At this point, the New York Rangers fans probably don’t even know what to expect. The team lost the playoffs race after bombing against the Hurricanes in a 7-3 loss. Yet, in a cruel twist, tonight they beat the Florida Panthers. The Panthers beat them in last year’s conference final. What’s more? They defeated the defending champs with three young talents in the lineup.
Gabe Perreault and Brennan Othmann came off the bench, while Matthew Robertson made his NYR debut. However, coach Peter Laviolette once again drew the ire of the community for benching yet another younger talent Brett Berard. The fans have already called out Laviolette for sitting on the promising young talents for far too long. Now, journalist Larry Brooks has done the same.
“Brett Berard being a healthy scratch tonight is infuriating. Don’t tell me it’s because the Rangers need a center while also scratching Carrick. Rempe could go into the middle for his 8:00 of ice time. There’s no acceptable explanation,” the beat reporter wrote on X ahead of the Panthers game. It’s not difficult to see why even the journalist is so critical about the New York Rangers coach’s roster building.
22-year-old Brett Berard emerged as one of the stars on the ice for the Rangers when they beat their rivals, the Islanders, 9-2. “I thought Berard played a really good game [against the Flyers], and so we decided to come back with him,” Coach Laviolette admitted himself after Berard scored 2 goals. And so, like many fans, Brooks couldn’t wrap his head around why the coach would pick and choose between the young talents instead of including them all in the lineup.
Brett Berard being a healthy scratch tonight is infuriating.
Don’t tell me it’s because the Rangers need a center while also scratching Carrick. Rempe could go into the middle for his 8:00 of ice time.
There’s no acceptable explanation.
— Larry Brooks (@NYP_Brooksie) April 14, 2025
The fact that the youngsters are making a difference has only fueled the fans’ argument. Brooks already fought back against those saying there wasn’t enough space in the lineup saying the veteran Sam Carrick would be on the beach, where he’s spent most of his time recently. Despite the New York Rangers crashing out of the playoffs, Laviolette is still reluctant to go all in on the young talents. Yet, the hockey coach may have his reasons.
This story is developing…
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