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The New York Rangers are evaluating several young players who are competing for spots on the opening night roster. With a condensed training camp schedule that includes only four preseason games, players have limited time to make an impression. However, a few have stood out with the opportunities they have been given.
One player making a strong push for a roster spot is defenseman Scott Morrow. Acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes in the K'Andre Miller trade last offseason, Morrow saw few opportunities with the Rangers last season due to some struggles, despite possessing the skill set head coach Mike Sullivan wanted more of from his blue line. Heading into training camp this year, Morrow was squarely on the roster bubble, but he is certainly not lacking confidence in himself to get the job done on the ice.
"You gotta have confidence in yourself, and I know that if I play my best hockey, it's gonna find a way to work out," Morrow told The Athletic on Monday, via Peter Baugh and Vincent Z. Mercogliano (subscription required). "I have a ton of confidence in what I can bring to the team, who I am as a player. I think guys with my size and skill set are hard to find, and especially after I prove to the coaches, the organization, management, whoever, that I can defend and that I can skate – those are always the things my whole life that have been the question marks for people. Once I kind of take those away, I think I'll be a pretty well-rounded player, and definitely able to play at this level."
A right-handed defenseman with puck-moving ability and youth on his side, there is a lot to like about Morrow's makeup. Given his perceived upside, it is easy to see why the Rangers might be hesitant to waive him, as other organizations may be willing to take a chance on him. It certainly won't be easy to sneak him through waivers to the Hartford Wolf Pack with how he has performed thus far in the preseason as well.
Morrow has been a big part of the game plan in both games he has played against the New Jersey Devils. On Sept. 21, he played 22:44, putting two shots on goal with one blocked shot. Against the Devils for the second time on Sept. 24, Morrow had three shots on goal, beating goalie Nico Daws for his first goal of the year and finishing with a plus/minus of +1. In the overtime game, Morrow was someone head coach Mike Sullivan relied upon heavily, logging 25:44, which was by far the most minutes played of anyone on the squad. The next closest was Albert Smits, who was on the ice for 23:48.
Key Analysis
Those two could very well be competing for the final defenseman spot along with Matthew Robertson. No longer waiver-exempt, it would be incredibly risky for New York to try to get Morrow onto the AHL roster. This is a roster crunch that has been created because the team might carry three goalies, with Dylan Garand facing a similar conundrum as a player who isn't waiver-exempt and a potential candidate to be claimed by another franchise.