a full-time NHLer.
One deterring factor that is especially relevant from a Rangers perspective is his smaller frame. At 5-9 he doesn’t have much size to his game, quite similar to Zac Jones. He still brings some physicality to his game but purely from a size and stature aspect, he doesn't necessarily fit the mold for what the Rangers are trying to build moving forward. Still, I'd take a 5-9 Matt Grzelyck over a 6-5 Carson Soucy every day of the week and twice on Sunday.
His game dropped off quite a bit during his last season in Boston but he’s coming off a solid year in Pittsburgh under Mike Sullivan where he was about a half a point per game player. That in itself could be reason enough for Chris Drury to consider signing Grzelcyk and for Grzelcyk to have interest in New York.
Here's Grzelcyk picking up the only Boston goal in Game 7 of the 2019 Cup Final.
If we’re considering the player and what he brings to the ice, Grzelcyk could be a great fit in the Rangers top four, potentially even on the top pair with Adam Fox. In a weak free agent class where there aren’t many better options aside from Vladislav Gavrikov and Ivan Provorov, for the right price Grzelcyk could be the Rangers best option.
