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Rangers Hoping To Spark Fourth Line With New Changes
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- Rangers Hoping To Spark Fourth Line With New Changes
The New York Rangers are hoping to get the fourth line going with the additions of Justin Dowling and Taylor Raddysh.
To kick off the season, Mike Sullivan trusted his fourth line, featuring Tye Kartye and Joe Veleno, to play consistent minutes, mainly because of their two-way abilities.
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Even after the team moved Kartye into a top-six role, Oliver Bjorkstrand replaced him on the fourth line, bringing a scoring threat to complement Veleno and Matt Rempe/Jaroslav Chmelař.
However, Veleno suffered a lower-body injury on October 4 in a game against the Utah Mammoth that landed him on injured reserve and is expected to keep him out for three months.
"It's unfortunate because Joe really fitted nicely into that role," Sullivan said of Veleno's injury. "His speed, his size, his ability to win face-offs, his ability to kill penalties… We really felt like he fit into the role that we envisioned when we got him, and so it's unfortunate that you know that he got hurt."
In the wake of Veleno's injury, the Rangers called up young center Cole Beaudoin from the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League.
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The 20-year-old forward played in four games for the Rangers but was not fully trusted by Sullivan. He averaged only 8:47 minutes, a far contrast from Veleno, who averaged 11:37 in his four games with the Blueshirts.
In Beaudoin's final game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, he played a total of 3:29 minutes before being sent back down to the AHL in favor of Dowling.
Dowling adds a veteran presence to the Rangers' fourth line and is a player who's better equipped to play in more defensive-zone situations.
"I thought he had a solid training camp," Sullivan said of Dowling. "He's a veteran guy, he has some experience. He understands what he is. I think he can play within himself. He's a smart player. He can move the puck. He sees the ice pretty well. He brings an element of experience. I think that will help us."
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At right wing, Jaroslav Chmelař had played the majority of games on the fourth line, with Matt Rempe filtering into two games.
Both played a limited number of minutes when in the lineup, and on Friday, the Rangers sent Chmelař down to the AHL, recalling Raddysh in a corresponding move.
Raddysh signed a two-year, $3 million contract with the Rangers during the 2025 offseason and played 68 games, recording nine goals, 10 assists, and 19 points while averaging 11:51 minutes during the 2025-26 campaign.
The veteran forward was waived before the start of the season and cleared waivers as he started the year playing in the AHL.
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Last season, Raddysh played a role on the penalty kill, and he provides the Rangers with a reliable two-way game, which could help him carve out more of a consistent role upon being called up.
"Obviously we're trying to find a more effective fourth line," Sullivan said. "Raddy brings speed. He plays hard. He plays the game the right way. He can help us on the penalty kill if we need him there."
Sullivan has assembled a fourth line of all veteran players with the hope that they will be able to eat up some minutes and add an element of balance to the Rangers' lineup.
Bjorkstrand, Dowling, and Raddysh are set to play their first game together on Saturday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
